Governor Pat Quinn today announced his support for legislation to end “puppy mill” sales at pet stores in Illinois. The legislation, sponsored by State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) and State Representative Dan Burke (D-Chicago), would prohibit Illinois pet shops from selling dogs and cats they have acquired from commercial “breeders” – often large facilities that mass-produce animals for sale. Today’s announcement is part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to improve animal welfare in Illinois and protect pets and their owners.
“This proposal will help end inhumane puppy mills, protect pet owners and help shelter animals find loving homes,” Governor Quinn said. “Cook County will soon offer this humane protection and together we can build on that momentum for families across Illinois.”
Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4056 would require pet shops to sell only those dogs and cats they have acquired from an animal shelter or animal control facility. Pet shops could no longer sell dogs or cats they have acquired from a breeder, but the bill allows responsible breeders to sell directly to individuals. The legislation is supported by the Humane Society of the United States.
“This measure ensures safer and more humane treatment of pets and will also guarantee that people will be able to purchase healthy dogs and cats,” Senator Kotowski said.
“Pets are a part of many families, and this legislation will help when choosing one of these new family members,” Representative Burke said. “It will also reduce the number of shelter animals and bring more healthy pets into Illinois homes.”
Many pet stores do not disclose the true origins of the animals they obtain from commercial breeding operations. The animals are often produced in unhealthy or inhumane environments that could result in heartache or large veterinary bills for unsuspecting buyers. Responsible breeders usually want to meet their buyers in person to ensure their puppies or kittens find a good home and that pet owners’ questions about the animals can be fully answered.
“This legislation would help end the euthanasia of thousands of adoptable dogs and cats every year in the state, and will drive the market toward responsible breeders and adoptions of homeless animals from shelters and rescues instead of puppies produced in puppy mills,” Kristen Strawbridge, Illinois State Director of the Humane Society of the United States said.
“This legislation is about both animal welfare and consumer protection,” Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey said. “I commend Governor Quinn for his leadership on this issue that will make healthier pets and happier owners throughout Illinois.”
“The filthy and abusive conditions found in puppy mills are beyond inhumane,” said Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, who helped enact the city ordinance that inspired this proposed state legislation. “This legislation is about protecting not only the pets we love, but also the consumers who want to provide a loving home to an animal that needs one. I’m very proud that the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago are national leaders when it comes to humane animal laws.”
Governor Quinn is the proud owner of a rescue dog named Rosie, a Yorkshire Terrier mix who he recently adopted from PAWS. The Governor has long been a pet lover and advocate for the humane treatment of animals. Last year he signed the “Puppy Lemon Law” to give buyers protection for pet purchases and to help reduce the possibility of emotional trauma that comes from losing a pet. He also signed new laws to help ensure that all dogs in Illinois are treated humanely when tethered outside and to provide humane options for stray farm animals such as adoption or placement in a sanctuary.
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:24 pm:
You go with what’s been proven to work, lol.
- Norseman - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:26 pm:
Another major effort from our Governor that will enhance the lives of the citizens of Illinois.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:31 pm:
Quinn is running his “15 scripted plays” ala Bill Walsh. Quinn is just running them against the wrong defense.
Quinn future releases include;
Making “El-lenois” the economic capitol of the Midwest, and…
Banning the use of “Twitter” in lawsuits.
Those should be fun.
- Politics - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:36 pm:
He is getting things done for Illinois and looking good…Topinka should be for this!
- Arizona Bob - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:41 pm:
So now “breeders”, whether they humanely treat their puppies or not, will be put out of business.
Want a pet breed you can’t find at a shelter? TOUGH! You’ll take what we give you… AND LIKE IT!
One can easily look for Quinn and his ilk to ban any clothes from China, Malaysia, India or any other developing country because the mighty Quinn doesn’t like the way they treat their (non-union) workers.
Look, I don’t have a pet and I financially support shelters like PAWS, but unless Quinn can prove that some source of puppies doesn’t treat them properly he should keep his big, tyrannical, oppressive nose out of pet owners business.
My guess is that he’s just trying to bring back memories of the Brady “gassing puppies” non-issue in the last election.
Want to know why we have ammongst the highest unemployment rates and worst business environments in the nation? Just cast your eyes to Sprngfield and who’s running things.
Disgusting!
- FormerParatrooper - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:45 pm:
I’ve never acquired a pet from a retail outlet. I did adopt a beautiful and loving Yellow Lab from PAWS last year. At 18 months old she had already been to PAWS 2 other times. She came with kennel cough and has since recovered. An expensive regime of medications were required as she was sick at the facility for so long. She has a lingering breathing problem the Vet associates with her illness but is otherwise fine.
She is now a very happy and secure part of the family who has no worries of going back to the facility.
- When in Rome - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:46 pm:
Look over here, a puppy!
- downstate commissioner - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:50 pm:
Is this really THAT big of a problem? Raising puppies for sale can’t be that much different from raising feeder calves, pigs, horses, baby chicks and ducks, etc. If the animal you sell to a retailer is diseased, or genetically inferior, then the retailer won’t buy them: simple economics. Think that most pets sold in stores have shots, etc. and certainly have to appear healthy, or, again, the consumer won’t buy them.
Or are there different rules for pets, as opposed to farm animals? If so, Quinn is trying to do “feel good” legislation (again).
I have been oppose to Rauner since day One, but…
This sounds like something that PETA would be agitating for…
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:51 pm:
===Or are there different rules for pets, as opposed to farm animals? ===
Um, yeah.
- Oneman - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 4:52 pm:
So the issue is the sales channel, not the breeders? So if I bred dogs I can sell direct but not to a pet shop?
So what exactly does this solve if the breeders are the problem?
Also
- OneMan - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:00 pm:
It seems if you want to get bad breeders out of the system, remove them entirely. I can see how eliminating a channel hurts them. But can’t they then just go direct sales and work around the law?
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:12 pm:
So the Quinn camp’s response to this week’s news is, literally: “Look, a puppy!”
- Chavez-respecting Obamist - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:19 pm:
My guess is there aren’t a lot of people here who care what some guy in Arizona thinks.
- Judgment Day - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:45 pm:
“Quinn future releases include;….”
How about…..
02) State business licenses for lemonade stands.
03) All ‘disabled’ parking spaces have to be painted in ‘bright orange’.
04) A ‘Starbucks’ tax for dealing with all those “over caffination mills”.
- Sarah - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:48 pm:
Only 2% of all puppies come from pet stores. Why would the State waste time on this when consumers are already protected by the lemon law?? Rescues take the pups from breeders that pet stores won’t take and sell those “flawed” pups with known health issues to unsuspecting adopters. Rescues are a problem too. It’s hard to find someone who rescued a dog,especially a puppy, that doesn’t have extensive vet bills.
- Rahm's Middle Finger - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:51 pm:
You can buy direct from breeders. Puppy mills are beyond inhumane. Pet stores who have moved to a humane model have thrived. This is where the market is.
- Calling u out - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:54 pm:
How about the Gov address the ” money mill ” he started in the city!!! Oh that’s right the Feds are taking care of that for him!
- Jill - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 5:59 pm:
The zealots from HSUS and the puppy mill project don’t get that pet stores are humane and disclose information. It’s ironic that Kotowski is going to sent people to puppy mills to get dogs from the internet. This bill will do nothing for dogs in puppy mills or shut them down. The puppy mills will thrive after this bill through the internet.
- Mitchell CA - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 6:00 pm:
Other cities that had this ordinance in California are seeing diseases they haven’t seen in years from pups coming through Mexico and from other countries. This is BAD LEGISLATION!!!
- Lewis - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 6:01 pm:
I wonder if Governor Quinn’s dog is even from Illinois. The PAWS runs a truck to other states to ship in puppies for sale. There is no overpopulation. If we are shipping them in, how can there be a problem?
- Judgment Day - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 6:03 pm:
“Quinn future releases include;….” (Continued):
05) Development (only need a couple mil dollars) of the ‘Pat Quinn Governmental Library’, with a prominent place of honor for Squeezy (The official ‘State Reptile House’).
- Archiesmom - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 6:19 pm:
I know this is a hot button issue in the dog world, and legislators need to make sure it is crafted so that it does not affect responsible breeders of purebred dogs for show or enjoyment, be it pets or hunting. One other issue is the internet - that’s where the commercial breeders and puppy mills are going now that the pet store outlet is bring closed down.
- bsyl1996 - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 6:22 pm:
Individuals can still buy from breeders. The breeder we got our papillon from does not sell to pet stores. I agree with the governor on very few things but like this idea.
- Adam Smith - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 6:54 pm:
Ok, great. Puppies are lovable. I get it.
What the H**L is this guy doing to stop the fiscal and economic demise of this state? This kind of stuff may seem warm and fuzzy but it is completely laughable given the frustration of Illinois voters.
You want to play political small ball? Great.
But you’re up against the financial version of the ‘29 Yankees. Good luck.
- Just The Way It Is One - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 7:40 pm:
Quinn’s position is just plain good Government, and I suppose he just wants to make that clear–it doesn’t really matter WHO his Opponent is as to his stance, although as we know, Brady was WAY off on this one 4 years ago…!
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 7:52 pm:
Heh. That’s funny. I wonder if Rauner has some video clip out there on this topic like the minimum wage. Let’s gas em…no let’s save them….let’s save them with certain preconditions.
- Walker - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 7:54 pm:
Adam Smith: liked your comment and agree.
Only problem is the same question applies equally to Rauner: “What the H..l are you planning to do to halt the fiscal and economic demise in the state?”
The only specific things he has outlined so far — switch to 401Ks, tax rate sunset, “more for education”, and keeping open an institution scheduled to close, will actually harm our fiscal situation by net Billions of dollars in the near term.
He’s probably already said too much. Rauner’s best campaign tactic remains keeping everyone in the dark on specifics, mostly because they won’t stand the tests of scrutiny or arithmetic.
