LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Animal advocates and state representatives are pushing for HB846, also known as Victoria’s Law, to be passed as part of the 2023-24 state legislative package.
The bill would weed out puppy mills and push the Pennsylvania pet market to partner with more rescues and shelters. Research shows that puppy mills are inhuman and often lead to physical and psychological issues.
Representative Janene McNeill, a Democrat who serves part of Lehigh County, is the primary sponsor of House Bill 846 and has nearly 50 co-sponsors who would like to see the bill implemented within their district. McNeill wasn’t the initial sponsor but added her name and took over the legislation this year.
“What this legislation is, is to stop the chain of puppies being sold to pet stores,” said Rep. McNeill. She added, “If you walk in there you see that many of them are sick, alone, and terrified.”
According to the memorandum released by Rep. McNeill, the bill looks to:
Stop the sale of puppy mill dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores;
Protect consumers from misleading sales tactics;
Require advertisers to include license numbers on their advertisements so that consumers can access information on responsible and unscrupulous breeders and that enforcement officers can easily identify unlicensed breeders.
“There are many pet stores that have done this and are still thriving and doing well,” said McNeill. “It continues the chain of breeding puppies if stores keep buying puppies from the mills.”
McNeill said they haven’t been able to get the bill to pass statewide but many municipalities have passed laws banning puppy mill dogs. Right now, the bill currently sits in the Agriculture and Rural Committee.
Allentown, Bethlehem Easton, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh have already banned puppy mills.
“If you can’t go big with it statewide, which we’re not stopping, at least these small municipal cities are working to ban it from their area,” said McNeill.
Officials hope to have an answer by this summer when the 2024 state budget is passed.
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