Harris Poll: Americans Support Higher Breeder Standards Over Pet Store Sales Bans

    FORT WORTH, TX, September 09, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- When asked the best way to deal with substandard breeding practices, Americans opted for enacting and enforcing higher standards for dog breeders and cracking down on illegal operators rather than banning the sale of pets in pet stores by a more than 2 to 1 margin (67 to 33 percent).

The Pet Leadership Group, a coalition of pet-industry leaders championing responsible pet ownership and opposed to pet-store-sales bans, commissioned the online survey done by Harris. Using its Quick Query tool, Harris gathered responses from 2,025 Americans 18 or older, 1,183 of whom were dog or cat owners. The research was done in June of 2014.

Among the highlights of the poll:

- Nine in ten (89%) U.S. adults say the solution to puppy mills is to have tougher breeder standards that crack down on illegal operators.
- Four in five (81%) U.S. adults say banning dog sales entirely at pet stores will not stop puppy mills from continuing.

"We would all like to see a world where dogs bred for profit are treated humanely, shown kindness and bred using medically sound principles," said National Alliance for Dog Breeding Reform Founder and Sr. VP Ron Sturgeon.

"The American Pet Council's survey shows that the American pet owners understand the limitations of pet store sales bans," says Sturgeon. "Working toward higher standards for dog breeding is the best long-term approach to improving the lives of dogs being bred for profit."

"Banning puppy sales at pet stores does not solve the problem of bad breeding practices," said Sturgeon, who insists that puppy stores sales bans will only accelerate puppy sales in other channels, such as online.

Sturgeon argues that the problem is not that puppies are being sold but how some of them are being bred and that therefore reform of dog breeding is the best way to address the root of the problem.

"I would like to see pet stores selling more puppies and even adding dogs from local shelters into the mix," said Sturgeon. "When they do sell dogs from a breeder, they should chose local reputable breeders and display full information so that consumers can meet the breeder and visit the kennel," said Sturgeon.

NADBR has published a whitepaper (Why We Aren't Trying to Close Pet Stores) written by Sturgeon that argues for greater transparency in pet store puppy sales and for expansion of pet store inventory to include adoptable dogs from local shelters.

About Pet Leadership Council
Leaders of the industries and professions that serve American pet owners have banded together to engage positively and vigorously on the overarching issues that affect the 82.5 million American households enriched by pet ownership with the formation of the Pet Leadership Council. The Pet Leadership Council members represent manufacturers, distributors, retailers, veterinarians, and breeders -- all of whom passionately and enthusiastically serve the cause of pet ownership and seek to improve the quality of life for pets and owners alike.

About National Alliance for Dog Breeding Reform
Reform Canine Breeders and Auctions (NADBR) is committed to the goal of ensuring that dogs bred for profit are shown kindness, treated humanely, and bred using only medically sound practices. To learn about volunteer opportunities, connect on Facebook or at NADBR's website.

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