The goal of a Companion Animal and Consumer Protection Ordinance for the City of Joliet is simple:
Convert pet stores that support the large-scale commercial pet breeding industry (puppy and kitten mills) to a humane model that supports local shelters, rescues, and animal control facilities.
Convert pet stores that support the large-scale commercial pet breeding industry (puppy and kitten mills) to a humane model that supports local shelters, rescues, and animal control facilities.
UPDATES
Paws On 66 Pet Rescue Day
The first-ever Paws on 66 Pet Rescue Day in downtown Joliet on June 4 was PAWESOME! Many thanks to our event partners, the Joliet City Center Partnership and Paws Crossed Rescue Resource, as well as our presenting sponsor, Hawk Subaru Joliet, plus the City of Joliet and Rialto Square Theatre for their support!
View and download event photos from our Google Album!
We were fortunate to have nearly 30 animal rescues, shelters, and welfare advocacy groups in attendance, as well as nearly 20 vendors and service providers, plus celebrity pets from the Joliet, Plainfield, and Forest Preserve District of Will County Police Departments and the Will County State's Attorney's Office.
Featured activities included a pet blessing by Deacon Kevin O'Donnell of St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park, a demonstration by the Plainfield Police Department K9 Officer, a VIP pet lookalike contest, and a pet costume contest. A very special addition to the event was the donation of ten pet oxygen masks from Invisible Fence Project Breathe to the Joliet Fire Department!
Our sincere thanks to everyone who attended and made this a great event - follow us on Facebook to see the "happy tails" of adoptions from the event!
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Paws On 66 Pet Rescue Day
The first-ever Paws on 66 Pet Rescue Day in downtown Joliet on June 4 was PAWESOME! Many thanks to our event partners, the Joliet City Center Partnership and Paws Crossed Rescue Resource, as well as our presenting sponsor, Hawk Subaru Joliet, plus the City of Joliet and Rialto Square Theatre for their support!
View and download event photos from our Google Album!
We were fortunate to have nearly 30 animal rescues, shelters, and welfare advocacy groups in attendance, as well as nearly 20 vendors and service providers, plus celebrity pets from the Joliet, Plainfield, and Forest Preserve District of Will County Police Departments and the Will County State's Attorney's Office.
Featured activities included a pet blessing by Deacon Kevin O'Donnell of St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park, a demonstration by the Plainfield Police Department K9 Officer, a VIP pet lookalike contest, and a pet costume contest. A very special addition to the event was the donation of ten pet oxygen masks from Invisible Fence Project Breathe to the Joliet Fire Department!
Our sincere thanks to everyone who attended and made this a great event - follow us on Facebook to see the "happy tails" of adoptions from the event!
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SB1882 Gutted - Most Dangerous Provisions Removed
On April 27, Senator Hastings filed an amendment to Illinois SB1882 that removed its most dangerous provisions. Most importantly, its home rule denial was removed.
This means that, even if this legislation is passed, we can keep our local ordinances regarding the sourcing of pets by the stores in our communities. And more of our communities can pass these ordinances.
THANK YOU for fighting this legislation. Every one of your phone calls, emails, and witness slips made a difference. YOU made a difference.
Read the full update on our Change.org petition.
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On April 27, Senator Hastings filed an amendment to Illinois SB1882 that removed its most dangerous provisions. Most importantly, its home rule denial was removed.
This means that, even if this legislation is passed, we can keep our local ordinances regarding the sourcing of pets by the stores in our communities. And more of our communities can pass these ordinances.
THANK YOU for fighting this legislation. Every one of your phone calls, emails, and witness slips made a difference. YOU made a difference.
Read the full update on our Change.org petition.
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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR A HUMANE JOLIET
Contact the City Council
Ask them to support a Companion Animal and Consumer Protection Ordinance for the City of Joliet.
Mayor Bob O'Dekirk: rodekirk@jolietcity.org
Larry Hug (District 1): lhug@jolietcity.org
Patrick Mudron (District 2): pmudron@jolietcity.org
John Gerl (District 3): jgerl63@yahoo.com
Bettye Gavin (District 4): bgavin@jolietcity.org
Terry Morris (District 5): tmorris@jolietcity.org
Jan Hallums Quillman (At Large): janquillman@att.net
Mike Turk (At Large): miket@sowic.org
Don "Duck" Dickinson (At Large): ddickinson@jolietcity.org
Want to email them all at once? Copy and past the text below into the "To:" field of a new email:
rodekirk@jolietcity.org; lhug@jolietcity.org; pmudron@jolietcity.org; jgerl63@yahoo.com; bgavin@jolietcity.org; tmorris@jolietcity.org; janquillman@att.net; miket@sowic.org; ddickinson@jolietcity.org
Ask them to support a Companion Animal and Consumer Protection Ordinance for the City of Joliet.
