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Colorado pet stores may soon be put on a short leash.
State lawmakers are considering a bill to prohibit pet stores from selling dogs and cats beginning in 2027. Seven other states have passed similar statewide prohibitions on retail pet sales, as have over two dozen Colorado cities, including Aurora, Fort Collins and, most recently, Denver.
“It is time for our entire state to join them in curbing the puppy mill pipeline,” says State Representative Karen McCormick, who is co-sponsoring House Bill 26-1011.
Pet stores typically receive animals from high-volume commercial breeders. This system can be exploited by inhumane breeding mills, which use the stores as middlemen to sell animals without having to reveal their poor living conditions to customers. Supporters of HB 1011 argue that banning dog and cat sales in pet stores would cut off demand for these breeding mills in Colorado.
In July, more than 250 dogs and cats were rescued from an alleged breeding mill in western Colorado. Many of the animals reportedly required critical medical treatment and had painfully matted coats. In September, a Commerce City dog breeder was charged with animal cruelty after 31 dogs and puppies were found living in “deplorable” conditions, and at least one dog was killed during an unlicensed veterinary procedure by the breeder.
“As a veterinarian, I’ve been a direct witness to the consequences of the puppy mill supply of dogs across multiple states,” McCormick says. “Too often, these dogs deal with physical and behavioral health issues due to the poor and inhumane breeding practices of puppy mills. The unsuspecting people who purchase these dogs then carry an unfair financial burden of treating these issues.”
Denver City Council banned pet stores from selling dogs and cats in September. According to city officials, the ban was partially inspired by the news that Petland, a controversial national pet-store chain, is considering opening a shop in Colorado and has already purchased a domain name for the location. The chain has been accused of selling sick animals and having ties to puppy mills.
The passage of HB 1011 would all but shut operations like Petland out of the state. But the prohibition would also affect smaller, local pet shops.
Dustin Haworth, owner of Pet City in Colorado Springs, has successfully fought against citywide retail pet-sale bans, arguing that they would put him out of business. The Colorado Springs City Council rejected proposed bans in 2021 and 2023. However, if passed by the Colorado Legislature, HB 1011 would apply statewide.
“This bill will close honest, legitimate businesses and destroy livelihoods, all based on misconceptions which rely on extremely outdated information,” Haworth says. “If the goal is to eliminate ‘puppy mills’ and inhumane breeders and puppy traffickers, then this bill is absolutely not the way to go about it. In fact, banning regulated pet stores will only enable such horrible practices.”
Critics argue that banning retail pet sales would lead to a surge in black-market sales. They point to a 2024 L.A. Times investigation, which found that California’s statewide law barring pet stores from selling dogs drove “the puppy trade further underground,” replacing pet stores with a “network of resellers — including ex-cons and schemers.”
“This is an issue of transparency and accountability,” says Elizabeth Coalson, founder and CEO of the National Canine Advocacy Group. “Every cat or dog sold in a licensed, inspected, regulated pet store in Colorado will be sold instead on the internet, where there is zero regulation and zero transparency. Closing pet stores is trendy, but it’s bad for consumers and animals.”
HB 1011’s prohibition of retail pet sales would also include online retailers, according to the bill’s text.
Supporters say the bill would lead to better outcomes for animals overall. The proposal comes as animal shelters across Colorado are experiencing overcrowding and record rates of owner surrenders.
More than 2,800 pets were left at the Denver Animal Shelter by their owners last year — a 236 percent increase from just five years ago, and a 278 percent increase from the record low in 2016.
“Ending the sales of pets in pet stores encourages more families to consider adoption, helps reduce shelter overcrowding and pet overpopulation, and provides homeless animals with a second chance to find a family to love,” says Ali Mickelson, senior director of advocacy and education at Humane Colorado. “Every day in our shelters, Humane Colorado cares for wonderful cats and dogs of all ages who are ready for a loving home.”
Animal rescues, shelters and breeders that sell directly to customers would not be impacted by HB 1011. (Though not as commonly controversial as breeding mills, some Colorado animal rescues have found themselves in hot water recently. For example, Moms and Mutts Colorado in Englewood was ordered to cease operations last February for allegedly failing to properly isolate sick puppies, leading to four euthanizations.)
Pet owners would still be able to sell their dog or cat to a new owner, but they could not sell a pet more than three times per year, according to the bill. The ban also contains exemptions for the sale of law enforcement animals and service animals.
“It’s long overdue that we address this unregulated, inhumane practice that prioritizes profit over the well-being of their animals and our Colorado consumers,” says House Majority Leader Monica Duran, another bill sponsor. “I am bringing forward HB 26-1011 to help put an end to the horrific ways in which dogs are bred in puppy mills and to protect our consumers from the highly deceptive practices that the puppy mill industry utilizes to sell cruelly bred dogs.”
Seven organizations are registered in support of the bill as of January 26: the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Best Friends Animal Society, Humane Colorado, Humane Society of Fremont County, Humane World for Animals, MaxFund Animal Shelter and No Kill Colorado.
Four organizations are registered in opposition: Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management, the National Canine Advocacy Group, Pet Advocacy Network and Rocky Mountain Pet Dealers (represented by Haworth).
HB 1011 was assigned to the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
