Bill to eliminate local bans on dog sales at pet stores heads to governor's desk

A bill that adds new requirements to how dogs are bred and sold in Indiana is headed to the governor’s desk after it narrowly cleared the House Thursday.

That controversial measure will eliminate nearly two dozen local ordinances across the state that ban the sale of dogs at pet stores.

Proponents of the measure argue it will enhance quality and safety for dogs by requiring breeders to adhere to a canine care certification program developed at Purdue University.

Those guidelines aren’t accessible to the public. And smaller breeding operations don’t have to follow them.

HB 1412 also requires pet stores that want to sell dogs to register with the state and only accept dogs from breeders that follow the Purdue standards — again, with exceptions for smaller operations.
 

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It also mandates that the state Board of Animal Health inspect those pet stores, which Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) called an illusion.

“Because it’s up to the agency to decide if they have enough money to do it," Pierce said. "And they probably won’t.”

The inspections couldn’t begin until July 2025. The local ordinances would be eliminated later this year.
 

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.