Mayor Bob O'Dekirk: rodekirk@jolietcity.org
Larry Hug (District 1): lhug@jolietcity.org
Patrick Mudron (District 2): pmudron@jolietcity.org
John Gerl (District 3): jgerl63@yahoo.com
Bettye Gavin (District 4): bgavin@jolietcity.org
Terry Morris (District 5): tmorris@jolietcity.org
Jan Hallums Quillman (At Large): janquillman@att.net
Mike Turk (At Large): miket@sowic.org
Don "Duck" Dickinson (At Large): ddickinson@jolietcity.org
Want to email them all at once? Copy and past the text below into the "To:" field of a new email:
rodekirk@jolietcity.org; lhug@jolietcity.org; pmudron@jolietcity.org; jgerl63@yahoo.com; bgavin@jolietcity.org; tmorris@jolietcity.org; janquillman@att.net; miket@sowic.org; ddickinson@jolietcity.org
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Joliet has one pet store, Furry Babies, that purchases the dogs they sell from inhumane commercial breeders ("puppy mills") or brokers who purchase dogs from breeders and re-sell them to pet stores ("puppy brokers.") Joliet's second pet store, Puppy in the Window, located in the North Ridge Plaza at 1480 North Larkin Avenue, closed in August 2016. This location was formerly Petland.
United States Department of Agriculture licensure and standards are not sufficient to protect commercially bred dogs. The Animal Welfare Act’s standards are too minimal to ensure humane care or treatment and the USDA does not effectively enforce the AWA. A breeding facility could have hundreds of dogs stacked in cages in a barn, continually bred, and confined in spaces only six inches larger than their bodies for their entire lives and this would not violate the AWA.
In 2014 and 2015, 40% more dogs and cats were euthanized by the taxpayer-funded Joliet Township Animal Control than were sold by Joliet's pet stores.
In the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 other local governments have enacted ordinances addressing the sale of puppy and/or kitten mill dogs and cats, including the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Boston, and Philadelphia. This legislation impacts more than 39 million people in the U.S. and Canada. There have been seven lawsuits challenging retail pet sale ordinances brought in federal courts, and every single lawsuit has been decided in favor of the cities that have passed the ordinances and courts have upheld the ordinances as constitutional.
Why Furry Babies?
Furry Babies has a long history of purchasing dogs from breeders who do not comply with the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), according to inspection reports of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
(Unfortunately, the USDA has revoked public access to these inspection reports, so we are unable to update the store's breeder information until we receive the records we requested from the USDA in February 2017 through the Freedom of Information Act.)
On February 7, 2016, Safe Pets for Joliet visited the Joliet Furry Babies and found that:
Safe Pets for Joliet obtained veterinary certificates from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for dogs imported into the state by the Furry Babies company in 2015 and found that:
On March 9, 2015, Safe Pets for Joliet visited the Joliet Furry Babies and found that:
Safe Pets for Joliet obtained veterinary certificates from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for dogs imported into the state by the Furry Babies company in 2014 and found that:
Safe Pets for Joliet obtained veterinary certificates from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for dogs imported into the state by the Furry Babies company in 2013 and found that:
Visit the City of Joliet Pet Store and Animal Control Facts page for more extensive details about Joliet's pet stores and Joliet Township Animal Control.
To be clear...
This ordinance does not aim to shut down local businesses. Instead, it requires Joliet’s pet stores to adopt a “humane” model, in which the stores sell dogs or cats obtained from local animal control centers, humane societies, and rescue organizations. They could also convert to pet supply stores.
Of the $60.28 billion that Americans spent on their pets in 2015, 66% was spent on products sold at pet supply stores. A mere 3.5% was spent on live animal purchases such as those from Furry Babies.
Want to know more? Get all the facts.
Joliet has one pet store, Furry Babies, that purchases the dogs they sell from inhumane commercial breeders ("puppy mills") or brokers who purchase dogs from breeders and re-sell them to pet stores ("puppy brokers.") Joliet's second pet store, Puppy in the Window, located in the North Ridge Plaza at 1480 North Larkin Avenue, closed in August 2016. This location was formerly Petland.
United States Department of Agriculture licensure and standards are not sufficient to protect commercially bred dogs. The Animal Welfare Act’s standards are too minimal to ensure humane care or treatment and the USDA does not effectively enforce the AWA. A breeding facility could have hundreds of dogs stacked in cages in a barn, continually bred, and confined in spaces only six inches larger than their bodies for their entire lives and this would not violate the AWA.
In 2014 and 2015, 40% more dogs and cats were euthanized by the taxpayer-funded Joliet Township Animal Control than were sold by Joliet's pet stores.
