Arizona Rules That All Dogs in Pet Stores Should Come From Shelters

Animal lovers have always wanted pet stores to sell shelter pups alone, in order to bring down the profits from "puppy mills".

And last week a federal judge in Phoenix, Arizona, upheld a law that called for all dogs sold in pet stores to come from shelters, according to goodnewsnetwork.

Phoenix is among 60 cities in the U.S. with similar laws that can end "puppy mills" by sending potential pet buyers toward "homeless animals and reputable breeders".

Animals that wait in puppy mills are mainly bred for profit and not for the health of the dogs. Most of the dogs have to live in cages, according to barkpost.

Currently, Phoenix is the 60th city with a law to pull down the demand for puppy mills, hoping to close them down.

Every year, about 23,000 dogs are sold in Phoenix pet stores. Shelter dogs may wait endlessly to get adopted. But such laws like this Phoenix rule will bring down the waiting time for the puppy and stop the overcrowding in animal shelters.

"We have so many dogs in Arizona that need homes, we don't need to import them," Phoenix City Councilwoman Thelda Williams, who supported the ordinance, said.

However, pet owners are not happy. Frank and Vicki Mineo, who bring purebred dogs from outside the state, sued the city, claiming that the ordinance "violated state and federal commerce laws", according to nextshark. "Our family built this business over four decades, working with ethical breeders, developing personal relationships with those men and women whose animals we proudly sell in Phoenix. I'm disappointed in the judge's ruling."