Humane World for Animals

Pennsylvania: Urge your state representative to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops

Public records show that Pennsylvania pet shops sell puppies from massive puppy mills with awful animal welfare records, where mother dogs are treated like breeding machines and puppies like mere products. This cruelty does not reflect the values of Pennsylvanians.

HB 1816, named “Victoria’s Law” after a German shepherd who was bred repeatedly and treated terribly to produce puppies for the pet trade, would stop the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in Pennsylvania pet shops and shift the market toward humane sources like shelters, rescues and responsible breeders.

Once signed, HB 1816 would reduce the demand for pets born in deplorable conditions and help protect Pennsylvania families from falling victim to deceptive sales tactics, predatory lending, zoonotic disease and the heartbreak of purchasing a sick or genetically disordered, mill-bred pet.

Tell your state representative to stand up for pets and families and support the Humane Pet Shop Bill.

TAKE ACTION

Please make a brief, polite call to your Pennsylvania state representative today and ask them to support HB 1816. Look up their phone number here. You can say: “As a constituent, I’m calling to urge you to support Victoria’s Law (HB 1816) to end the sale of puppy mill puppies in Pennsylvania pet shops."

After making your call (please do not skip that crucial step!), fill in and submit the form below to send a follow-up message.

This action alert is for U.S. residents.

Your Message

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Dear Representative,    

As your constituent, I urge you to support Victoria’s Law, HB 1816, to stop pet shops from selling puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers in our state. This is commonsense legislation because no pet store needs to sell puppies to be profitable and no consumer needs a pet shop to find the pet of their choice. Pennsylvania would join eight other states and over 500 localities in enacting this humane policy.    

Public records show that Pennsylvania pet shops buy puppies from massive, cruel puppy mills with terrible animal welfare records and resell them to unsuspecting consumers. Far too many Pennsylvania families have fallen victim to misleading sales tactics, including false promises of “humane breeders,” and predatory puppy financing that is pushed on customers who can’t afford a puppy for thousands of dollars outright. Many have ended up with sick or genetically disordered puppies requiring expensive veterinary care or puppies who die shortly after purchase.  

Those looking to add a new pet to their family will still be able to obtain the dog of their choice from shelters, rescues or responsible breeders. The few pet shops that sell commercially raised puppies will have ample time to transition to a more humane business model focused on pet products and services rather than puppy mill puppies. This is the model that most pet stores already adhere to, including those who used to sell puppies.

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