Pet store’s opening stirs anguish in Bedford, but owner says ‘puppy mills’ claim is false

Some Bedford residents are upset over the city’s decision to allow a pet store that they say gets its dogs from “puppy mills,” but the business said the animals come from ethical breeders.

During recent City Council meetings, residents questioned why Bedford allowed the Pettito Puppy Store at 2112 Harwood Road to operate, arguing it is better to adopt animals from overcrowded shelters.

But mayor Dan Cogan said the city’s hands are tied because of a new state law that regulates city governments can and cannot do when it comes to regulating zoning and businesses.

“This is our city. We should be the ones the decide what goes here,” Cogan said.

Cogan was referring to HB 2127, which prohibits cities from passing or overturning existing rules that go beyond state laws.

Sarah Fuqua, who lives in Bedford, started a petition on change.org urging Bedford to support humane pet store legislation that will be introduced in the 2025 legislative session

The bill requires that pet stores sell dogs and cats from animal shelters and rescue groups and not puppy mills.

The Texas Humane Legislation Network is spearheading the effort, and stated on its website that pet stores often sell animals from out-of-state puppy mills and work through a “middle man” or distributor.

“When I first heard about this I said I have to do something,” Fuqua said.

Fuqua said she has worked for an animal shelter and a veterinary clinic, and said reputable breeders would let people come to their homes to see the conditions and to gather information on the puppies before going forward with purchasing one.

“There is so much to consider that it should not be an impulse decision, she said.

Some Texas cities including Fort Worth, Euless and Dallas have ordinances prohibiting selling dogs from puppy mills that were adopted before the state law took effect, but Bedford does not have an ordinance.

But Marty Delgado, operations manager of Pettito, with locations in Plano, Oklahoma and Bedford, said the business works with reputable breeders.

“I know it’s a controversial niche …” Delgado said. “We value transparency over anything else.”

Delgado said she works with breeders from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas who have been in business for 20 to 30 years and they often provide one litter of puppies a year, she said.

“We are dog lovers here,” Delgado said.

She said the employees work with customers to make sure they understand the responsibilities of the emotional and financial investment when it comes to owning a puppy.

Delgado encouraged people to visit the store and to ask questions.

She said it is important for people who are considering owning a puppy to have as much information as possible, such as the history of the dog’s parents.

Joe and Connie Stout, who live in neighboring Colleyville but still own property in Bedford, also urged officials to support the humane pet store bill.

The animal shelters in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are overcrowded, and shelters have a difficult time finding people willing to adopt the animals, Connie Stout said.

Cara Gustafson, communications consultant for the Texas Humane Legislation Network said Texas has made “great strides” with passing animal welfare laws over the years, and now, legislators need to pass the humane pet store bill since cities that don’t have ordinances in place already can’t stop the stores from opening in their communities.

“Legislators can’t run away from this problem anymore because in a sense, Texas’ own laws have caused this,” she said.

She described how puppy stores open in cities without laws prohibiting them.

“Animal shelters in the area are inundated with dogs, Stout said, and the puppy stores add to the overcrowding, she said

Cogan said during the July 9 council meeting that he will talk to state representatives about the need for the humane pet stores bill before the next legislative session.

“It really angers me that people down in Austin took away the opportunity for us to regulate things in our own city. They’ve taken away our authority to do what’s best for our community,” Cogan said.

Businesses argued that a patchwork of existing regulations made it difficult to conduct business in Texas.