PETITION 

                                                                                 To Prohibit the Retail Sale of Puppies and Kittens in Pet Stores in 

                                                                                                                   North Kingstown, Rhode Island

We, the undersigned residents and supporters of the Town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, respectfully petition the North Kingstown Town Council to adopt a local ordinance prohibiting retail pet stores from selling dogs (puppies) and cats (kittens) without a grandfather clause and without loopholes. 

A pet store currently operating in North Kingstown sells commercially bred (puppy mill) puppies. This business has extensive and mounting consumer complaints spanning years and locations as well as widespread public outrage for the mistreatment of animals in RI and MA.

We believe an ordinance of this kind is warranted for the following reasons:

~LOCAL COMPLAINTS SPAN YEARS AND LOCATIONS. Numerous Facebook posts and public reviews dating back many years describe inadequate ventilation, insufficient water access, and concerning temperatures inside the display 'containers' that puppies are kept in, along with reports of lethargic animals in the stores. Concerns have been raised consistently across all three of the company's locations, not just one store and not limited to just puppies.

~THIS SPECIFIC STORE'S SUPPLY CHAIN IS WELL-DOCUMENTED. According to two independent organizations that track pet-store/puppy-mill pipelines — Dog Advocates of Massachusetts and the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) — this store has bought puppies from Menning Enterprises, Pinnacle Pet/Puppy Travelers, and broker Becky Busboom of Pixy Pals Kennel. These specific brokers and their supplying breeders have documented Animal Welfare Act violation histories.

~USDA DOES NOT MEAN HUMANE. This business markets its puppies as coming from USDA-approved breeders. Federal USDA standards only require that a breeding dog have a cage six inches larger than her body- for her entire life. Federal law does not guarantee a dog ever leaves her cage. She can legally be bred repeatedly with no age limit and no required exercise, socialization, or enrichment, in stacked, wire-floored cages, at facilities housing as many as 1,000 dogs.

~CONSUMER HARM IS WELL-DOCUMENTED. Animal welfare organizations regularly receive complaints from consumers who have spent thousands of dollars in veterinary bills on sick pet-store animals. These puppies frequently arrive with parasites, infectious diseases, or genetic conditions that surface only after purchase.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 ~A BAN PROTECTS CONSUMERS AND REDUCES SHELTER BURDEN. Prohibiting retail sales encourages adoption from local shelters and rescues, helping reduce shelter overcrowding and reduce euthanasia rates in Rhode Island. We would like to see this store host adoption events much like the larger chain stores who do not sell puppies. 

~THERE ARE PROVEN, REPLICABLE POLICIES. Providence (2018), East Providence (2014), Warwick (2017), Smithfield (2020), West Warwick (2018), and Woonsocket (2025) have all passed retail sale bans, as have the states of Vermont and Maine and others. While West Warwick passed a ban, the targeted West Warwick store was grandfathered, leaving it entirely unaffected. North Kingstown should learn from that outcome and adopt an ordinance without a grandfather clause or loopholes.      

                        
This ordinance would protect, rather than restrict, legitimate businesses. It would not prohibit responsible, small-scale local breeders from selling directly to the public, would not prevent pet stores from partnering with shelter and rescue organizations to host adoption events, and would not affect the sale of retail pet supplies, grooming, or boarding services.