April 1, 2015

Court Decision Upholds Restriction on Retail Sale of Puppy Mill Dogs in East Providence

Rhode Island pet stores are still prevented from selling puppies produced in commercial large-scale puppy mills, under a federal court ruling. The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island has upheld an ordinance passed by the city of East Providence, Rhode Island.  A pet store challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance shortly after its passage, and today the court determined that the law is legitimate. Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel of animal protection litigation for The Humane Society of the United States, issued the following statement:

"We are pleased with today’s ruling, which sets a significant precedent on this issue facing many localities throughout this country. Measures such as these crack down on inhumane puppy mills by shrinking the supply of puppy mill dogs flooding the market. They also lead to an increase of adoptions of homeless animals and an increase in sales for small, responsible dog breeders.”