UPDATES
ACTION ALERT: Contact Your Federal Representative to Oppose HR3599/4879 and HR 2887
A federal bill that would nullify state and local animal welfare laws in Illinois and nationwide - INCLUDING puppy mill regulations and even dog meat bans - has passed the U.S. House Agriculture Committee to be included in the 2018 Farm Bill. It goes to vote in the full House of Representatives next - DON'T LET IT PASS! Learn more about this legislation, which is being called "The States’ Rights Elimination Acts," from our friends at the Humane Society of the United States.
Contact your federal Congressman ASAP and simply say, "I am your constituent and I oppose HR 3599." (It can also be called HR 4879 and HR 2887.) If you live in Joliet, you are likely represented by Bill Foster, who you can call at 202.225.3515. Or you can also find your representative online. Please act now, before everything that has been accomplished for animal welfare at state and local levels is undone!
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ACTION ALERT: Contact Your State Senator to Sponsor SB2280
In November, the Joliet City Council failed to listen to its constituents about the indisputable connection between pet stores and puppy mills, instead protecting an unscrupulous business that not only keeps puppy mills in business but also manipulates and abuses its customers.
Fortunately, the Will County Board stepped in, and on December 21, they voted unanimously to join DuPage County in lobbying our state legislature for a law that would ban the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats, and rabbits in ALL communities in Will and DuPage Counties. Senator Michael Connelly introduced the legislation, SB2280, in January, and Senators Thomas Cullerton, Linda Holmes, Jacqueline Y. Collins, John F. Curran, Cristina Castro, and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant are co-sponsoring the bill.
If your state senator isn't listed above, we need YOU to ask them to co-sponsor the bill. It’s easy! First, find out who is your senator representing your district in Springfield using the ASPCA Legislator Lookup. (Be sure to scroll down to find your state senator, not federal.) Next, contact them! Call their office and tell them you SUPPORT SB2280, a.k.a. "Louie's Law." Ask them to co-sponsor the bill. You will be speaking to support staff on the phone who will take down your information and pass along the request to your senator. It won’t take more than a minute or two. (Please always be respectful when making comments.)
This is the first step and it is KEY. Legislators want to know what the people who VOTE are thinking. They cannot support what you believe in unless you tell them! As the legislation moves through the process there will be other people to contact, and we’ll keep you posted. Thank you!
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ACTION ALERT: HB4191 - Good Samaritan Law Goes to House Committee
The Illinois House of Representatives is currently considering HB4191, a "Good Samaritan Law" that would provide criminal immunity to people who damage a vehicle in an effort to rescue a dog or cat that is believed to be in imminent danger due to extreme heat or cold. (The provisions would apply only if the individual had made efforts to contact emergency responders prior to taking action to forcibly remove the pet from the vehicle.)
In Joliet, we already have a law that makes it a crime to leave a pet in a car for more than 5 minutes in temperatures over 75 or under 35 degrees, and police do enforce it. However, HB4191 would allow private citizens to take immediate action to save an animal who could die before help arrives. Illinois would join nearly a dozen other states with this legislation.
HB4191 is being considered by the Judicial - Civil Committee on January 31. Please take a few moments to let the committee members know that you support this legislation by completing a witness slip.
Filing a witness slip is quick and easy, and can be done online. Click here to access the witness slip. Fill in your contact information in Section I. (In the Firm/Agency and Title fields in the form, you can put "Self" or "NA.") Don't use any punctuation or special characters. In Section III, select the "Proponent" option. In Section IV, select the "Record Of Appearance Only" option, then check the box to agree to the terms, complete the CAPTCHA, click "Create Slip" and you're done!
Thank you for working to strengthen Illinois' animal welfare laws!
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ACTION ALERT: Contact Your Federal Representative to Oppose HR3599/4879 and HR 2887
A federal bill that would nullify state and local animal welfare laws in Illinois and nationwide - INCLUDING puppy mill regulations and even dog meat bans - has passed the U.S. House Agriculture Committee to be included in the 2018 Farm Bill. It goes to vote in the full House of Representatives next - DON'T LET IT PASS! Learn more about this legislation, which is being called "The States’ Rights Elimination Acts," from our friends at the Humane Society of the United States.
