[UPDATE 5/4/21] Ordinance 2827 passed in City Council, closing the puppy mill loophole effective immediately. We’re all tails waggin’ for the shelter and rescue pups who will be given more second chances as a result.
[UPDATE 12/23/20] The proposed changes to the anti-puppy mill ordinance are on the docket for the Jan. 11 Health and Human Relations Committee meeting.
Want to see the puppy mill loophole closed fur good? Contact Health and Human Relations Committee Members before Jan. 11 asking them to support and cosponsor Ordinance 282.
All puppies are perfect and worthy of 24/7 scritches, but selling puppies from high-volume, commercial breeding operations ain’t cute. On Nov. 26, Chicago Animal Care and Control issued administrative notice of 13 alleged ordinance violations to Pocket Puppies, based on a Humane Society of the United States complaint that the pet store sourced English and French Bulldog puppies from an Oklahoma breeder.
While pet stores selling breeder puppies has been illegal in Chicago for 5+ years (thank dog), a loophole in the anti-puppy mill ordinance language has allowed a few stores to skirt the spirit of the law and continue to sell pure-bred and designer pups obtained through out-of-state “rescues” linked to commercial breeding facilities.
Proposed Changes to Anti-Puppy Mill Ordinance
The recent charges have put more weight behind North Side Ald Brian Hopkins’ proposed changes to the anti-puppy mill ordinance, which would only allow pet stores to sell shelter dogs for a nominal fee, making it harder for breeders to exploit the rescue requirements.
The proposed ordinance changes will be heard in the Health and Human Relations Committee this month, then if passed, will move onto a City Council meeting on Dec 16. We will continue to spill the kibble on how you can be involved and support this cause as more details are known.
Read the full Chicago Tribune article about the recent charges here and learn more about the ordinance loophole here.
Featured photo: @freedomstudios
Sidewalk Dog’s mission is to help dog parents spend more time with their puppers by discovering and sharing activities they can do and places they can go—together! Sniff out our award-winning newsletter and Instagram, and join our Dog-Friendly Chicago Facebook Group.