In the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 other local governments have enacted ordinances addressing the sale of puppy and/or kitten mill dogs and cats, including the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Boston, and Philadelphia. This legislation impacts more than 39 million people in the U.S. and Canada. There have been seven lawsuits challenging retail pet sale ordinances brought in federal courts, and every single lawsuit has been decided in favor of the cities that have passed the ordinances and courts have upheld the ordinances as constitutional.
Why Furry Babies?
Furry Babies has a long history of purchasing dogs from breeders who do not comply with the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), according to inspection reports of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
(Unfortunately, the USDA has revoked public access to these inspection reports, so we are unable to update the store's breeder information until we receive the records we requested from the USDA in February 2017 through the Freedom of Information Act.)
On February 7, 2016, Safe Pets for Joliet visited the Joliet Furry Babies and found that:
- Breeder information was not posted on or near the cages of the dogs, in violation of the Illinois Animal Welfare Act (225 ILCS 605).
- There were discrepancies between breeder information on the store’s “official disclosure forms” and in license records on file with the USDA.
- Dogs were obtained from commercial breeding facilities housing up to 300 dogs.
- One of the 7 breeders was not listed in the USDA’s licensee database, despite Furry Babies’ claim in its “Breeder Information Book” that only USDA licensed and inspected breeders are permitted to sell to pet stores. Another was using a license under another person’s name that has been canceled.
- Four of the 5 USDA licensed breeders were found by USDA inspectors to not be in compliance with the AWA in 2013-2015. The other licensed breeder had no inspections on file with the USDA.
- One of the licensed breeders was found to be non-compliant with the AWA 6 times in 2014-2015.
- One of the licensed breeders committed a “direct” non-compliance, defined by the USDA as having “a high potential to adversely affect the health and well-being of an animal.”
- Download the full list of breeders for dogs available for sale at Furry Babies as of February 7, 2016, detailing the number of dogs they house and the number and types of non-compliance reports on file with the USDA.
Safe Pets for Joliet obtained veterinary certificates from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for dogs imported into the state by the Furry Babies company in 2015 and found that:
- Dogs were obtained from commercial breeding facilities housing up to 378 dogs.
- 17% of the breeders were not listed in the USDA’s licensee database, despite Furry Babies’ claim in its “Breeder Information Book” that only USDA licensed and inspected breeders are permitted to sell to pet stores.
- 67% of the USDA licensed breeders were found by USDA inspectors to not be in compliance with the AWA in 2012-2015.
- One of the licensed breeders was found to be non-compliant with the AWA 15 times in 2013.
- Five of the licensed breeders committed “direct” non-compliances, defined by the USDA as having “a high potential to adversely affect the health and well-being of an animal.”
- Three of the breeders from Iowa and Missouri were listed in The Humane Society of the United States Report, 101 Puppy Mills: A Sampling of Problem Puppy Mills in the United States, dated May 2014.
- One of the breeders from Kansas was listed in The Humane Society of the United States Report, A Horrible Hundred: Problem Puppy Mills in the United States, dated May 2013.
- Download the full list of breeders for dogs imported into Illinois by Furry Babies in 2015, detailing the number of dogs they house and the number and types of non-compliance reports on file with the USDA.
On March 9, 2015, Safe Pets for Joliet visited the Joliet Furry Babies and found that:
- Breeder information was not posted on or near the cages of the dogs, in violation of the Illinois Animal Welfare Act (225 ILCS 605).
- There were discrepancies between breeder information on the store's veterinary certificates and in USDA records.
- Dogs were obtained from commercial breeding facilities housing up to 460 dogs.
- 14% of the breeders were not listed in the USDA’s licensee database.
- 83% of the USDA licensed breeders were found by USDA inspectors to not be in compliance with the AWA in 2012-2014.
- One of the USDA licensed breeders was found to be non-compliant with the AWA 21 times in 2012-2013.
- One of the USDA licensed breeders committed three "direct" non-compliances, defined by the USDA as having "a high potential to adversely affect the health and well-being of an animal."
- Three of the breeders, all from Ohio, were listed in The Humane Society of the United States Report, A Horrible Hundred: Problem Puppy Mills in the United States, dated May 2013.
Safe Pets for Joliet obtained veterinary certificates from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for dogs imported into the state by the Furry Babies company in 2014 and found that:
- Furry Babies purchased its dogs from commercial breeding/broker facilities housing up to 1,176 dogs.
- 10% of the breeders were not listed in the USDA’s licensee database.
- 81% of the USDA licensed breeders were found by USDA inspectors to not be in compliance with the AWA in 2012-2015.
- One of the USDA licensed breeders was found to be non-compliant with the AWA 21 times in 2013-2015.