Contact your federal Congressman ASAP and simply say, "I am your constituent and I oppose HR 3599." (It can also be called HR 4879 and HR 2887.) If you live in Joliet, you are likely represented by Bill Foster, who you can call at 202.225.3515. Or you can also find your representative online. Please act now, before everything that has been accomplished for animal welfare at state and local levels is undone!
********************
ACTION ALERT: Contact Your State Senator to Sponsor SB2280
In November, the Joliet City Council failed to listen to its constituents about the indisputable connection between pet stores and puppy mills, instead protecting an unscrupulous business that not only keeps puppy mills in business but also manipulates and abuses its customers.
Fortunately, the Will County Board stepped in, and on December 21, they voted unanimously to join DuPage County in lobbying our state legislature for a law that would ban the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats, and rabbits in ALL communities in Will and DuPage Counties. Senator Michael Connelly introduced the legislation, SB2280, in January, and Senators Thomas Cullerton, Linda Holmes, Jacqueline Y. Collins, John F. Curran, Cristina Castro, and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant are co-sponsoring the bill.
If your state senator isn't listed above, we need YOU to ask them to co-sponsor the bill. It’s easy! First, find out who is your senator representing your district in Springfield using the ASPCA Legislator Lookup. (Be sure to scroll down to find your state senator, not federal.) Next, contact them! Call their office and tell them you SUPPORT SB2280, a.k.a. "Louie's Law." Ask them to co-sponsor the bill. You will be speaking to support staff on the phone who will take down your information and pass along the request to your senator. It won’t take more than a minute or two. (Please always be respectful when making comments.)
This is the first step and it is KEY. Legislators want to know what the people who VOTE are thinking. They cannot support what you believe in unless you tell them! As the legislation moves through the process there will be other people to contact, and we’ll keep you posted. Thank you!
********************
ACTION ALERT: HB4191 - Good Samaritan Law Goes to House Committee
The Illinois House of Representatives is currently considering HB4191, a "Good Samaritan Law" that would provide criminal immunity to people who damage a vehicle in an effort to rescue a dog or cat that is believed to be in imminent danger due to extreme heat or cold. (The provisions would apply only if the individual had made efforts to contact emergency responders prior to taking action to forcibly remove the pet from the vehicle.)
In Joliet, we already have a law that makes it a crime to leave a pet in a car for more than 5 minutes in temperatures over 75 or under 35 degrees, and police do enforce it. However, HB4191 would allow private citizens to take immediate action to save an animal who could die before help arrives. Illinois would join nearly a dozen other states with this legislation.
HB4191 is being considered by the Judicial - Civil Committee on January 31. Please take a few moments to let the committee members know that you support this legislation by completing a witness slip.
Filing a witness slip is quick and easy, and can be done online. Click here to access the witness slip. Fill in your contact information in Section I. (In the Firm/Agency and Title fields in the form, you can put "Self" or "NA.") Don't use any punctuation or special characters. In Section III, select the "Proponent" option. In Section IV, select the "Record Of Appearance Only" option, then check the box to agree to the terms, complete the CAPTCHA, click "Create Slip" and you're done!
Thank you for working to strengthen Illinois' animal welfare laws!
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Joliet City Council Votes Down Companion Animal and Consumer Protection Ordinance
At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 21, we lost a battle. One that was extremely important to so many people in Joliet and beyond. It became clear that our council members, with the exception of Jan Quillman, support puppy mills. No matter what rhetoric they use to excuse their decision, they were provided with indisputable facts and ignored them, instead protecting an unscrupulous business that not only keeps puppy mills in business but also manipulates and abuses its customers.
On the positive side, we did have two victories. Thanks to legislation we proposed, animals can be no longer used as a raffle or auction "items" or be given as prizes in Joliet. Also, animals can no longer ride unsecured in the back of a pickup truck in Joliet. While those weren't our top priorities, they are laws that will protect animals on a local scale. And with your help, we succeeded in convincing Romeoville and Crest Hill to end the sale of commercially bred animals in their communities earlier this year.
