Today, Governor Jay Inslee signed the Humane Pet Sales Bill, making Washington state the fourth in the nation to prohibit the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores. Washington joins California, Maryland, Maine and over 380 localities across the country in taking a strong stand against cruel puppy mills and their pet store sales outlets.

The Humane Pet Sales Bill, HB 1424, has been a priority for us, as it prohibits any additional pet stores from selling puppies, and will prevent some bad out-of-state actors who were looking to expand to Washington from doing so. Plus, with only a handful of stores in the state selling puppies, the pet store industry moving towards a products and services-based model and the public by and large obtaining pets through other channels, the writing is on the wall for stores to move away from puppy sales.

With a strong coalition of animal welfare organizations, humane pet stores, responsible breeders, veterinarians, compassionate lawmakers and others, we are working on several similar pet stores bills and ordinances across the nation. Just this week, the Illinois House of Representatives passed two bills on the topic: a prohibition on the sale of commercially raised dogs and cats in all pet stores and a ban on the financing of companion animal purchases. These bills now head to the Illinois Senate.

The HSUS applauds Governor Inslee, state Rep. Amy Walen (who sponsored HB 1424), and the bipartisan majority of Washington lawmakers who voted for the measure, bringing us one step closer to the day when puppy mills have nowhere left to sell.