Reported by Jerry Revish

The goal of a new bill unveiled Wednesday is to protect pets.
 
Whether you get your new best friend from a pet store or a private party, you don't always know how it got there.

Animal activists say one of the worst ways is through a puppy mill; wretched, filthy dog-making factories that have caught the eye of the statehouse.

Peg Rodecaplan says, "The dogs that we are concerned about live outside, unsheltered twelve months a year under freezing temperatures or extreme heat, while others never even see the light of day.

Animal rights advocates from across the state are outraged that some dogs are literally being bred to death in parts of Ohio.

Twenty-three members of the Ohio House and Senate, Republican and Democrat, are backing a bill to ban puppy mills.
 
Senator Gary Cates says, "When you see these pet shops, we all think about how cute and cuddly these puppies are and we never give much thought to where these puppies came from.

The bill is called Pretty Girl's Bill, named after a dog found hanging on to life at just eight pounds. Her breeders tattooed the number two on her belly to keep track of who they bred her with.

Senator Cates says after she produced enough litters to make about $15,000 for her handlers, and she was left to die when she couldn't breed anymore.

The proposed legislation includes mandatory random inspections of dog-breeding sites and licensing for commercial breeders.
 
Paula Evans with Second Chance Humane Society says, People are not doing their homework on these dogs.

According to the bill's supporters, there is no federal law on dog breeding. If Pretty Girl's Bill becomes law, it'll be the first in Ohio to govern the proper breeding of dogs.