INDIANAPOLIS – A bill establishing care standards for dog breeders and pet stores that would simultaneously strike local ordinances banning dog sales returns to the House after passing the Senate by a 31-18 vote on Monday.
Sen. Blake Doriot, the sponsor, described the measure as a proposal to establish some of the “strictest standards in the country” for retail stores and breeders, which must register with the State Board of Animal Health and follow Purdue University’s Canine Care Certified Program.
“House Bill 1412 is also, and mainly, a commerce issue, not a local control issue,” said the Goshen Republican, who has a family background in breeding. “There have been 21 local units that have adopted ordinances that restrain or, in some cases, completely prohibit the retail sale of dogs. They’ve stepped out of their lane and encroached on the state’s authority.”
Doriot said this action — which has been adopted by municipalities like Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Columbus — goes against free market principles and limits consumer choice, driving up prices for preferred breeds and harming customers.
In committee, the powerful Petland corporation spearheaded testimony in support of the bill alongside Amish breeders who say the bill would protect their livelihoods.
Critics say the measure, which failed last year, strips them of local control and protects so-called puppy mills at the expense of crowded animal shelters.
Sen. Fady Qaddoura, an Indianapolis Democrat, said local government units made choices that aligned with the values of their constituents to ban sales from puppy mills and breeders. He noted that even Republican-controlled cities, like Carmel, had instituted their ordinances.
He noted that breeders who testified in support of this weren’t banned from selling dogs outright and could still sell directly to consumers.
There was bipartisan opposition, though none of the nine Republican ‘no’ votes spoke on the bill. Greg Walker, of Columbus was one of the Republicans who opposed the bill.
Because the Senate committee amended the bill, those changes must now be approved by the House Chamber. The bill passed out of the House in January on a 59-36 vote.
For the complete story by Whitney Downard in the Indiana Capital Chronicle, go here.
