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For a brief moment, Danbury had finally moved past puppy-selling pet shops. After years of public pressure, protests, and advocacy both of our remaining stores closed. It felt like our community was done with a business model that hurts animals and drains families financially.
But that progress didn’t happen because Connecticut stepped up to protect consumers. It happened despite the state, not because of it.
Now, with a new puppy-selling store opening in town, we’re reminded of a hard truth: state inaction is exactly what allows these businesses to return. And this isn’t just a Danbury issue, it’s regional. New York recently banned the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in retail pet stores, a law I applaud. But as those shops close there, some are now seeking new footholds in nearby states with weaker laws. Fairfield County sits right on the border, and we’re feeling that pressure firsthand.
Yet even as this harmful business model resurfaces, many people still believe these stores “work with rescues.” They don’t. Responsible rescues do not supply pet stores. These shops continue to source from large-scale commercial breeders, the very pipeline that led to sick puppies, heartbreaking vet bills, and consumer deception for years.
Since 2018, I’ve introduced legislation every session to address this. Most recently, I co-introduced a bill to give municipalities clear authority to ban these puppy-selling shops. Right now, the law is vague, and that uncertainty is exactly why cities like Stamford had to take bold action and essentially dare the state to challenge them. They should not have to go to court to protect animals and consumers.
Meanwhile, the laws we do have are too weak to stop the cycle. Responsible breeders have never sold to pet stores, yet these businesses continue operating with little transparency and minimal accountability. Families walk in believing they’re taking home a healthy puppy, only to face hundreds or thousands of dollars in medical bills for illnesses that began long before the dog reached Connecticut.
This is not just an animal-welfare issue. It is a consumer-protection failure, created and perpetuated by the state’s refusal to meaningfully regulate or restrict these businesses.
Connecticut residents have been clear for years: we do not want these stores in our communities. But until the state stops protecting a broken system and starts passing real legislation, including clarifying municipal authority and strengthening consumer protections, towns like Danbury will continue to see this harmful business model resurface.
We owe families transparency.
We owe animals humane treatment.
And we owe our communities better than this.
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