Should puppies be sold in NC pet stores? Animal advocates want law changed.
Liz Hye doesn’t think people who buy puppies from stores are trying to be malicious.
“I think people just want a family pet and Google ‘puppy near me,’ and don’t really think about the consequences,” Hye said.
“I think more than anything it’s about raising awareness,” she said. ”Trying to have people understand that there are plenty of dogs; we don’t really need more. And supporting stores like Petopia, SuperStar Puppies and Petland only worsens the problem.”
On Tuesday, Hye asked the Raleigh City Council to ask the North Carolina General Assembly to ban the retail sale of dogs. Selling puppies is allowed in the city’s retail zoning areas because it’s a type of retail. State law prohibits cities from regulating what types of retail can move into a business.
“In 2024 alone, the Wake County Animal Center accepted 8,522 animals,” Hye told the City Council Tuesday night.
“Even with over 4,000 adoptions, Raleigh is still clearly experiencing an animal crisis,” she continued. “Does it sound like we need any additional animals bred and sold in our city? Backyard and puppy mill breeders are so prevalent in the Raleigh area that entire rescues exist to care for the discarded puppies from irresponsible breeders.”
Protest outside Raleigh pet store
More than a dozen people, organized through N.C. Animal Advocates United, protested outside SuperStar Puppies this weekend. Hye was one of them.
Located in the Peachtree Market shopping center off Six Forks Road, the store lists over 30 puppies available on its website. They include a French bulldog named Winston and a German shepherd named Scooby, as well as several mixed-breeds including a Cavapoo, a mix between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and poodle; Goldendoodles, a mix between golden retrievers and poodles; and a Maltipoo, a mix between a Maltese and a poodle.
The breeders of the pets are not listed on the store’s website.
“We investigate all of our breeders,” according to the store’s website. “We scrutinize all of our breeders’ U.S.D.A. inspection records and investigate them prior to conducting business. We conduct on-site breeder inspections.”
The News & Observer could not reach a manager or owner at the store Tuesday or Wednesday and an email to the store went unanswered.
The same group opposed Petopia, a store in downtown Raleigh that closed after protests. The store was run by a breeder of half poodle-half Australian shepherd puppies and was criticized by an online petition that gained nearly 17,000 signatures. Owner Jackie Barefoot said her business was not a puppy mill.
