A House lawmaker has announced plans for another try at a long-stalled effort to ban pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits from breeders.

Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-Lehigh, said pet stores too often sell poorly bred and unhealthy animals.

“The stores that sell these puppies operate with an outdated and socially unacceptable business model, making them outliers in their own industry because most pet stores do not sell puppies. Once the pet store puppies are sold, consumers often spend thousands of dollars caring for sick puppies,” McNeill said in a memo seeking support from other lawmakers. “In some cases, they even suffer the heartbreak of their new pet dying. All the while, shelters and rescues are burdened with finding families for homeless pets, thousands of whom are euthanized each year in Pennsylvania only because they are not adopted.”

McNeill has not yet introduced the bill, but the legislation will be named Victoria’s Law. Victoria was a German Shepherd rescued from a puppy mill after 10 years of breeding. At the time she was rescued, Victoria was paralyzed as a result of a genetic, neurological disorder that she had passed on to the estimated 150-200 puppies she gave birth to while in the puppy mill.

Seven states already have similar laws in place — California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York, Oregon and Washington.

The state’s three largest municipalities — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown — all have local ordinances banning pet stores from selling dogs from breeders. In addition, another five communities have enacted identical laws — Bellevue, Sharpsburg and Wilkinsburg, in Allegheny County; and Easton and Forks in Northampton County.

In prior sessions, the legislation has been opposed by the American Kennel Club, which has characterized the legislation as a “misguided” approach that will limit consumer choice “while doing nothing to actually improve conditions for pets.”

Prior landmark animal protection laws in PA

Pennsylvania had been notorious among animal rights groups for its lax oversight of puppy mills until former Gov. Ed Rendell signed Act 119 of 2008. That legislation was inspired by outrage over an incident in which a pair of Berks County dog breeders shot dozens of small dogs rather than provide care for the animals ordered by dog wardens.

That law set new standards for animal care by dog breeders, including requiring larger cage sizes, exercise periods and veterinary care. The 2008 law also banned euthanasia of dogs, except by veterinarians.

The state updated its dog protection laws again in 2017, this time through Libre’s Law, named after an abused Boston terrier found at a Lancaster County dog breeding facility.

That law granted immunity to veterinarians and Humane Society officers who report suspected abuse. The legislation also made it illegal to dock the tail or crop the ears of a dog, except by veterinarians. The legislation also set limits for tethering dogs outside and mandated forfeiture of animals that have been subjected to serious abuse.

Prior to Libre’s Law, Pennsylvania had ranked 41st in the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s ranking of state animal protections. Due to the law changes over the last decade, the state’s ranking has improved to 22nd. Even so, when the Humane Society released its list of notorious puppy mill operators in April, Pennsylvania was home to 11 operators on the animal rights group’s Horrible Hundred list. Pennsylvania was tied with New York for having the fourth most puppy mills on the list. Only Missouri, Ohio and Iowa had more puppy mills in the Humane Society’s report.