INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Breeders and pet store owners on Monday said legislation in the General Assembly would make their industry safer and more accountable for pets and their owners.

A House committee voted to advance a measure that would require random inspections of pet stores and require stores to acquire dogs from breeders who are certified by the Canine Care certification program beginning July 1, 2025.

The bill also would prohibit any city from banning retail pet sales, as cities including Carmel already have done.

Dog breeder John Troyer said he has worked with other breeders for years to help them become certified by the program. He said the bill would help ethical breeders while putting puppy mills out of business.

“There is a good way to breed dogs. America wants it, and, if we don’t do it right, they’re going to get it in the black market, so why not support good breeding practices?” he said.

Animal rights groups criticized the bill, especially its language on local retail sale bans. Sana Azem with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal says the bill would still allow the sourcing of dogs from breeders who are not practicing humane standards. She says the bill largely restates existing regulations and is unenforceable.

The bill also drew criticism from Adam Aasen, vice president of the Carmel City Council, who says the measure would encroach on cities’ ability to enforce their own laws and create an unfunded enforcement mandate on the part of the Indiana Board of Animal Health.

Aasen says Carmel voters overwhelmingly backed the ban, and its adoption in the Hamilton County city by an overwhelmingly Republican city council shows such bans are not a left-wing initiative.

The bill now heads to the full House.

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