Olivia Marotta
Connecticut is one step closer to banning puppy mills. Legislation was recently introduced to prohibit the operation of animal mills in Connecticut and to ban the sale of dogs and cats that were obtained from animal mills. The bill, H.B. 5027, entitled, “An Act Prohibiting the Sale of Dogs and Cats Obtained from Substandard Domestic Animal Mills and Requiring a Standard of Care Applicable to Animal Importers,” is notable for publicly acknowledging the horrid, cruel conditions from where many pets come and is the first major step in bringing reform for the animals who are forced to suffer lifelong abuse and neglect.
The bill was amended and passed in June 2013, creating a “Puppy Mill Task Force,” a bipartisan committee of members to study the conditions of animal breeding facilities and the inhumane treatment of puppies and kittens sold in pet stores. The task force will provide the legislature with a report of its findings and recommendations by January 1, 2014, which will be used to craft a more substantive bill for the 2014 legislative session.
The Task Force has scheduled public hearings on October 9, 2013 and November 13, 2013. Information on how to attend the upcoming hearing to provide your support for the animals who are unable to speak for themselves can be found here.
H.B. 5027 as amended by 8425 was introduced by Rep. Brenda Kupchick (R-Fairfield) and Senate Minority Leader, John McKinney (R-Fairfield) and has received a great amount of bipartisan support.
Filed under: animal cruelty, animal law | Tagged: animal abuse, animal cruelty, animal law, animal welfare, Connecticut, puppy mills |
Animal Blawg 
Thank you for this important post. Here in Iowa we’re home to approx 230 USDA-licensed large-scale commercial dog-breeders, aka puppy mills. That makes us #2 in puppy mills nationally. At least 17K adult dogs are kept in Iowa mills. Hard to determine exactly how many puppies they produce but it’s fair to assume A LOT. Most are exported to other states. Many of these puppies are sick and/or are harboring congenital defects that will rear their ugly heads later in life. Many have temperament issues due to their horrendous beginnings. All of these problems end up costing the consumer and the general public, in one way or another. This is a significant consumer protection issue. Here in Iowa we have essentially zero state oversight of this breeding industry but our organization is working to change that. I wish legislators in other states, such as CT, would let our state’s lawmakers know that they don’t appreciate these substandard products being allowed into the marketplace. Instead, states are having to use their resources to protect their citizens from our garbage exports.
Reblogged this on Wolf Is My Soul.
Reblogged this on touch of home and commented:
Puppies are treated inhumanely to say the least at puppy mills. The dogs are only there to produce puppies and nothing more. They are kept in wire cages, hurting their feet, not given proper medical care, and discarded when they no longer produce puppies. Learn the real story about the cute lil’ puppy in the pet store window!
I came from a puppy mill, and I wish they all would be no more. Woooowoooooooo!