Buying a dog in Pierce County? New rules could protect against puppy mills
Pierce County lawmakers have passed safeguards for dogs sold in pet stores, and the consumers who buy them, in a bill that some animal advocates say adds a layer of protection against so-called puppy mills.
The County Council on May 31 made it illegal for retail pet shops in the unincorporated county to sell dogs younger than eight weeks old, and such stores are now required to obtain their dogs from an organization licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or an individual, that is in compliance with more stringent Washington law on dog breeding.
Approved by a 5-2 vote, the bill also mandates that shops disclose all financial information for the sale of a dog, including financing or credit options.
“It’s been a long path, but I believe we have found a way that will work in Pierce County,” said Councilmember Jani Hitchen, who spearheaded the ordinance, which was in the works for about a year.
The ordinance will affect only one establishment, the Puyallup-based Puppyland, since it is the lone store that sells puppies in the county. Washington banned any new pet stores from selling puppies last year.
Councilmember Dave Morell, who voted against the county bill May 31 along with Councilmember Amy Cruver, suggested that Puppyland has been unfairly targeted.
“I don’t mind an ordinance that gets to transparency, that deals with consumer protection,” he said. “It’s just when you try to regulate a business out of business — that I have a problem with.”
Morell said that the store had received nine complaints in 2020 but no animal control violations upon further inspections. He also said that the shop sells 1,700 puppies yearly on average, inspects every breeder that it buys from and has not contributed to the rising number of dogs being abandoned in the county.
The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County, a nonprofit that contracts with the county to provide shelter services, received 272 dogs in February, up from 188 the year prior, according to the county. Veterinarian costs at the shelter have also skyrocketed since 2018.
Hitchen has said the ordinance was never about a single store.
The bill makes “meaningful progress in the right direction” toward curtailing puppy mills, where breeders raise a high volume of dogs, often in deplorable conditions, with the intention of making profit, according to Kirsten Gregory, the director of animal cruelty response and prevention for Pasado’s Safe Haven, a Sultan-based animal advocacy organization.
The bill must still be signed by County Executive Bruce Dammeier before it goes into effect.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
