Chicago City Council can protect puppies from phony rescue groups

Thank you, Ald. Brian Hopkins, for introducing an ordinance to close a loophole in an ordinance on pet stores sourcing their puppies from phony rescue groups.

Allowing pet stores to sell puppies from commercial breeding facilities that have been known to spread zoonotic diseases to humans is dangerous, especially given the current global pandemic. In commercial breeding facilities, dogs often are kept in cramped cages with wire floors, and routine or urgent veterinary care is not obtained. The females are used to constantly produce puppies that are sold at unreasonable prices purely for the profit of the commercial kennel.

We applaud Chicago’s commitment to become more humane by tightening pet store requirements to promote adoption from legitimate shelters and rescue groups. We urge the City Council to vote yes on this issue.

Michele Patterson, Animal Wellness Action, Puppy Mill Committee Chair, Washington