A flurry of lawsuits and countersuits in recent months between Chillicothe-based retailer Petland, consumers and animal-rights activists have drawn attention to the business of puppies and the controversial practices that critics allege are used when raising them.
On Friday, Aug. 7, a federal district court in Arizona dismissed the class action lawsuit that was filed against Petland. The Humane Society of the United States had filed the suit against Petland Inc. and the Hunte Corp., alleging the retailers sold customers unhealthy puppies raised by big distributors in substandard conditions. Petland has stores in Beavercreek, Butler Twp. and Piqua.
Despite the dismissal of the lawsuit, measures aimed at putting more controls on commercial dog breeders — including the creation of a state-level regulatory regime for kennels, the imposition of annual kennel fees based on the number of puppies born and setting age limits on breeding dogs — are being debated by Ohio lawmakers, animal-rights groups and dog breeders.
The measures — which remain in committee —are aimed at stopping abusive breeders who keep dogs in cramped, dirty or disease-ridden kennels and who breed dogs with genetic problems or illnesses. They also set forth other steps, such as creating a state-level entity to oversee commercial breeding kennels, setting age parameters for dogs used in breeding and establishing state inspections. The goal is not to end all dog breeding in the state, Hughes said.
“If they’re doing a good job, then there are no problems with this,” said Hughes, who hopes to bring the Senate version of the bill to a vote in the fall. Breeders and industry advocates say the bills as proposed would saddle legitimate breeders with additional costs and rules, could affect even small-scale breeders and drive many out of business.
For example, Britton said the proposed size requirements for kennel buildings included in the current proposals would force some to tear down adequate buildings and replace them with larger, more expensive ones.
“It’s just horrendous and the proponents know that,” she said.
Ohio isn’t alone in weighing new regulations for commercial breeders. Legislatures in Oregon, Tennessee and Washington have passed laws capping the number of unsterilized dogs a breeder can own, setting housing and exercise requirements and mandating disclosures about an animal’s health and genetic histories.
Britton said her organization supports inspections but wants them done at the county level. The association would support fees to pay for them, she said.
Such oversight now falls to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to county dog wardens and other local authorities.
The USDA licenses commercial breeders and companies that sell domestic animals to pet stores or research facilities, said Jessica Milteer, a USDA spokeswoman. The agency inspects USDA-licensed facilities at least once a year.
Mark Kumpf, director of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center said people who buy dogs with congenital health problems often drop the animals off at shelters because they cannot afford to care for them.
“A lot of the issues you have with these commercial enterprises is you have the results of some very poor breeding practices,” he said.
Stephanie Shain, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States’ puppy mill campaign, estimates that there are 10,000 puppy mills across the country.
With more consumers buying directly from wholesalers and Internet sellers, her organization has seen a proliferation of ‘mini’ mills tucked away in suburban areas and that house perhaps 30 dogs, she said.
“They’re just stacked in cages in a garage or a shed or something,” she said. “They don’t necessarily operate only out in the middle of nowhere.”
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