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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowLocal pet stores and dog breeders soon will have to adhere to new state regulations under a law approved last month by the Indiana General Assembly.
While House Enrolled Act 1412 will undo local regulations in Indianapolis and several other Hoosier cities that ban the retail sale of dogs at pet stores, it will impose new regulations on an entire range of businesses involved in the selling of dogs.
Effective July 1, retail pet stores, animal care facilities and animal rescue operations must be registered with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
Commercial dog breeders and commercial dog brokers were already required to register under Indiana Code. Beginning July 1, 2025, these entities will also be subjected to random inspections by the state board.
Failure to register with the board results in a Class A misdemeanor for commercial breeders and brokers, and a civil penalty of no more than $10,000 for a retail pet store, animal care facility and animal rescue operation.
Before Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the measure into law last month, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issued a statement urging him to veto it, arguing that it would allow for an increase in “puppy mill cruelty.”
“H.B. 1412 is supported by the very industry that profits off of the inhumane treatment of dogs and will do nothing more than give Hoosiers a false sense of protecting dogs from the heartbreaking reality of commercial breeding facilities,” said Sana Azem, legislative director for the society’s Midwest division. “Humane organizations are unified in our opposition of this bill and we urge Governor Holcomb to veto H.B. 1412 to preserve critical local protections for animals and our communities.”
The society prefers the local ordinances adopted in Indianapolis, Bloomington and elsewhere that effectively prevented breeders from selling animals at retail pet stores.
But those ordinances will be nullified by the new state law.
The Indianapolis ordinance prohibited the sale of dogs at pet shops unless the animal was obtained from a shelter or rescue.
In addition, all fees for the animal could not exceed $500 and the pet shop was required to post information on what organization the animal came from.
The Indiana Council for Animal Welfare, which describes itself as representing responsible animal breeding professionals and pet owners, sees the new state law as a step in the right direction in safeguarding pet stores already trying to run their businesses ethically.
“What we saw were ordinances being passed across the state that punished everybody, regardless of how they operate,” said Jonathan Lawler, Public Policy Director for the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare. “And with this new legislation, it helps us address the bad players and get them out of it, while allowing the good players to continue to do business in a very transparent and responsible way.”
As part of the amended law, retail pet store operators must, to the best of their ability, provide a potential dog buyer with a list of information about the dog they want to purchase, including the dog’s breed(s), any medical treatment the dog received while in the care of the store or another entity, like a breeder, and what breeder or broker they were supplied from.
The bill also offers consumers a three-business-day return window for the dog.
Rep. Beau Baird, a Greencastle Republican and author of the new dog sales law, told lawmakers during debate over the measure that it is intended to combat unethical breeding practices across the state, not just at urban retail pet stores.
Having restrictions only in larger cities, as had been the case, could push unethical practices only to unregulated areas of the state, he argued.
“This measure is to empower consumers by providing them with the essential information about the dogs they are purchasing, fostering transparency and encouraging responsible breeding practices,” Baird said at a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting in February.
Perhaps most significantly, the bill voids local ordinances banning the sale of dogs at retail stores. Larger Indiana cities, like Bloomington and Indianapolis, previously passed legislation banning those sales.
At that hearing, Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, questioned the need to allow state government to mandate what local governments can control on their own because they know what’s best for their own communities.
Baird said that while he believes in local control, he sees the bill as a reset for state standards on how animals are treated in the Hoosier state.
“The heart of the reason to override the ordinances that are currently in place is to try and satisfy demand where it resides,” he said.
Lori Wilson, co-owner of Indiana-based Uncle Bill’s Pet Centers, believes local retail outlets will still be supported.
“There is a place for local control, but if someone doesn’t like a specific organization or product they sell then you do not have to support them,” Wilson said in an email.•
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