Arizona bill opens doors for "puppy mill" sales

PHOENIX — Saying they’re protecting legitimate businesses, state legislators voted Thursday to block cities from banning pet stores from selling animals they get from commercial breeders.

The 6-3 vote came after everyone who testified said they were opposed to the kind of “puppy mills” that mistreat animals.

But proponents of SB 1248 argued that the label does not apply to all breeders. And they said an across-the-board ban is improper.

The most immediate effect of the measure if it becomes law would be to void existing ordinances in Phoenix and Tempe. It also would permanently sideline a proposal by Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik to adopt a similar ordinance. And it would block other cities and towns from even considering similar measures.

The legislation would not leave pet sales totally unregulated.

SB 1248 would make it illegal for dealers to obtain or sell any animal obtained from anyone not licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Also forbidden would be selling dogs and cats from breeders who have been cited for certain violations by USDA inspectors.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

But Queen Creek resident Leslie Knott told members of the House Committee on Agriculture, Water and Lands that’s hardly a standard that guarantees animals are raised in a humane way.

“The USDA allows for dogs to be kept in cages that are not bigger than 6 inches in any direction (beyond the size of the animal) for their entire lives, never to see the light of day, touch the ground, to receive human kindness, solely for the purpose of breeding to make money,” she said. Knott urged lawmakers not to overturn local ordinances.

“The people have spoken,” she said. “They have decided they do not wish to make money in this way, on the backs of these breeding dogs.”

But Rep. Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said it is appropriate for the Legislature to step in and set a single standard for pet sales, if for no other reason than customers from one city where a practice is banned can simply go to another city where it is not. Anyway, Fann said, it is the role of lawmakers to fix a problem with measures like this.

“We do not shut down businesses,” she said. “We do not start dictating to businesses where they can buy their products or how they can sell their products.”