ILLINOIS: Require all dogs and cats sold in pet stores to come from local shelters

The Humane Society of the United States has found that a puppy mill contains rooms stuffed with stacks of dog cages. They are overpopulated with too many dogs to fit comfortably in each cage.

The floors of the cages have wire floors that damage the dog's paws and allow urine and feces to rain down from one cage onto the heads of the dogs in the cages below. Many dogs suffer from diseases, injuries, and insect infestations that are never properly treated. The female dogs are bred every time they are in heat, until they can no longer produce puppies and are then killed.

Meanwhile, shelters are forced to euthanize 3 million puppies each year because there is an overpopulation. We can no longer accept this animal cruelty that is being excused so that puppy mill owners can reap high profits.

Enclosing dogs in small spaces leads to socialization problems with other dogs and humans, the spreading of illness and disease, a lack of healthy exercise, and often death.

We must stop puppy mills!!