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Tazzden Bailey

Professor Dean Leonard

Eng. 1201.512

30 March, 2021

Why is it important to ban pet stores from purchasing and selling animals?

Would you consider yourself as someone who loves animals? Maybe you even have a

pet, or perhaps multiple pets. There are many animals that can serve as lovely companions and

friends, but the most common ones are dogs and cats. These are the animals that most people

shelter, and even take in as part of their own family. The question is though, where do these

animals come from? People often adopt homeless or abandoned animals from shelters and rescue

facilities, others buy them from small breeders who have an excess of puppies or kittens, and

some unfortunately from a local pet store. After researching the lifestyle that animals endure

because of the pet store industry, it must be deemed important for pet stores in the U.S. to be

banned from the purchase and sale of animals due to their selfish motives, the overwhelming pet

population, and the possible options for more ethical alternatives.

With the quick rising population of dogs and cats, animal shelters are starting to run out

of room. Overcrowding has become a serious issue for shelters across many U.S. cities. In New

York City alone, there are approximately 15,000 animals being housed in shelters (“Bill to

Require”). If more people simply adopted from shelters and rescue facilities, it would help

reduce the fate of euthanization that many of these animals face every day. Yet, some people still

go out and spend large sums of money to buy a pet from a pet store. This is unnecessary and

uncalled for when we know that there are thousands of basically free animals up for adoption in

shelters every day across the U.S. (“Bill to Require”). You may be thinking, how is it possible
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that there are so many animals in shelters in only one city? And, where do all these animals come

from? You may want to thank puppy mills, kitten factories, and backyard breeders for this. They

supply a large percentage of animals that are purchased and sold by pet stores. They tend to

provide an excess of animals, calling them “special pets” or “purebreds.” In reality, there is

nothing special or different about these animals at all. They are just as likely to be a loving, new

member of your family as an animal that has been adopted from a shelter. Unfortunately, due to

the work of breeders and puppy mills, 4,000 animals in New York City alone are euthanized

each year as a result of overcrowding (“Bill to Require”).

As you can assume, the work of pet stores, puppy mills, and breeders exist outside of

New York and span across the nation. This unfortunately means that many animals in shelters

have a high chance of their fate becoming euthanaisa. To get people to stop buying from pet

stores and from supporting the cycle that these animals go through, we have to do our part in

making the correct decisions. This includes deciding to spread the truth about pet stores. One

important fact is that most puppies that you find in pet stores come from puppy mills. People

need to be aware of the horrors that these animals go through in a puppy mill. They are often

crammed into small, dirty and overcrowded cages, and are not given the fundamental veterinary

care that they need to stay healthy (“3 Shady Things”). People need to know that sometimes pet

stores can use special registration to try and show that their puppies were well cared for, and that

they came from a good place. This however, is not the case at all. Pet stores know that their

animals face many horrors and struggles inside the puppy mills, but they continue use the names

of these companies and organizations, such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) or the United

States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide their customers with a false sense of

insurance about their new “purchase” (“3 Shady Things”). People need to be taught and
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aware that buying a pet from a pet store is simply unethical. Pet stores also have special payment

plans for their customers, like financing (“3 Shady Things”). Why is it not already illegal for pet

stores to purchase and sell animals? It is saddening to know that one would be able to finance an

animal, which is a living being. Financing should only be used for inanimate objects, anything

else must be deemed inhumane and unethical.

Learning about the treatment that the animals go through in so-called puppy mills is

enough to make someone want to halt the pet store industry. Most people are not aware that

many dogs who are sold through a pet store, or commercial breeding establishments tend to have

behavioral and psychological issues sometime throughout their life. Such issues can develop due

to the shortage of ventilation, insufficient shelter from dangerous weather and high/low

temperatures, lack or contamination of water along with spoiled food, and even unnoticed and

untreated diseases (McMillan). As you can tell, the people who own and run these facilities are

unbothered about the well being of the animals, but they are rather focused on the profit they will

make once they sell these dogs off to pet stores. These are the types of lives thousands of dogs

here in the U.S. have to look forward to. Sadly, even the animals that successfully make it out of

the puppy mills, and the pet stores, will still likely have behavioral and psychological problems.

