A bill that might ban pet stores in Latest York state from selling dogs, cats and rabbits has passed the state legislature and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
The bill, which passed the legislature this week, is basically geared toward fighting large-scale “puppy mill”-style breeding operations. Nonetheless, the bill does in a roundabout way goal these facilities ― a lot of which exist outside of Latest York and thus outside the jurisdiction of Latest York state law. As a substitute, it focuses on pet stores, which primarily source their pets from such places, based on the animal welfare advocates and lawmakers who back the bill.
“Straight away, out of state puppy mills ship their puppies via a pipeline of middlemen to Latest York pet stores, where they’re marketed as healthy puppies from responsible breeders,” Maureen Linehan, a spokesperson for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in an email to HuffPost.
The bill encourages pet stores to partner with shelters and rescue groups and to make use of their retail spaces to “showcase” animals up for adoption.
Latest York’s bill is geared toward curbing “puppy mill”-type breeders and inspiring the adoption of homeless animals.
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Latest York’s laws wouldn’t totally prohibit people from purchasing animals from breeders. It will still be legal for breeders to sell animals on to prospective pet owners; the laws would only prohibit selling by third-party retailers like pet stores.
The bill has support from quite a few animal advocacy groups, including the ASPCA, The Humane Society of the US, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Latest York State Animal Protection Federation, amongst others.
Nonetheless, the laws has faced opposition from the pet retail industry, in addition to from the American Kennel Club. The AKC routinely advocates against retail pet sale bans, arguing that the laws are “anti-breeder” and hurt consumers available in the market for pets.
If signed, the law will ban Latest York pet stores from selling cats, dogs and rabbits, making it the most recent of its kind within the U.S. to be adopted statewide.
Latest York state has one among the very best concentrations of pet stores that sell puppies within the country, based on the ASPCA. That makes the bill especially significant.
In 2017, California passed a law banning pet shops from selling nonrescue cats, dogs and rabbits. Maryland, Maine, Illinois and Washington state have all since passed similar laws.
Moreover, quite a few cities and towns across the country have enacted retail pet bans on the local level. Prior to this bill, Latest York City already banned pet stores from selling rabbits ― though not cats and dogs ― partly due to welfare issues specific to the long-eared animals. Some people mistakenly consider rabbits as low-maintenance “starter pets,” when in point of fact, they need highly specialized care.
Rabbits may be great house pets, but people often do not realize how much space, effort and time they should thrive.
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One among the country’s most comprehensive retail pet bans is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where pet stores are barred from selling birds, reptiles, spiders and small mammals like hamsters and gerbils ― unless the animals come from a shelter or rescue group. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals advocated for the law, citing the poor conditions these animals often experience in high-volume breeding operations.
