This Wednesday, May 14, the Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee will be considering House Bill 131 which seeks to ban the sale of dogs and cats at retail pet stores, unless the dogs are sourced from a breeder.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) opposes HB 131 and encourages all concerned Delaware residents to share their opposition with the Committee. A statewide ban on the retail sale of pets claiming to improve animal welfare would ironically drive an increase in the trafficking of unhealthy pets to consumers.
Talking Points:
Animal rights groups that oppose the purposeful breeding of dogs have long sought to unfairly tarnish the reputation of responsible breeders and shut down regulated professionals by falsely claiming that breeders are cruel or negligent. A common tactic of anti-breeder groups is to push for laws that prohibit pet retailers from selling purpose-bred pets by using inaccurate and emotionally charged claims that pet breeders and pet stores routinely neglect pets.
Consider the following talking points when contacting the committee, and visit our key issue page in the AKC Legislative Action Center for more information on this issue:
HB 131 would limit consumer access to responsibly bred pets by restricting pet stores to sourcing animals only from shelters or rescues. This targets highly regulated breeders who generally meet high standards of care and provide healthy, well-socialized pets.
- Restricting pet store sales to shelter-sourced animals may inadvertently drive consumers to unregulated or unscrupulous sources, including online sellers or illegal markets which may offer no protection to consumers or the pets they may purchase.
- Delawareans deserve the freedom to choose their pets from reputable breeders or pet stores that work with reputable breeders. This bill would reduce transparency in pet sourcing and limit options for families seeking specific breeds or traits. Great pets come from a variety of sources, including breeders, responsible rescues, shelters, and regulated pet shops. The crucial first step in supporting life-long responsible pet ownership is educating prospective dog owners and enabling them to obtain a pet that is the right fit for their lifestyle. Their consumer freedom should not be arbitrarily limited.
- These bills remove existing consumer protections currently available to breeder and pet store customers. Shelters and rescues are not required to meet the same standards and cannot provide the same guarantees and recourses. Rather than getting a dog of a specific breed from a professional breeder subject to federal and state animal welfare laws, customers are getting a dog with unknown background, temperament and health history. Also, there are rescues and transports that unfortunately do not care as diligently for the animals. This is a significant concern that can impact both the public health and the health of animals.
What You Can Do:
Contact the House Health and Human Development Committee members (click on the member’s name) prior to the 11:30 am hearing Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Urge the members of the Committee to oppose HB 131. Share your concerns about how this bill could harm responsible breeders and limit consumer choice.
Provide Oral Testimony by attending in-person, or by registering in advance for this webinar. Upon clicking the registration link, you will be directed to a webpage where you will enter required field information including name and email. After submitting the required information, you will receive an email containing the virtual meeting link. This email also includes the option to join the meeting via telephone.
Submit Public Comments to the Committee in advance of the committee meeting or by 4:00 pm Thursday, May 15, 2025, via email to HouseCommitteeComment@delaware.gov
Information on the hearing can be found here.
AKC Government Relations continues to monitor legislation in Delaware impacting dog owners. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.