Furry companions comfort and support students at Carmel Clay schools
At Carmel Clay Schools, 8 therapy dogs and their handlers support children emotionally and provide hugs when needed. Here are four of the dogs.
Kelly Wilkinson, Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis City-County Council’s attempt to ban the sale of dogs in retail pet stores has now been dropped at the state level, as Gov. Eric Holcomb this week introduced a bill that overturns the city’s ban in favor of the proposed regulations.
House Bill 1412, dubbed the “canine standard of care” bill, would require pet stores and animal care institutions to register with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and be subject to inspection. But it also repeals ordinances, such as Indianapolis, that prohibit the sale of dogs in pet stores. Opponents argue that the bill would allow sales from inhumane commercial breeders, commonly referred to as “puppy mills,” to run unchecked.
Thanks to a new state law, four Marion County pet stores that were supposed to stop selling dogs or change their business model will likely be able to continue doing so.
“I am disappointed that there are 21 local ordinances that have been passed across the state, but the General Assembly has not seen the diversity of political opinion that this represents and gives some deference to cities to manage their animal populations in their itself,” said Councilman John Barth, a Democrat representing Indianapolis’ 7th District who helped draft the ordinance.
“Carmel and Indianapolis, with their different political philosophies, are completely aligned on this issue,” he said.
More: Controversial ‘puppy mill’ bill passes Indiana House
What the bill says
The new law would require the Board of Animal Health to establish a public registry of commercial dog brokers, breeders and retail pet stores. It also directs the Board to conduct inspections of these facilities but does not share details of who should inspect where and when.
Stores and other entities will be required to publicly post confirmation of their registration with the state. The law also requires retailers to accept the return of a dog within three days, for any reason, without charging more than 10% of the dog’s sale price as a return fee.
Retailers and breeders can be fined or have their privileges revoked by the Board if found to be in violation of the law.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Beau Baird, R-Greencastle, said at a committee hearing in January that his bill would “address the root causes of unethical breeding practices.”
Baird called the bill an “anti-puppy mill.” He cited testimony at a 2023 committee hearing on a previous version of his bill in which he said the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals explained that local ordinances banning the sale of puppies do not effectively reduce of demand in puppy mills.
“This proposal aims to empower consumers by providing them with important information about the dogs they purchase, fostering transparency and responsibility in breeding practices,” Baird said during the hearing.
The Indianapolis ban
Last March, the City-County Council adopted Proposition 57, which would ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail pet stores. Businesses have been given a two-year grace period to adapt to the change and can continue selling animals from rescues.
The Council argued that the measure, already adopted in Carmel, Bloomington and a dozen other Indiana cities, would reduce the demand for animals from unscrupulous breeders and reduce the number of unwanted animals arriving. in the overcrowded shelters of the city.
More: Animal Care Services ‘urgently’ in need of adopters, advocates to help with winter overcrowding
Some 440 municipalities and several states, including neighboring Illinois, have banned sales in a similar manner, the Council said.
According to Barth, the ordinance took years to develop and included input from the city’s animal health institutions. Four stores may be affected by the ban: two locations of Uncle Bill’s Pet Center, Happiness is Pets and Puppygram Indiana.
Pet store owners are not in favor
Owners of retail pet stores in Indiana lobbied the city and state for regulation instead of an outright ban.
At a Council committee hearing in February 2023, Uncle Bill’s CEO Lori Wilson called the proposed ban “anti-commerce” and “anti-consumer.”
“We’ll probably have to move to Marion County (if the measure passes),” Wilson said at the time.
IndyStar reached out to Wilson for further comment this week but did not receive a response.
Attempts to reach ownership of Happiness is Pets and Puppygram were unsuccessful. An automated message that plays whenever Puppygram is called up notes that it only sells dogs from “prescreened breeders” and not puppy mills.
Samantha Chapman, Indiana State Director for the Humane Society of the United States, also told councilors at a 2023 committee hearing that pet stores, including national chain Petland, are actively lobbying the state .
The city and the state are at odds, again
Barth called, along with the City-County Council, discussing the new state law funding plan.
“This is a local preemption bill that aims to have enhanced enforcement, but the reality is there is no funding to support enhanced enforcement,” Barth said. “So, that equates to zero enforcement.”
Rep. did not respond. Baird in a request through a spokesman to comment on Barth’s remarks and his bill.
Barth said the lack of laws banning retail dog sales could make Indiana cities a target for retailers using questionable breeders.
He vowed to continue working on finding a way for the city to combat puppy mills and reduce the number of unwanted animals in Marion County.
A new city ordinance
Elaine Thiel, vice president of Indianapolis Professionals Advocating for Animal Welfare, an organization that pushes to help rescue shelters by lobbying for ordinances like Indianapolis’, said animal welfare groups aren’t done working with the city to address the puppy mills.
“Indianapolis has an overpopulation problem, and a bunch of people are working in the city on a breeding ordinance,” Thiel said.
This new ordinance would implement similar control measures as those set forth in state law, including requiring all breeders to register their animals and keep them in humane conditions. But unlike HB 1412, Thiel said, it would include funding for actual city enforcement.
Thiel’s understanding is that such a new ordinance would not be prohibited under the law recently signed by the state.
Rory Appleton is a reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @RoryEHAppleton.
