Petland Applauds Enactment of Ohio’s New Pet Store Law

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Petland Inc., applauds Ohio Gov.John R. Kasich signing into law SB331, which creates consistent state-level regulations concerning buying standards for Ohio pet stores relating to the sale of dogs. SB331 makes Ohio a national leader in responsible companion animal welfare protection.

“At Petland, we have a long history of advocating for responsible animal welfare standards by encouraging improvements in standards of care over our past 50 years. With our support of the passage of the Ohio high-volume breeder bill SB130 in 2013 and now SB331, Ohio is a leader in promoting responsible animal welfare care in the country,” Petland President and CEO Joe Watson said.

For the first time in the state of Ohio, SB331 creates a regulatory framework with recognized buying standards for pet stores selling professionally bred puppies. The Ohio Department of Agriculture, which already regulates Ohio licensed high-volume canine breeders, will now also oversee pet store buying standards.

“Misguided local pet sale bans that prohibit the sale of puppies from regulated and inspected breeders have failed to improve conditions for dogs at ‘puppy mills.’ Instead such bans have encouraged unregulated and inhumane pet breeding operations. SB331 will require all Ohio pet stores to purchase from breeders that meet defined buying standards that encourage improved humane animal welfare,” said Brian Winslow, vice president of Animal Welfare Education for Petland.