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:01 pm:
This law effects small business, local commerce and will be detrimental to freedom of choice about where to get pets. First dogs and cat, next all the other pets. Protect pet ownership
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:03 pm:
I agree. Shelter pets are great, rescues are great, breeder pups are great, and PET STORE PUPS CAN BE GREAT TOO. Why take away our choices
- Anonymous - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:07 pm:
Yeah, this legislation is a lawsuit waiting to happen. The State doesn’t need another lawsuit draining the State coffers. Play the BIG game, not the small one!!
- Hawks10 - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:08 pm:
To those who don’t understand what a puppy mill is, please do some research on them. If you think that dogs should live in those horrific conditions then you will never understand why this Billl should be passed. Owners of puppy mills are only in it for the $$, as are large scaled breeders such as The Hunte Corporation, they don’t care about the dogs they over-breed. Reputable breeders don’t need 100+ plus dogs and they sure don’t keep the dogs in horrific conditions. Instead of condemning the Bill, everyone should understand its purpose.
- Formerly Known As... - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:38 pm:
== My guess is there aren’t a lot of people here who care what some guy in Arizona thinks. ==
When someone who has lived the vast majority of their life here decides to actively continue following and commenting on the politics of their home state after many years, they have just as much as insight as some others here.
Or they could just, you know, make up a new handle. But then we couldn’t be as dismissive of them, could we?
- countyline - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:42 pm:
The HSUS is a political organization - nothing more, and this is an incredibly stupid idea. Puppy mills and pet stores are two different things.
- Formerly Known As... - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 8:45 pm:
And in other cases, people with geographically-related monikers could just as easily have moved here from that location. But hey, who cares, right?
For the record, I also disagree with Arizona Bob’s commentary above.
- illinois resident - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 9:19 pm:
Puppy Mills and Pet Stores are two different things. However, puppy mills are supplying pet stores with puppies, it’s a known fact. Brokers buy puppies from puppy mills, then turn around and sell them to pet stores. The people who don’t agree with the bill passing or think it’s an incredibly stupid idea need to get educated on puppy mills. Look up what a puppy mill is, there are tons of videos on You Tube showing the conditions of puppy mills. In order to get puppy mills shut down, you have to stop buying puppy mill puppies from pet stores. If you believe the puppies come from Legit Breeders, you are wrong. There is no reason for a pet store to be closed down if they are adopting out many homeless dogs in this country from shelters. There are many many pure breeds available at shelters, not just mixed breeds. Think about all the money spent in the state on euthanizing dogs. Think about all the money people pay for a puppy mill dog at a puppy store and how much more money they are going to be paying a Vet because that puppy mill puppy is sick. It’s a no brainer to pass this bill.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 9:24 pm:
- illinois resident -,
As for me;
===* Has anybody told Pat Quinn that Bill Brady lost the primary? From a press release..===
That is where my take is coming from. The Bill, what it hopes to do, it’s goals, the merits of the Bill…I am not taking anything away from any/all of the above.
I just thought the lede Rich had led to a humorous take on things. No harm intended.
- downstate commissioner - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 9:38 pm:
Just tuned back in. I apologize Rich. To you, a pet’s treatment is more important than the treatment of other animals- it’s your blog…
- wordslinger - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 9:48 pm:
–I wonder if Governor Quinn’s dog is even from Illinois.–
I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about it. The dog will never tell.
The intended takeaway here is that Quinn loves puppies, and Brady doesn’t.
What? It’s not Brady this time? Well, Rauner must hate puppies, too.
Why do I think we’re going to get a blitz of testimonial spots from Puppies for Rauner? A real diverse set of breeds?
- wayward - Thursday, May 1, 14 @ 11:32 pm:
Responsible breeders don’t sell to pet stores, period. They want to know exactly where their puppies are going. They typically have some questions for the buyer. It’s also common to require contracts that prohibit the buyer from irresponsibly breeding the puppy.
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 2, 14 @ 7:16 am:
Next, Quinn will claim that Rauner is Cruella de Ville.
- Mason born - Friday, May 2, 14 @ 7:57 am:
Sorry but this line takes the stupid prize. =
=….to provide humane options for stray farm animals such as adoption or placement in a sanctuary.=
DO you know hoe much it costs to feed a farm animal. Add the cow/pig/chicken into the food stream. For the horses you can actually adopt them out fairly easily.
I don’t havea problem with the puppy mill part of the bill. I also don’t think it will do a lot as others have mentioned the internet will still offer plenty of options for those “backyard breeder/puppy mills”. Heck next time you see a paper look at the classified youll find at least one $50 “purebred puppy”. Personally i get my Hunting dogs from breeders and my family pets (those that aren’t retired hunters) from the pound.
- helpingstine - Friday, May 2, 14 @ 7:58 am:
aren’t they all just Bill Brady?
- Charlatan Heston - Friday, May 2, 14 @ 8:41 am:
I can’t believe Tom Dart didn’t beat him to the punch on this one….
- Southwest Cook - Friday, May 2, 14 @ 9:12 am:
Well, at least they have their priorities straight!