Minnesota bill would restrict pet stores from selling dogs, cats

article

Two Golden Retrievers dressed as ballerinas take part in a gathering of hundreds of owners and their dogs who met this Monday holiday in an attempt to break the world record for the largest meeting of Goldens, in the Bosques de Palermo, in Buenos Ai (Getty Images)

Expand

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A new bill in the Minnesota Legislature is hoping to change how pet stores sell full-bred dogs and cats.

The bill would prohibit pet shops from selling cats and dogs. However, pet shops that are already selling dogs and cats would be allowed to continue selling them, so long as they only work with licensed breeders and publicize which breeders they work with. 

Transparency in pet sales push

Dig deeper:

Animal lovers say pet store sales typically mask bad breeding practices because buyers don’t know where the dogs came from.

Several states and hundreds of local governments have already made it illegal to sell dogs and cats in pet shops, with the goal of reducing the number of "puppy mills."

‘Eliminating regulated pet stores does not eliminate the demand for pets’

The other side:

There are only a few pet stores in Minnesota that still sell cats and dogs, but the owners say the law would create new problems.

"Eliminating regulated pet stores does not eliminate the demand for pets. It simply pushes that demand into less transparent markets where oversight is limited and consumers are more vulnerable," Lauren Calmet of Pet Advocacy Network.

What they're saying:

Aaron Zellhoefer of Humane World for Animals said, "This legislation takes a practical, balanced approach that allows existing pet stores to continue selling puppies while preventing the expansion of a business model that depends on cruel puppy mills and consumer deception."

Dig deeper:

The bill changed a little during Tuesday's hearing to ease concerns from current pet store owners. The proposed law would now allow them to sell their businesses and then still permit the new owners to sell dogs and cats.