“Adding a puppy to one's family should be a happy event for everyone.
The sad reality is that many people would be appalled
To see the conditions these animals are raised and born in.”
Representative John Fritchey
As America ushers in a new era of federal leadership, state governments are also now getting back to work—and at least one of them is making Puppy Mill reform a new priority.
Last Sunday, the ASPCA joined animal welfare advocates and Illinois lawmakers in Chicago to announce the arrival of Chloe’s Bill, legislation that will help stamp out the worst puppy mills in the state.
As currently written, Chloe’s Bill would:
- Limit to 20 the number of unaltered dogs a breeder may possess
- Ban anyone convicted of felony-level animal cruelty from acquiring a dog-breeding license
- Prohibit wire flooring in commercial breeding facilities, and create guidelines for appropriate heating, cooling and ventilation
- Require pet stores and breeders to provide customers with a dog’s full medical history
- Establish penalties for violations, ranging from fines to animal seizure and license revocation.
Sponsored by State Representative John Fritchey and State Senator Dan Kotowski, Chloe’s Bill is named for a young cocker spaniel—rescued from an Illinois puppy mill—who was present at Sunday’s press conference. Now living with one of the animal control agents involved in the raid on her kennel, Chloe is the sole survivor from her litter.
Like thousands of other commercial dog breeders in the U.S., the owners of Chloe’s kennel focused on producing as many puppies as possible, with little or no regard for the physical and mental health of their animals. The dogs found at this atrocious puppy mill were matted with feces and urine, and infested with fleas and internal parasites. Many also suffered from severely deformed paws from living their entire lives in filthy, cramped, wire-floored cages.
As Representative Fritchey explained to the media, “We are not trying to do anything drastic; we are not trying to do anything radical. We’re trying to implement standards for what is humane care, for what is decent care.”
Fritchey added that although he expects the bill will encounter some opposition, any dog breeder who would oppose it is likely to be the type of breeder that should make consumers very wary.
It’s also now time for officials in other states to follow suit, and for the residents of every other state in America to finally push for an end to America’s truly abysmal, and truly shameful, Puppy Mills.
AM
Georg