
With the passage of the Animal Care and Control Omnibus Amendment Act of 2021, DC would ban pet stores from selling dogs, cats, and aquatic turtles unless the animal was obtained from a shelter or rescue, joining more than 300 other cities and counties, and five states, that have taken a stand against cruel animal mills.
The bill would also:
The vast majority of animals sold in stores come from mills. In addition to protecting dogs and cats, this bill would be a huge step forward for the countless aquatic turtles bred in cruel reptile mills or captured from the wild to be sold in stores.
Investigations at reptile mills have revealed extreme cruelty and neglect. Overcrowded reptiles and amphibians are forced to fight for limited food and water, sometimes fatally injured in the process. Animals at these mills have been found packed into dirty plastic bins and denied water and veterinary care. Sick and severely injured animals may be ignored, gassed, or frozen to death.
If you live in DC, please send a brief email to your council members asking them to support the Animal Care and Control Omnibus Amendment Act of 2021. You can find their contact information online.
If you don’t live in DC, consider working to pass a law that would ban the retail sale of animals in your city or county. We have a new toolkit that guides advocates through the process of working with local legislators on a retail animal sale ban, with a special emphasis on wild animals. Download a copy of the toolkit today!