- Nine of the USDA licensed breeders committed "direct" non-compliances, defined by the USDA as having "a high potential to adversely affect the health and well-being of an animal."
- Seven of the breeders from Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska were listed in The Humane Society of the United States Report, 101 Puppy Mills: A Sampling of Problem Puppy Mills in the United States, dated May 2014.
- Four of the breeders, all from Kansas, were listed in The Humane Society of the United States Report, A Horrible Hundred: Problem Puppy Mills in the United States, dated May 2013.
- Download the full list of breeders for dogs imported into Illinois by Furry Babies in 2013 and 2014, detailing the number of dogs they house and the number and types of non-compliance reports on file with the USDA.
Safe Pets for Joliet obtained veterinary certificates from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for dogs imported into the state by the Furry Babies company in 2013 and found that:
- Furry Babies purchased its dogs from commercial breeding/broker facilities housing up to 1,176 dogs.
- 8% of the breeders were not listed in the USDA’s licensee database.
- 95% of the USDA licensed breeders were found by USDA inspectors to not be in compliance with the AWA in 2012-2014.
- Two of the USDA licensed breeders were found to be non-compliant with the AWA 16 times in 2012-2014.
- Six of the USDA licensed breeders committed "direct" non-compliances, defined by the USDA as having "a high potential to adversely affect the health and well-being of an animal."
- Three of the breeders, all from Kansas, were listed in The Humane Society of the United States Report, A Horrible Hundred: Problem Puppy Mills in the United States, dated May 2013.
- One breeder that sold two dogs to Furry Babies in 2013, Clarke’s Hillside Kennels (Kathy/William Clarke, USDA license #48-A-1275) of Kansas, had been found to be non-compliant with the AWA 10 times since 2012, with two direct non-compliances and four repeat non-compliances.
Visit the City of Joliet Pet Store and Animal Control Facts page for more extensive details about Joliet's pet stores and Joliet Township Animal Control.
To be clear...
This ordinance does not aim to shut down local businesses. Instead, it requires Joliet’s pet stores to adopt a “humane” model, in which the stores sell dogs or cats obtained from local animal control centers, humane societies, and rescue organizations. They could also convert to pet supply stores.
Of the $60.28 billion that Americans spent on their pets in 2015, 66% was spent on products sold at pet supply stores. A mere 3.5% was spent on live animal purchases such as those from Furry Babies.
Want to know more? Get all the facts.
IN THE NEWS
The Herald-News Reports on Ordinance Tabling
On May 29, Joliet's The Herald-News published a story about the ordinance being tabled at the committee meeting. According to the story, "Ana Soskic, owner of Furry Babies, which sells puppies at the Louis Joliet Mall, said advocates of such laws ultimately seek to eliminate pet ownership." Read the full story on The Herald-News website.
The Chicago Tribune Reports on Ordinance Introduction
On April 20, the Chicago Tribune published a story about the ordinance introduction at the committee meeting. Read the full story on the Chicago Tribune website.
The Herald-News Reports on Ordinance Introduction
On April 16, Joliet's The Herald-News published a story about the ordinance introduction at the committee meeting. Read the full story on The Herald-News website.
The Times Weekly Reports on Ordinance Proposal
On April 5, Will County's The Times Weekly published a story about the ordinance proposal. Read the full story on The Times Weekly website.
The Herald-News Reports on Ordinance Proposal
On April 4, Joliet's The Herald-News published a story about the ordinance proposal. Read the full story on The Herald-News website.
Photographs courtesy of Crossroads Shih Tzu Rescue and Safe Pets for Joliet supporters.
The Herald-News Reports on Ordinance Tabling
On May 29, Joliet's The Herald-News published a story about the ordinance being tabled at the committee meeting. According to the story, "Ana Soskic, owner of Furry Babies, which sells puppies at the Louis Joliet Mall, said advocates of such laws ultimately seek to eliminate pet ownership." Read the full story on The Herald-News website.
The Chicago Tribune Reports on Ordinance Introduction
On April 20, the Chicago Tribune published a story about the ordinance introduction at the committee meeting. Read the full story on the Chicago Tribune website.
The Herald-News Reports on Ordinance Introduction
On April 16, Joliet's The Herald-News published a story about the ordinance introduction at the committee meeting. Read the full story on The Herald-News website.
The Times Weekly Reports on Ordinance Proposal
On April 5, Will County's The Times Weekly published a story about the ordinance proposal. Read the full story on The Times Weekly website.
The Herald-News Reports on Ordinance Proposal
On April 4, Joliet's The Herald-News published a story about the ordinance proposal. Read the full story on The Herald-News website.
Photographs courtesy of Crossroads Shih Tzu Rescue and Safe Pets for Joliet supporters.
