Ban the sale of puppy mill puppies in Connecticut

While there is no legal definition for a puppy mill, it is best defined as a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs—who are often severely neglected—and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices.

There is estimated to be about 15,000 puppy mills nationwide, with hundreds of dogs that are forced to reproduce until they are unable to do so anymore. At this point, they either die from sickness, are killed, or abandoned.

The conditions in which these dogs live is unsanitary and detrimental to their well-being, with a wide variety of effects, including physical, emotional, and social problems. Due to lack of veterinary care, diseases and genetic disorders/deformities go on unnoticed, and are passed on from litter to litter.Almost all pet store animals come from puppy mills. At time of purchase, consumers are given incorrect lineage about the dog’s health, breed, and breeder. Every year, retail pet stores across America sell 500,000 dogs, while 5 to 7 million dogs enter shelters.

House bill no. 5027 targets the issue of puppy mills, aiming to ban the sale of both dogs and cats from pet stores in Connecticut that are obtained from these substandard animal mills.