Indiana still allows pet stores to sell puppies that come from large-scale commercial breeders—better known as puppy mills. These operations are built on suffering: mother dogs are confined to wire cages, denied veterinary care, and forced to give birth to litter after litter until their bodies break down. Their puppies are then shipped across state lines and sold in stores that hide the truth behind smiling faces and staged storefronts.

It’s a pipeline of pain—from cage to cage—and Indiana plays a role in keeping it alive.

Eight U.S. states, including California, Maryland, New York, and Illinois, have already passed laws banning the retail sale of puppies in pet stores. These bans are cutting off puppy mills from their biggest markets and protecting families from deception and heartbreak. Indiana must join them.

Too many Hoosiers have unknowingly purchased sick or emotionally unstable puppies from pet stores—dogs born in abusive conditions and sold under false promises. Families are left with steep vet bills, unbearable choices, and the grief of losing a beloved pet far too soon.

We call on the Indiana General Assembly—particularly the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, and Governor Mike Braun—to pass a humane pet store law that bans the sale of puppies in retail stores and promotes partnerships with shelters and rescues.

This law would not prevent people from getting a dog. It would ensure that those dogs don’t come from cruelty. Responsible breeders and shelters will still be there. What will end is the sale of suffering disguised as joy.

Let’s make Indiana part of the national movement to dismantle the puppy mill industry. Sign this petition to demand legislation that protects animals and the families who welcome them home.