Two bills were proposed in the Minnesota state legislature, one in the House and one in the Senate, that could ban selling dogs and cats in pet stores in the state.
Kristin Smith, owner of Four Paws and a Tail in Blaine, MN, was saddened to hear the bills proposed.
“It isn’t necessarily aimed at us,” she said. “We’ve been here a long time, we’re not the problem. But what we offer is different than what they [the rescues] offer. The heartfelt idea that only offering rescues is the best way to serve the public--it’s not always the case.”
A second-generation owner in a small family business, Smith says she’s been working with reputable breeders over the past 30 years.
“We’re the only pet store in the Twin Cities so we’re pretty much busy all the time,” she said. “Mostly we sell, smaller, non-shedding house dogs.”
State Senator Karla Bigham, the chief author of the Senate version, said the bill was not to punish breeders but to cut off the “middlemen” demand, such as from stores like Smith’s.
“So that the puppy mills, the places that have deplorable conditions with 200, 300, 700 animals at the properties, we’re going after them,” Bigham said, “So that the puppy mills, the places that have deplorable conditions with 200, 300, 700 animals at the properties, we’re going after them.”
Stage House Rep Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, who authored the House version of the bill, said this legislation was to have the state catch up with what many cities have already done, adding there aren’t many traditional pet stores left statewide.
“I think there’s only six of them,” Kotyza-Witthuhn said. “What you can see is that many of the sellers have already taken the steps to stem the tide of retail sales of cats and dogs.”
Smith disagrees and feels the bill is misinformed. She said she works with reputable small-scale breeders and consumers are protected by existing laws. She also abides by Minnesota’s Breeder Protection laws, that protect the confidentiality of the breeders until the sale of the animal is final.
Both bills are up for hearing soon.