Laundering Puppies: Why we sued this pet store
Litigation - Article Series from All-Creatures.org Articles Archive

FROM ALDF Animal Legal Defense Fund
May 2019

Animal Kingdom is using phony rescue groups as middlemen — laundering puppies that have been commercially bred and labeling them as “rescue” animals.

Laundering puppies?

Believe it or not, this is the latest scheme to exploit animals — and we’re fighting to stop it.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Animal Kingdom pet store for engaging in an unlawful puppy laundering scheme to circumvent the California law that prohibits retail stores from selling dogs and puppies from commercial breeders — better known as puppy mills.

The law, which also applies to cats and rabbits, is a huge step forward in combating puppy mills and their deplorable practices by requiring that stores obtain animals only from public animal control agencies, shelters, or rescue groups — not breeders.

For puppy mills, the goal is to produce the largest number of puppies as quickly as possible — without regard for sanitation, the heath of the mothers, or the wellbeing of the puppies. These animals often live in wire cages stacked atop one another, and often lack access to necessities such as clean water and veterinary care.

In banning the sale of dogs from commercial breeders at retail stores, California made the commitment to protect countless animals. We won’t stand by and let the Animal Kingdom pet store sidestep the law and harm more animals.

Renew your support for the Animal Legal Defense Fund today and your contribution will be doubled up to $42,000 to drive legal work like this on behalf of animals.

Animal Kingdom continued to sell 8-week-old purebred and designer puppies for over $2,000 after the retail pet sale ban went into effect, claiming they come from a rescue group. That claim is wrong.

As alleged in our lawsuit, Animal Kingdom is using phony rescue groups as middlemen — laundering puppies that have been commercially bred and labeling them as “rescue” animals.

With your support, we can end this scheme and ensure that California’s retail pet sale ban is enforced. And we can continue our work to fight puppy mills at every level — suing exploitative businesses like these, working to pass new laws that protect dogs, and more.

So please renew your support before May 31 and your contribution will go twice as far to fight for animals in need!

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