Aurora State Senator Helped Propel Bill Banning Puppy Mill Sales

AURORA, IL — Starting in February, the puppy mill industry in Illinois will drastically change following a law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker banning the sale of commercially bred animals. State Sen. Linda Holmes, a Democrat from Aurora, was an influential force in the motion.

The Aurora politician co-sponsored the bill "in an effort to discourage the sale of pets from unscrupulous breeders and puppy mills," according to a news release from Holmes's office. State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) was the chief sponsor of the Humane Pet Store Bill.

"Puppy mills are a major source of animals for many pet stores, but their breeding practices result in sick and sometimes terminally ill animals, which can result in heartache for families," Holmes said in a statement.

From the day Pritzker signed the bill into law on Aug. 27, the state's 21 puppy-selling pet stores have 180 days — or until Feb. 23 — to stop selling animals from breeding facilities in an effort to push the market toward more humane practices and end profitable sales for puppy mills, according to The Humane Society of the U.S.

The bill amends the Animal Welfare Act and now requires pet stores to source from animal control facilities or shelters. Businesses that violate this requirement will be prohibited from selling cats and dogs, regardless of how they're sourced.

Holmes's work for humane animal practices started before co-sponsoring the legislation — known as the House Bill 1711. When the city looked into passing a similar ordinance, she favored a proposal by the Aurora City Council committee that banned sales from puppy mills, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.

Before Illinois's bill passed, Aurora's version of the Human Ordinance included establishing an Aurora Animal Commission that would oversee the law's enforcement and license pet stores that sold animals in order to make sure they came from animal shelters, rescues or animal control facilities.

Illinois joins several other states, including California, Maine and Washington, that prohibit the sale of animals from mills at pet stores. Instead, pet stores are encouraged to partner with shelters and rescue centers to help get puppies adopted that might otherwise never get a forever home, the Humane Society said.

RELATED: Illinois Puppy Mill Ban Awaiting Gov. Pritzker's Signature

"Thousands of available animals are waiting in shelters for good homes, and they can find them with extra exposure and availability in pet stores," Holmes said of Pritzker's bill. "There are so many animals in shelters that need good homes, and I see this as a win for animals and their families."

Some pet stores, including Furry Babies in Freeport, worry their livelihoods will be affected as a result of the new bill. The store's owner, Ana Soskic, said they get their dogs from a breeder and not a puppy mill, according to reports from MyStateline.com. By lumping in good stores with the bad, she told the outlet she's worried her store will be put out of business.

Scott Reader, with the Illinois Policy Institute, echoed Soskic's remarks in an opinion column for the Dispatch-Argus that called the bill "too broad" since it would allow people to buy directly from breeders but not allow pet stores to do the same.

"Unfortunately, the measure won’t help a single dog or cat and the only establishments it will cause to fold are reputable pet stores," he wrote.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Aurora Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!)