Petland, the largest U.S. big box pet retailer that still sells puppies for profit, has taken a swipe at the growing bans of puppy sales in pet shops, and animal welfare groups that support these bans.

To date, close to 50 municipalities in this country have passed legislation to ban the sales of puppies and in some cases other pets for profit in pet shops, in an effort to thwart puppy mills and other mass animal breeding operations where inhumane treatment of animals may occcur.

Joe Watson, CEO of the Chillicothe, Ohio-based chain, said in a statement to the Marion (Ohio) Star: “Retail bans are essentially a feel-good effort that does little to nothing to address substandard breeders."

Meanwhile, Petland operates stores in the Chicago area, which passed an ordinance to ban the sales of puppies, cats and rabbits for profit in pet stores in April 2014. In addition, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a puppy lemon law in August 2014, to protect people who purchase animals that turn out to be sick.

Despite that Petland has not had to close any stores thus far, Watson stated that this would be inevitable if more bans go into effect. He added that this would put the company in a position to have to compete with large general merchandise chains such as Walmart for pet products dollars.

I happen to disagree. Big pet retailers such as PetSmart and Petco don't sell puppies and kittens for profit and do very well, because they offer much larger selections of pet products than the big general merchandise chains.

 The same goes for smaller mom and pop retailers, who are in a position to offer more high-quality, specialized products and a much higher level of personalized customer service.

Meanwhile, Watson insisted that all of the pets sold in Petland stores are from reputable USDA-licensed breeders that are vetted by company employees.

However, Cori Menkin, senior director of the ASPCA Puppy Mills Campaign - who I interviewed for my article Ethical Puppy Breeders Guide - is all for the bans. “Unless and until the breeding industry feels real pressure to change, it’s going to remain the status quo," she was quoted in the Marion Star. "There’s not going to be systemic change to the industry until the public sees what’s going on and that’s what these bans do."

N.C. Budget Amendment to Shift Puppy Mills Oversight

An amendment to shift oversight of North Carolina's notorious puppy mills operations from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Public Safety was passed by the state's House on June 23, 2014, with rousing support from Gov. Pat McCrory and his tougher pet mills legislation advocate wife, Ann.

If approved by the Senate, which is the next step, this would enable law enforcement personnel to inspect dog breeding operations and press charges against anyone with 10 or more female breeding dogs.

Meanwhile, the American Kennel Club opposes this, stating in a June 5 letter to the North Carolina House: “The Governor’s recommendations would create unprecedented new regulation based on the ownership of private property, create new inefficiencies as responsibilities are shifted between departments, and do nothing to improve the well-being of animals.”

In a related development, in May 2014 the House passed Bill 930, which would have mandated certain standards of animal care for large commercial pet breeders. But the bill stalled in the Senate, and was officially off the table for 2014.

In another related development, Republican State Sen. and Finance Committee Chairman Bill Rabon, who also happens to be a veterinarian, came under fire in January 2014 after his profanity laced rant during a meeting with animal welfare advocates and the Brunswick County sheriff - in which he accused McCrory of violating lobbying laws - was leaked to the media.

He later publicly apologized to the McCrorys, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Democratic House Leader Larry Hall.

New Jersey Passes Tougher Puppy Sales Legislation

On June 24, the New Jersey Senate passed Bill 1870, which will help to regulate the sales of dogs and cats in pet stores.

The bill, which was sponsored by Sens. James Holzapfel (R-Ocean) and Robert Singer (R-Monmouth and Ocean), will require that all pet shops have animals examined by a veterinarian within five days of offering the pets for sale; provide the names of and contact information for the examining veterinarians; the date and place of birth of each pet; the names, addresses of and contact information for the breeders; and other pertinent details.

As New Jersey is my home state, I applaud the Senate for passing this bill.