Pierce County Council Passes Ordinance Cracking Down On Puppy Mills

TACOMA, WA — The Pierce County Council has approved new legislation aiming to crack down on puppy mills, and make sure prospective dog owners can have more information about the pups they're buying.

The ordinance, approved by the council Tuesday on a 5-2 vote, changes the Pierce County Code's animal licensing requirements, asking pet shops to provide information about where their dogs come from. It also requires dog breeders to keep a puppy together with its mother for at least eight weeks, and be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture or in compliance with state law.

Pet shops selling the dogs will also have to gather USDA inspection reports on their breeders, and offer them to buyers if requested.

“We want the life of the puppy prior to being sold to be documented and shared with the buyer,” said Councilmember Jani Hitchen, “We want puppies to live in humane conditions and stay with their mom until they are old enough to be separated.”

Under the change, shops also need to explain more financial information to buyers, including the full purchase price and interest rate.

“The buyer is entitled to know what they are buying and how much it will cost before they hold a puppy in their arms,” Hitchen said. “This ordinance is about providing transparency for Pierce County residents trying to buy a dog.”

If Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier signs the ordinance, any pet shop that violates the new code could be subject to a Class 1 civil infraction. Any shop that suffers more than one violation in a year, would be banned from selling dogs.

As The News Tribune notes, the ordinance will only really impact one store: Puppyland in Puyallup, which is the only store selling puppies in Pierce County. Both council members who voted against the ordinance, Dave Morell and Amy Cruver, said they did so because they felt Puppyland would be unfairly targeted.