Portland, Maine, Bans Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats

By Nicole Pallotta, Academic Outreach Manager

September 15, 2016

Portland, ME, has become the latest jurisdiction to outlaw the retail sale of dogs and cats, meaning pet stores will no longer be able to sell them unless they come from a rescue organization.

Although there are no retail stores currently selling dogs and cats in Portland, this law will prohibit any from opening in the future. After a similar bill was passed by the state legislature last year but vetoed by the governor, advocates set their sights on the local level.

In the wake of their success in Portland, Maine’s largest city, they will now work to pass similar legislation in other cities throughout the state.

Portland joins a steadily growing list of cities that have passed bans on the commercial sale of dogs, cats, and in some cases, rabbits. Since Albuquerque became the first to pass such a ban in 2006, larger cities that have enacted similar legislation include Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Diego, Los Angeles, Austin, and Las Vegas.

These laws are part of a growing movement to combat puppy and kitten mills, large-scale commercial breeding facilities that keep animals in poor conditions. While some allow exceptions for small breeders, they are a positive step toward 1) reducing the number of companion animals who are put to death each year for lack of homes, 2) ensuring that they do not suffer in the substandard conditions that are the norm in large-scale breeding operations, and 3) encouraging people to view animals as sentient beings rather than disposable commodities to be bought and sold.

Until they are outlawed completely, the Animal Legal Defense Fund also uses litigation to work toward improved conditions in puppy mills, including a recent landmark victory in Pennsylvania in which the court struck down exemptions that had significantly weakened the state law regulating these facilities. The decision restored the integrity of the law and reinstated a comprehensive set of requirements for commercial dog breeders, including prohibitions on metal wire flooring and never letting mother dogs outside to exercise.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, with the Humane Society of the United States and law firm Locke Lord LLP, also recently settled a lawsuit against Chicago pet store chain Furry Babies, which is now required to disclose the specific source of its puppies, thereby giving consumers who do not wish to support the cruel puppy mill industry the ability to make an informed choice.