Maryland’s Proposed Pet-Sale Ban Is Barking up the Wrong Tree

Though well-intentioned, it’s a misguided bill that, instead of solving animal welfare problems, would create them — in the form of a puppy black market.

Maryland previously passed legislation requiring pet stores to report where they got their dogs from and prohibited them from selling dogs from breeders with recent U.S. Department of Agriculture citations. This was good transparency for consumers concerned about the sourcing of animals while ultimately letting Marylanders make their own choices about how to get a new dog.