Puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills – commercial dog breeding facilities that are notorious for sacrificing the well-being of dogs for higher profits.
Dogs used by puppy mill owners churn out endless litters of puppies and can live their entire lives without receiving enrichment or proper veterinary care. Many are kept in stacked cages no bigger than a washing machine, with wire or slatted flooring that allows urine and feces to seep down onto dogs in lower cages.
Since 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done everything in its power to protect these “businesses” and prevent the public from knowing who they are and where they sell – even though their well-known practices have led to disease, suffering and ultimately heartbreak for loving families.
Fortunately, our state Legislature has the opportunity this session to pass a bill, L.D. 1311, that will ban the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores across our state, effectively limiting the market for puppy millers. Two states and almost 300 local governments nationwide have already passed similar bills, and Maine should be the next state to stand against this exploitative industry and instead stand for humane treatment of cats and dogs.
Rebecca Buder
Cape Neddick
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.