Puppy-mill pipeline plagues Colorado consumers | OPINION

By Roland Halpern

We can shut down the puppy-mill pipeline plaguing Colorado consumers.

According to Florida’s Attorney General, deceptive pet sales tied to commercial breeding operations cost Florida consumers more than $25 million annually in avoidable veterinary bills, medications and heartbreak. Colorado has no reason to believe we are immune from the same costly system — and House Bill 26-1011 offers an opportunity to fix it.

After families across Florida complained of purchasing sick puppies and kittens, the Attorney General commissioned an investigative report titled “The Cost of Deception: How Sick Pets Drain Florida’s Economy.” The 47-page study uncovered a familiar pattern: animals were shipped long distances from high-volume, out-of-state breeders, sold quickly in pet stores, and were accompanied by paperwork that often masked underlying illness or congenital defects.

When pets fell sick days or weeks later, families had little recourse. Many were left with thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. Some were forced to surrender their new companions to already overcrowded shelters.

Adding insult to injury, many of these animals — often priced at $5,000 or more — were sold using high-interest financing agreements buried in lengthy contracts. One I reviewed ran 37 pages. What parent or child, excited to bring home a new puppy, is realistically going to pause to scrutinize fine print? By the time the paperwork appears, emotional bonds have already formed. The system relies on that attachment.

The Florida report estimated at least $25 million in consumer losses annually — and that figure reflects only reported cases. Experts believe fewer than 3% of victims ever file complaints. The real financial toll is almost certainly far higher, especially once public shelter costs from surrendered animals are factored in.

What the report did not quantify were the conditions these animals come from.

Though pet store puppies may appear healthy under bright lights, many originate from industrial breeding operations — commonly known as puppy mills — where dogs are confined in cages, bred repeatedly with minimal veterinary care, and denied normal movement, socialization, or even sunlight. When their bodies wear out, many are discarded, killed, or surrendered to shelters, leaving taxpayers and rescue groups to manage the lifelong physical and emotional damage.

Opponents of reform often argue restricting pet store sales will put small businesses out of work. Similar arguments were made against ending child labor, giving women equal pay and the right to vote, and regulating industries that cause water and air pollution.

But evidence shows the opposite.

In states that enacted pet sale bans — including Maryland, California and Illinois — the Florida study found the pet retail sector actually grew. Stores adapted by focusing on grooming, training, pet food, supplies and veterinary services. Gross regional production increased, and employment remained stable. Humane policy didn’t destroy businesses — it modernized them.

Colorado communities have already recognized this reality. Twenty-six cities and towns, including Denver, Aurora and Fort Collins, have passed ordinances rejecting puppy-mill pipelines.

Yet thousands of puppies continue to be shipped into Colorado each year. According to state records, more than 3,500 were brought into pet stores in 2024 alone. Every one of those sales represents not just a consumer risk, but a lost chance for a shelter animal waiting for a home.

House Bill 26-1011, “Transfers of Certain Pet Animals”, would close this loophole statewide. It would protect families from predatory sales practices, reduce shelter overcrowding, and remove Colorado from the cycle of cruelty that fuels large-scale breeding operations.

This is not about banning pets. It’s about ending a deceptive business model that profits from suffering while shifting the financial consequences onto families and taxpayers. There are plenty of ethical breeders who focus on health testing, limiting the number of litters, and thoughtful placement, not rapid sales — interviewing families to ensure a successful match, and often a contract may stipulate if the family can no longer care for the animal it is returned to the breeder, not surrendered to a shelter.

Most puppy mills aren’t run by villains and most pet stores selling puppies aren’t managed by villains. They are often run by ordinary people operating in a system that rewards volume over welfare. But good intentions don’t prevent suffering, only strong laws can. This bill isn’t about blaming; it’s about protecting puppies and kittens from predicable harm. The puppy in the window shouldn’t come with hidden suffering — or a lifetime of bills.

Colorado lawmakers now have the chance to choose compassion, consumer protection and common sense.

Roland Halpern is executive director of Colorado Voters for Animals.