Indiana
Controversial ‘puppy mill’ bill passes Indiana House
The Indiana House on Monday passed a bill to prevent cities from banning the sale of dogs at pet stores, nullifying ordinances in 21 municipalities that sought to put a dent in unethical puppy mills and increase shelter adoptions.
House Bill 1412 was approved by a 59-36 vote and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
While nixing dog sale bans, the bill would also require pet stores to keep detailed records of the dogs they buy and sell and meet new maintenance standards. The stores, along with animal care and rescue operations, would register with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, which could make random inspections and fine retailers if they violate the law’s provisions.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Beau Baird, R-Greencastle, called it an “anti-puppy mill” law that increases “transparency and responsible breeding practices.”
“It centralizes and improves pet standards in the community,” said Jonathan Lawler, a spokesman for the Indiana Council for Animal Welfare, an organization representing animal owners and breeders.
It is the second attempt in as many years at restricting the cities from regulating pet stores. A bill last year failed to get a vote in the House. But that legislation didn’t include any industry regulations and it didn’t touch the cities that already had banned dog sales in stores. There is no such grandfather clause in this year’s edition. Indianapolis and Carmel are among the cities that stand to have their pet store bans revoked.
Critics said the legislation was another usurpation of local control by the Indiana legislature and the enforcement provisions are too much for the Board of Animal Health to handle because the bill provides no funding for additional inspectors.
“The board doesn’t have the manpower to handle all this,” said Adam Aasen, a Carmel City councilor. “The pet stores know this and are telling us what rules they want to follow.”
Rep. Kyle Miller, D-Fort Wayne called the legislation an “unfunded mandate on an already understaffed” agency.
The registration fees will go into the Board of Animal Health coffers, as will fines assessed for violations of the bill’s safety provisions. But Rep. Matt Pierce D-Bloomington said on the House floor the agency can’t collect the fines if it doesn’t have the workers — and there is no requirement — just the option — to conduct inspections.
“If you aren’t doing inspections you can’t collect fines,” Pierce said. “We will be chasing our tail, so to speak.”
Rep. Chris Campbell D-West Lafayette said the bill is not only “unfeasible,” it takes away the localities’ ability to address puppy mill profits with their own laws.
“We need to let them decide since it doesn’t look like inspectors will be funded,” he said at the House session.
Pierce and Campbell conceded the legislation was well-intentioned in cracking down on puppy mills but urged the house to delay consideration until next year’s budget session when the Board of Animal Health could be properly funded.
The bill’s supporters, which include pet stores, said the measure provides a much-needed crackdown on under-supervised puppy mills and helps to ensure breeders treat dogs well and that retailers purchase pets from reputable breeders.
Baird said it also “empowers consumers by providing them with essential information” because pet stores will be required to keep records of a dog’s health and purchase history.
Lawler said the bill requires stores to take back dogs that have been sold if the owners decide they can’t handle them.
“There needs to be some type of impulse protection in case the consumer doesn’t fully grasp the commitment required but also to protect them if the dog is unfit due to illness or disease,” Lawler said.
The Council for Animal Welfare said there are 26 pet stores in the state that sell animals and 14 of them sell dogs. A representative from Uncle Bill’s Pet Centers testified at a House committee meeting in favor of the bill as did a representative for the Ohio-based chain, Petland.
Uncle Bill’s has two stores in Indianapolis and one in Fishers, which sells dogs. Petland has a store in Westfield. Carmel passed its ordinance outlawing puppy mill sales even though it has no stores that sell dogs or cats.
The cities with sales bans argued they would increase pet adoptions at overcrowded animal shelters if people did not have the option to buy dogs at stores.
The Legislative Services Agency said there are 192 commercial dog breeders, 113 animal rescues, 107 private animal shelters, 32 public animal shelters and six commercial dog brokers in Indiana.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Humane Society and the Association of Indiana Municipalities were among those testifying against the bill.
Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317-444-6418 or email him at john.tuohy@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook and X/Twitter.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
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