Shelters across the state are overflowing with rescue animals in need of loving families.

AUSTIN, TX – During this holiday season, the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) is urging Texans looking for new pets to adopt from local shelters, rescues, and licensed Texas breeders instead of retail pet stores.

“One of the most important reasons Texans should adopt this holiday season is to ensure they are not inadvertently supporting and endorsing commercial breeding facilities, better known as puppy mills, that supply pet stores and sell pets online,” said Shelby Bobosky, Executive Director of THLN. “Shelters across the state not only have purebred dogs and cats, but have pets that are already evaluated, vaccinated, treated for parasites, tested for life-threatening diseases, and micro-chipped. Texans can also purchase puppies from licensed Texas breeders, who do not source from puppy mills.”

“Just last month, a man in his seventies surrendered a puggle he purchased from a pet store in Tyler to a shelter in Athens, citing it was an ‘impulse purchase.’ This underscores what we remind Texans every year: you can find purebred puppies from shelters for a fraction of what you would pay in a pet store. Further, by adopting from your local shelter, you are freeing up space for another animal in need of a loving home, relieving pressure on shelters and rescues, and helping combat the state’s overpopulation crisis.”

THLN has operated an animal welfare helpline since 2001, and one of the number one complaints year after year is a consumer purchasing a sick or defective pet from a retail pet store. 

“As the only Texas-based, Texas-powered, and Texas-focused animal welfare organization in the state, it is our hope that this time next year, we won’t have to ask our fellow Texans to avoid retail pet stores through the passage of our legislative priority, the Ethical Pet Sales Bill. Our legislation will cut off the puppy mill pipeline and stop retail pet stores from selling commercially bred puppies and kittens in the Lone Star State,” concluded Bobosky. 

To learn more or to schedule an interview, contact Cara Gustafson at (561) 797-8267 or [email protected].