City Clerk Susana Mendoza has introduced an ordinance that would prohibit pet stores in Chicago from selling dogs and cats that come from puppy mills.
Under the proposal, animals would come only from shelters and humane adoption centers.
“The purpose of the restriction is to encourage adoption,” said Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the city clerk. “There are 20,000 animals coming out of Chicago Animal Care and Control, and there is a clear need to encourage adoption of animals.”
The proposed ordinance was introduced to City Council on Feb. 5, if passed Chicago would join 45 other cities in the U.S. and Canada that have introduced laws to shut down so-called puppy mills.
Mendoza has joined forces with Cari Meyers, founder of the Puppy Mill Foundation Project in Chicago. They have been working together for 18 months.
Myers said the puppy mills usually have caged-up animals that are inbred, not cleaned or fed well and get little exercise.
“Consumers often choose animals from pet stores because they are under the impression that the animals were well taken care of,” said Meyers.
The pet owners don’t know that these animals often have health and behavior issues, she said.
“People are thinking ‘I want a pure-breed German Shepard’. If they’re not doing their research on the breeders, all they are doing is bringing problems to themselves,” said Terri Sparks, spokeswoman for the Animal Welfare League.
Adrian McNair, manager at Kriser’s, an organic and natural pet store, said he often guides his customers to petfinder.com, or invites them to attend the store’s adoption events.
McNair said he is very reluctant to recommend animals from certain stores because he is not certain about where they’re from or how they have been raised.
But some pet stores might oppose the proposed ordinance, because it could cut off the pipeline of animals that come into the city. Often, when dogs are not quickly purchased at a store, they can become strays.
“We believe that there is a framework that can work with animal shelters,” Corcoran said.
Retailers can profit from purchasing the animals from the humane adoption centers or shelters, he added.
Corcoran said the clerk’s office is working to finalize the language in the ordinance.
The proposed ordinance will be reviewed by a City Council committee before coming before the full council.
“There are means available to the city to work with the state about determining the source of the dogs, assuring that they only come from sources that are allowed under this law,” said Corcoran.
Sparks said the Animal Welfare League often partners with PetSmart and also works with other retailers such as Petco and Pet Supplies Plus.
“As a shelter worker, of course I’m going to be against the puppy mills, because again many are unregulated and unlicensed,” said Sparks.
She said Kriser’s has rescued puppies from unlicensed puppy mills where the living conditions are “horrible.”
“It’s always better to save a dog or cat [from a shelter] than to buy them from a breeder,” said McNair. “Animals deserve a second chance, especially those who have been either abandoned or in need of a new home.”
“This needs to happen in Chicago because these cats and dogs come from horrific places,” said Meyers.
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