New Braunfels might be next to outlaw puppy mills

The city of New Braunfels soon could make it illegal for pet shops to receive and sell cats and dogs from commercial mass breeders.

The proposed ordinance amendment, which was given the green light by the city's Animal Services Advisory Board last week, would prohibit retail pet stores from the sale, lease or transfer of dogs or cats unless the animal was obtained by the shop from an animal shelter or animal welfare organization.

The move comes as the Dallas City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores.

Dallas is the last major Texas city to enact such a regulation, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The ordinance passed 11-0, with four council members absent, at Wednesday's meeting.

If the New Braunfels City Council approves the proposed amendment before it, pet stores also would be required to keep a record of where each animal came from, city documents show.

The proposed changes are an attempt to alleviate overburdened shelters and crack down on commercial breeders who don't always have the safety of animals in mind, advisory board members and residents said.

Many of these operations are “inhumane” and often forsake the health of dogs in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

The national nonprofit estimates there are 10,000 puppy mills active nationwide and 500,000 dogs are kept solely for breeding purposes.

Puppyland New Braunfels, which began operating off Interstate 35 last summer, has been the major focus of public meetings in recent months, the Herald-zeitung reported.

Some residents told the advisory board that animals purchased from Puppyland became ill soon after adoption. Others accused Puppyland of sourcing its animals from puppy mills.

Store owner Kayla Kerr told the advisory board that it has high standards and receives its animals only from Usda-licensed breeders. Kerr asked board members to consider changing the ordinance language.

“We've worked really hard with you guys to propose different avenues of language that would both regulate us and other pet stores,” Kerr told the board. “You have that option. We don't use puppy mills. We don't source our puppies from puppy mills. We're not just any pet store, we have high standards. We care about our puppies and the parents that they are coming from.”

As with a similar ordinance passed in San Antonio in 2020, private breeders who sell directly to the public will not be affected if the new law passes in New Braunfels as written.

Dallas' ordinance had been in the works for eight to 10 months, said Lauren Loney, state director for the Humane Society.

Five states and more than 400 localities have enacted similar measures, said John Goodwin of the Humane Society.