Advocates speak out on puppy and kitten mills in Kentucky

Frankfort, Ky. (WTVQ) — In Frankfort, the Kentucky Humane Society hosted their 2024 Kentucky Animal Welfare Summit.

During the summit, they spoke about one of the challenges they face in 2024, puppy and kitten mills. Several people effected by these mills, which senate bill 157 would help keep in business in Kentucky, spoke on their experience.

Fallon O’Bryne lost her kitten Tuna. She died unexpectedly two months after O’Bryne bought her.

“I went back to the store expecting this to be a total fluke that this kitten had passed away two months after purchase,” said O’Bryne. “Unfortunately, started doing a little research and finding out that it was in fact not a fluke.”

After doing research, O’Bryne found that the breeder is known for selling animals that are already sick.

Arelis Shimizu, purchased her puppy daisy from the same store. And lost daisy just a week later.

“To see my husband and this small animal, she didn’t even have a chance, regardless if it was with me or another family she was never gonna make it,” said Shimizu. “So, after the whole emotional part of it, I was livid.”

Shimizu also called the store to let them know what happened.

Rep. Daniel Grossberg, spoke about Petland, which he worked at as a teenager.

He recalls working after hours to help bring in the new puppies and kittens and having to throw the ones that passed in the dumpster, because he was told it was too expensive to dispose of them properly.

“It never sat right with me, sorry I’m getting emotional,” said Grossberg. “It never sat right with me all those years how successful I was at selling those dogs and cats at Petland. And how naïve I was at the time to not realize what I was doing. But I’ve committed to making this one right.”

Todd Blevins, with the Human Society of the United States, says senate bill 157 will help keep these mills in business in Kentucky, because stores like Petland will still be allowed to use them.

“It’s unfortunate that senate bill 157 has been filed to try to rollback some of the progress that’s been made for animal welfare,” said Blevins. “That’s one of the biggest bills that we wanted to talk about today for these individuals. It’s not a bill that impacts us directly, it’s a bill that impacts them. It’s something that they should have a voice in and so we wanted this to be an opportunity for them to have that voice.”