FAQs

If I buy a puppy from a pet store, aren’t I saving the puppy and giving the puppy a loving home?

You are only continuing the puppy mill-to-pet store cycle of supply and demand, creating space for more puppies to “save” while perpetuating the misery of parent dogs in these mills. You’re also missing out on the opportunity to adopt or rescue a dog who has just as much need for a loving home—perhaps more so—than a pet store puppy.

There aren’t any puppy mills in Massachusetts, so what’s the big deal?

True, there aren’t large scale commercial breeding facilities in Massachusetts, but there are retail pet stores in Massachusetts that sell puppies from mills. Learn more here

What about puppy mills that are USDA licensed?

USDA licensure means nothing when it comes to the safety and welfare of dogs. Regulations are extremely lax and inspectors often let serious and repeat offenders off with no real consequences for the abuse and neglect of their dogs. Puppy mills often stay in business after multiple, continuous, serious violations. Inspectors will mark violations that harm dogs as “teachable moments”, minimizing the suffering of the dogs and making it much less likely the breeder will make changes to improve the dogs’ welfare. Over the past few years, breeders with a history of horrendous, chronic violations all of a sudden don’t have a single violation. Learn more here

Won’t banning the retail sale of dogs hurt the businesses of these pet stores?

From a business perspective, the sale of all live pets is down while the pet industry itself sees record growth. For example, Petco has never sold puppies, and has an annual revenue of 4.2 billion dollars while employing approximately 25,000 people. The sale of pet food, supplies, and toys is a proven profitable model. Also, pet stores can even sponsor adoptions by aligning themselves with local shelters and rescues. Read “Pet Industry Trends and Leader Quotes”, information put together by HSUS, for more evidence demonstrating how refraining from selling puppies in pet stores DOES NOT hurt business.

What about “responsible” breeders?

Truly responsible breeders do not sell to pet stores, period. Responsible breeders want to meet customers and require people interested in buying a puppy to visit the breeding location to see the dogs and the conditions they live in. Responsible breeders want to know the customer is a good fit and be confident the puppy will be well taken care of. It also gives customers peace of mind that the breeding and conditions are humane and ethical. A ban on the retail sale of dogs will have no impact on these small, responsible breeders.

I know someone who purchased a puppy from a pet store and the puppy is perfectly healthy, so what’s all this talk about sick puppies?

Reports and complaints about sick puppies are everywhere. Puppies get sick and die in puppy mills, during transport to pet stores, in pet stores, and in the homes of customers, sometimes within days of purchase. Just because someone you know purchased a healthy puppy, it doesn’t mean the purchase of a sick puppy can’t happen to you. More importantly, when you purchase a puppy from a pet store, you are contributing to the puppy mill-to-pet store supply and demand chain, and increasing the likelihood that a sick puppy will take the place of the one you purchased. Do you want to be a part of that? Campylobacter (which is contagious to humans), Parvovirus, Giardia, distemper, canine brucellosis, kennel cough, and coccidiosis are all diseases that have sickened and killed puppy mill puppies. Learn more here about sick puppies connected to Massachusetts pet stores.