It’s almost impossible to find anything positive these days if you watch the nightly news. Yet, good things have occurred, especially in the mission to end the cruelty of locking mama dogs in puppy mill cages. To that end, it’s great to share two items coming from the world of animal welfare. Both are focused on ending the imprisonment of “mothers in the mills.”
Another City Bans Puppy Sales with Legislation
Another city in America has joined the growing list of cities banning the sale of puppies at pet stores. The HSUS of Wisconsin has great news about Beloit. They unanimously passed an ordinance telling the world where they stand on canine animal welfare. Check out this link:
In a Domino Effect, Puppy Selling Petland Stores go Defunct Instead of Humane in Illinois
And a really BIG story is what happened in Illinois AFTER their compassionate governor J.B. Pritzker and caring legislators signed the Humane Pet Store Bill (HB 1711) into law on August 27, 2021.
In a major win in the fight against puppy mills, the state’s 21 Petland puppy-selling pet stores had 180 days from the date the bill was signed, to stop selling commercially raised puppies and kittens. This effectively closes out a profitable sales channel for puppy mills and will drive the Illinois pet market towards more humane sources like shelters, rescues and responsible breeders.
Illinois pet stores sell thousands of puppies each year from large-scale commercial breeders and brokers who treat mother dogs as little more than breeding machines and puppies as mere products to be shipped to pet stores and sold. Many of these operations have terrible animal welfare records, impacting the health of the puppies. When families acquire ill puppies, this can lead to high veterinary bills and the puppies can even die within weeks of purchase, leaving families heartbroken.
And what happened next by Illinois Petland Stores will bring a smile to your face. Read it here thanks to reporting by WREX Rockford, Illinois. Unfortunately, the link to this article has expired, but here is the gist of it:
ROCKFORD (WREX) — A state law that went into effect last month banning pet stores from working with breeders is causing the closure of pet stores statewide.
Petland stores across Illinois suddenly closed earlier this week, including the Rockford location near CherryVale Mall.
According to the store's owner, the store closed following a new state law that went into effect in February, making it illegal for pet stores to work with breeders to sell cats and dogs.
Positive Publicity for Lily Unleashed
On a personal note, it’s simply wonderful to report that Lily Unleashed, my middle-grade novel dedicated to educating kids about how to end the puppy-mill-to-pet-store-pipeline, has received some fabulous publicity for which I am grateful.
Sarah Maury Swan, a fellow writer, and critique group partner posted an interview with me about Lily Unleashed and how it came to be on her blog SarahsBookReflections.com. Sarah graciously read my manuscript not once but twice and offered heartfelt and compassionate critiques that help make this story stronger. Her interview is here: https://sarahsbookreflections.com/2022/03/11/lily-unleashed-is-a-winner/
Erin E. Moulton, writer and writing coach, mentored me way back when Lily Unleashed was still in early draft form. Erin was amazing at helping me find the heart of this story which kept me on track to its final version. If you scroll down through Erin’s newsletter, you will find her review of new releases including Lily Unleased is: https://mailchi.mp/0405be8757c0/spring-check-in?e=9445a64557
My first Zoom interview on the Facebook page Dogs & Books is set for April 18, 5 PM EST. #1 NYT bestselling author Teresa J. Rhyne and award-winning author Cara Sue Achterberg will host a discussion with several authors of children's and young adult dog books. This is a live event with freebies given away including signed books by the panel of authors post discussion. You need to register with this link to join the fun!
Here is the Facebook Event where folks can respond if they're going and watch live on FB: