A New Approach to Ending Pet Overpopulation
Creating laws that are viable and actually enforceable is our objective.
FairPetFoundation.org proposes an enforceable regulation that will effectively—and simply—restrict or eliminate backyard breeders and puppy scams. This legislation will result in increased lifesaving shelter adoptions.
How many laws have shelters, rescuers, politicians, and taxpayers all agreed on?
None!
To date, this has been an impossible task.
History shows us what’s been tried—and what’s failed. If we truly understand what created the problem, we can craft legislation that finally works.
We all know there are too many shelters in serious need of reform. What’s worse, city and local governments often blindly support failing facilities.
At the state and local level, most current laws either can’t be enforced or won’t be enforced by those unwilling to act.
Nearly every animal welfare law passed or proposed to date—licensing, spay/neuter, breeding, pet limits—can be labeled unenforced or unenforceable, with one exception: the pet store ban, which unintentionally opened the floodgates to online pet sales.
When Puppy Stores Closed, Online Puppy Mills Exploded
The outlawing of retail pet stores led to 10–15 million “pets for sale” ads flooding the internet—created by backyard breeders, puppy mills, and scammers.
These sellers now use SEO, analytics, and online ads to target buyers on Google, Craigslist, Facebook, and other platforms. The result: a nationwide epidemic of online pet sales.
Meanwhile, shelters are losing ground. Overcrowded municipal facilities are euthanizing more animals. Many shelters are deserted, with adopters nowhere to be found.
How can shelters that are understaffed, open by appointment only, and cut off from volunteers possibly compete?
They can’t.
What’s Being Done About It?
Nothing.
In fact, less than nothing—because shelters are regressing, and most are not prepared for what’s next.
Shelters are not keeping up with technology while online sellers dominate digital space. Google, Facebook, Craigslist, YouTube, Instagram, X, and countless pet-sale platforms—each listing tens of thousands of puppies—are fueling the overpopulation crisis.
Well-intentioned laws will continue to fail if we cannot motivate every Animal Control Officer to enforce them—and history proves we can’t.
Every struggling shelter has its own unique problems that require specific, local reform. And because Animal Control can “work around” any law, truly effective change has never been possible under the current system.
It’s Time for a New Approach
“Old school” methods don’t work anymore. We need real, enforceable solutions—not ideals, but actions that can take effect now.
By controlling or eliminating online “puppies for sale” advertising, we can humanely reduce intake and save lives.
We propose a true, enforceable solution at FairPetFoundation.org