Found in a study, one main type of behavioral issue found in dogs that come through pet stores is

dominance-type aggression. Dogs from pet stores are likely to have aggression towards people,

including but not limited to the owner and the members of their family. Pet store dogs are also

proven to have a greater issue with social fears when compared with dogs who come from other

sources. These dogs can be fearful of other dogs, strangers, and even children (McMillan).

Buying dogs from pet stores is not only dangerous for dogs themselves, but for the customer too.

This transaction allows puppy mills and the pet store industry to continue this brutal cycle.
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Table 2

Dogs
Dogs Human Dogs/1000 % of Pet Dogs in
Euthanized
State Year Euthanized Population People State Euthanized in
per 1000
in Shelters (2010) (2011) Shelters
People

California 2011 176,907 37,253,956 177 4.69 2.65%

Colorado 2013 6,968 5,029,196 264 1.36 0.52%

Delaware 2011 2,012 897,934 180 2.22 1.23%

Maine 2012 644 1,328,361 226 0.48 0.21%

Maryland 2011 10,477 5,773,552 157 1.8 1.15%

Michigan 2013 22,909 9,883,640 206 2.32 1.13%

Nevada 2011 14,679 2,700,551 212 5.39 2.54%

New 2012 346 1,316,470 161 0.26 0.16%

Hampshire
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New Jersey 2011 6,023 8,791,894 152 0.68 0.45%

North
2013 62,269 9,535,483 261 6.45 2.47%
Carolina

Virginia 2013 16,519 8,001,024 210 2.04 0.97%

Total for 11
2010 296,867 90,512,061 3.28
States

Estimated
2010 1,723,039 309,350,000 225 5.57 2.48%
USA Totals

Table 2 shows quantitative data concerning the yearly amount of dogs euthanized in shelters,

human population, number of dogs per 1000 people, number of dogs euthanized per 1000

people, and the percentage of dogs per state that are euthanized in shelters. The data has been

collected from 11 U.S. states, and spans from the year 2010 through 2013.

This paragraph will provide more insight into the quantitative data relating to why it is

important to ban pet stores from purchasing and selling animals. According to Table 2 (reference

table above) under the fourth subheading “Regional and State Trends and Shelter

Demographics”, in the article “Dog Population and Dog Shelter and Trends in the United States

of America”, California alone in 2011 had 176,907 dogs euthanized in shelters. This is an overall
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2.67% of pet dogs in the state of California that were euthanized in a shelter, and when

comparing the 177 dogs per 1000 people, 4.69 of those dogs were euthanized in shelters. Just

this quantitative data alone is reason enough to reconsider allowing pet stores to buy and sell

animals. A more recent example can be seen in Virginia with much less of a population than in

California. Virginia in 2013, had 16,519 dogs that were euthanized in shelters across the state.

The human population in the state at this time was only 8,000,124. This means that for every

1000 people in Virginia, 2.04 dogs have been euthanized. The amount of dogs euthanized per

1000 people in other states have even higher numbers when compared to Virginia’s 2.04 dogs

euthanized for every 1000 people. As you can see, even in states with much less of a population

there were still over 16,000 dogs euthanized. Could you Imagine adding up every state's

euthanization records of not only dogs but every animal that doesn’t make it out of a shelter?

There are over 1.7 million dogs that were euthanized in shelters across the United States in 2010.

1.7 million innocent dogs were euthanized due to a mass over population that stems directly from

the buying and selling of animals to and from pet stores and breeders. Millions of animals each

year lose their lives over the selfish actions of those involved in the buying and selling of

animals caught up in a brutal cycle. The reduction of the animals that are bought and sold by pet

stores would significantly decrease this overbearing number of euthanizations (Rowan, Kartal).

Puppy mills and pet stores are not the only problem that dogs in today’s world face.

There are also commercial and private breeders. Commercial breeders are the ones who mainly

supply pet stores with the animals that they put up for sale. A main factor that has both

commercial and private breeders interested is profit. Some breeders' main goal of re-populating

these animals is solely for their own personal gain. Such a selfish practice can lead to many

negative outcomes for the animals that have no choice but to participate in this cruel act. To
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some of these breeders, all they can think of when they look at the animals is their monetary

value. To look at an animal as a source of income is unethical. It is true that some breeders love

their dogs and treat them well, but overall their work continues to add to the main problem. The

overwhelming population of dogs cannot be declined without the meer halt of breeders and pet

stores. In the article “Reported Motivations in Aimes of Australian dog breeders,” it is stated that

the “Responses from breeders revealed that whilst most did not commence breeding to make

financial gain, 86% of participants who answered the question confirmed that the making of

money when they breed was a very important aim. Most breeders did not view their breeding as

a commercial activity, although nearly 20% of them confirmed that they had declared income...”

