HOUSTON – The City of Houston’s “Humane Pet Store” ordinance goes into effect on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
The ordinance requires pet stores that sell puppies to only get them from humane sources like animal shelters and private rescues. The law comes as pet stores are increasingly under scrutiny for selling animals that come from puppy mills.
The United States Humane Society says their undercover video from a 2019 investigation in Frisco, Texas shows puppies inside a Petland store suffering from mistreatment and rampant disease. These are conditions animal advocates say are common in pet stores --when animals are coming from puppy mills.
“The goal of the breeder is not to humanely care for the animals, it’s to make a profit,” said Tena Faust. “So, lots of times those animals aren’t healthy [and] they become sick later in life. It’s not good for the animals, and it’s not good for the consumer.”
Lovie Langston says she purchased a one-pound Maltese puppy from a Houston Petland store in 2021.
“One minute she’d be OK, the next minute she’d be lethargic,” Langston said. “She was staggering, falling over, very fatigued.”
Her pet, little “Ziva” was regularly having seizures, she says, and her veterinarian told her the puppy had severely infected stitches from a repaired hernia. Langston says she was never told of the dog’s medical history and demanded a refund. When that wasn’t allowed, she says she did her best to care for Ziva at home. The dog ended up dying months later after yet another seizure.
Now, 18 months later, Langston says she’s still paying off the thousands of dollars it cost to buy the puppy.
Langston says the new ordinance is a step in the right direction. Houston PetSet, which advocated for the change, says with the conditions puppy mill animals have to endure, and with our local shelters having to euthanize healthy animals for space, it’s the right thing to do.
Houston now joins cities like Austin, San Antonio and Dallas in passing ordinances banning the sale of pets that come from puppy mills.