Supporting Legislation to End Puppy Mill Cruelty

The SPCA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit was recently in Austin to stand with Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) in support of SB 876 and HB 2238. This legislation aims to reform the Texas Licensed Breeders Program (TLBP). This critical state government program, established in 2011, helps ensure that commercial breeding facilities meet basic standards of care and protect consumers from purchasing sick or unhealthy dogs and cats by requiring that certain cat and dog breeders in Texas are licensed and inspected.

The TLBP was created to prevent the cruel treatment of dogs and cats in commercial breeding operations. Before the law passed, Texas law enforcement agencies routinely seized hundreds of dogs and cats in cruel conditions from commercial operations. Nonpro­fits and local agencies in rural, under-resourced communities most often bore the costs associated with seizing and caring for these animals.

Since the SPCA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit began responding to alleged animal cruelty in the 1980s, the organization has seized thousands of dogs, puppies, cats and kittens from puppy and kitten mills, and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at the very least over three decades to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome these animals who had no voice of their own. And we are just one such group doing this work.

The TLBP was established to stop breeding cruelty; however, loopholes and unenforceable requirements are preventing it from working as lawmakers intended.

By making two commonsense changes, Texas can establish basic standards of care in ALL commercial breeding facilities and prevent breeding cruelty before it happens.

What will these proposed changes accomplish? By lowering the licensing requirement from eleven breeding females to five, the TLBP will include all commercial breeders in Texas to ensure pregnant females and their offspring receive appropriate care and avoid illness or injury. And removing the sales threshold of 20 puppies or kittens per year to be licensed under the TLBP is key to enforcement. Currently, many breeders conduct sales by cash-only to sidestep regulation.

An important note, hobby breeders (those with four or fewer breeding females) will continue to be exempt from the TLBP.

Importantly, we stand in appreciation of reputable breeders who provide humane and ethical practices in their kennels. These licensed groups are critical partners in the effort to protect animals in the Great State of Texas.

Thanks to Senator Pete Flores and Representative Brad Buckley, DVM for filing these bills to strengthen the Texas Licensed Breeders Program. The SPCA of Texas is grateful to THLN for their critical voice in animal welfare legislation.

It is the SPCA of Texas’s sincere hope that SB 876 and HB 2238 are passed and signed into law to ensure more accountability for breeders, to prevent animal cruelty, and to ensure basic protections for dogs and cats in large-scale breeding facilities in Texas.

Learn more about how you can support these efforts by visiting our partners at THLN.