(Blackman). When money drives your actions, especially in reference to living things, the

intentions cannot be pure. These breeders do not breed animals solely because they love animals

but rather because they view them as a way to gain money. The mass amount of breeders in this

country continuously re-populate these animal populations at a rate that we as humans cannot

keep up with. We also cannot take care of the animals in the proper way and provide them with

what they need. The immense amount of suffering these animals endure can certainly be

improved when we intervene and change the current process. We do not have to get rid of all the

breeders that exist, but simply just the ones that do not have good intentions. If we can find out

the intentions of the breeders themselves, we can establish which ones are necessary and which

ones aren’t. This will help reduce the overwhelming population of dogs, and the number of pet

stores which sell these dogs.

While there are many commercial and private breeders that cannot be deemed as

necessary and lawful, there are a few that should be allowed to continue. Anyone would agree

that taking away someone’s income would be taking away their livelihood. The goal of reducing
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breeders is not one made to be malicious. Nor is it to have more people become unemployed.

However, we also cannot allow the current system of practice to continue. Relinquishing all

breeders in every state would create as many problems as we see with the current system. Rather

than prohibiting breeding all together, we must move towards breeding that is limited. If each

state limits the amount of breeders they have, it would significantly decrease the overall animal

population, and also result in a decrease in the amount of animals that inevitably show up at

shelters. This still allows many people to continue to earn income but it allows them to do it in a

more honest and ethical way. Breeders that can be deemed necessary are breeders who breed

certain dogs for working roles. The average family or individual who is searching for a pet does

not need a certain type of animal, or breed by any means. There are jobs for example, like the

police, who use K-9 dogs every day. These dogs are necessary for the police force and many

people’s safety. There are many other types of working role dogs as well that breeders may

retain permission to breed responsibly.

We know that the quick rising population of animals in shelters leads to unsafe

conditions, improper care, and often euthanization. The reduction of breeders in the United

States would have positive effects on the long term conditions, care and treatment of these

animals resulting in an overall better quality of life. These overwhelming populations cannot be

sustained forever. Every day pets in this country are euthanized in order to intake the increasing

number of animals that inevitably show up at the shelters. We do not have to shut down every

breeder in this country as many people rely on this as a source of income the same as we rely on

working role dogs, but rather the most unnecessary breeders within each state. Not only will this

diminish the overwhelming population of animals in shelters but it would also inevitably

decrease the amount of animals who are euthanized due to overpopulation. This issue comes
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down to the unethical nature behind buying and selling in relation to the pet store industry.

Earlier on, I asked you to think about your own pet. Would you be able to watch your own

animal endure this cruel, unethical and brutal cycle along with all the suffering that accompanies

it?

Works Cited

ASPCA. “3 Shady Things Pet Stores Don't Want You to Know.” ASPCA, 2021,

www.aspca.org/news/3-shady-things-pet-stores-dont-want-you-know.

Blackman, Simone A., et al. “Reported Motivations and Aims of Australian Dog

Breeders—A Pilot Study.” Animals (2076-2615), vol. 10, no. 12, Dec. 2020, p.

2319. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3390/ani10122319.

CNNwire. “Bill to Require Pet Stores to Only Sell Shelter Animals to Be Introduced in

NY.” Fox 8 Cleveland WJW, Fox 8 Cleveland WJW, 26 Sept. 2018,

https://fox8.com/news/bill-to-require-pet-stores-to-only-sell-shelter-animals-to-be-

introduced-in-ny/

McMillan, Franklin D. “Behavioral and Psychological Outcomes for Dogs Sold as

Puppies through Pet Stores and/or Born in Commercial Breeding Establishments:

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Current Knowledge and Putative Causes.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior:

Clinical Applications and Research, vol. 19, May 2017, pp. 14–26. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2017.01.001.

Rowan, Andrew, and Tamara Kartal. “Dog Population & Dog Sheltering Trends in the

United States of America.” Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI,

MDPI, 28 Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5981279/.