We are truly thankful for all of you, our supporters, whether you've been with us since 2014 or since last week. Thank you for getting over 2,500 signatures on our petition. Thank you for sending more than 300 emails to the council. Thank you for showing up to our protests and events, coming to countless council meetings, putting our signs in your yard, and everything else you did. To those of you in rescue, thank you for getting nearly 400 signatures on our letter from the rescue community - the people most impacted by the cruel industry that our city officials so clearly support.
This is a community group - you are ALL Safe Pets for Joliet.
Thank you to Councilwoman Jan Quillman for championing this cause. Thank you to former Councilman Jim McFarland for bringing this issue to council back in 2015. Thank you to The Puppy Mill Project and The Humane Society of the United States for providing legislative guidance and moral support. Thank you to Harley's Dream for helping us educate our residents.
Over the last three years, Safe Pets for Joliet educated a lot of people. We will continue to do that. And we will continue to advocate for local, state, and federal animal welfare issues. This was just one battle in a war that WILL BE WON.
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At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 21, we lost a battle. One that was extremely important to so many people in Joliet and beyond. It became clear that our council members, with the exception of Jan Quillman, support puppy mills. No matter what rhetoric they use to excuse their decision, they were provided with indisputable facts and ignored them, instead protecting an unscrupulous business that not only keeps puppy mills in business but also manipulates and abuses its customers.
On the positive side, we did have two victories. Thanks to legislation we proposed, animals can be no longer used as a raffle or auction "items" or be given as prizes in Joliet. Also, animals can no longer ride unsecured in the back of a pickup truck in Joliet. While those weren't our top priorities, they are laws that will protect animals on a local scale. And with your help, we succeeded in convincing Romeoville and Crest Hill to end the sale of commercially bred animals in their communities earlier this year.
We are truly thankful for all of you, our supporters, whether you've been with us since 2014 or since last week. Thank you for getting over 2,500 signatures on our petition. Thank you for sending more than 300 emails to the council. Thank you for showing up to our protests and events, coming to countless council meetings, putting our signs in your yard, and everything else you did. To those of you in rescue, thank you for getting nearly 400 signatures on our letter from the rescue community - the people most impacted by the cruel industry that our city officials so clearly support.
This is a community group - you are ALL Safe Pets for Joliet.
Thank you to Councilwoman Jan Quillman for championing this cause. Thank you to former Councilman Jim McFarland for bringing this issue to council back in 2015. Thank you to The Puppy Mill Project and The Humane Society of the United States for providing legislative guidance and moral support. Thank you to Harley's Dream for helping us educate our residents.
Over the last three years, Safe Pets for Joliet educated a lot of people. We will continue to do that. And we will continue to advocate for local, state, and federal animal welfare issues. This was just one battle in a war that WILL BE WON.
********
Paws On 66 Pet Rescue Day 2017
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!
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!
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. (Puppy in the Window moved to Crest Hill in May 2017, where it closed again in November 2017. The month before, Crest Hill passed an ordinance preventing pet stores from purchasing dogs, cats, and animals from commercial breeders - any pet stores in Crest Hill must now source their animals from rescues and shelters!)
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 230 other local governments have enacted legislation banning the sale of puppy and/or kitten mill dogs and cats, including the entire state of California and the cities of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philadelphia. This legislation impacts more than 40 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...
We do not aim to shut down local businesses. Instead, the legislation we support requires 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.
Photographs courtesy of Crossroads Shih Tzu Rescue and Safe Pets for Joliet supporters.
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. (Puppy in the Window moved to Crest Hill in May 2017, where it closed again in November 2017. The month before, Crest Hill passed an ordinance preventing pet stores from purchasing dogs, cats, and animals from commercial breeders - any pet stores in Crest Hill must now source their animals from rescues and shelters!)
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 230 other local governments have enacted legislation banning the sale of puppy and/or kitten mill dogs and cats, including the entire state of California and the cities of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philadelphia. This legislation impacts more than 40 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...
We do not aim to shut down local businesses. Instead, the legislation we support requires 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.
Photographs courtesy of Crossroads Shih Tzu Rescue and Safe Pets for Joliet supporters.