New York will join the ban on the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores
NY became the most recent state in ban sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in the pet stores in an attempt to attack commercial breeding operations dubbed “puppy mills” by critics.
The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and takes effect in 2024, allows pet stores to work with shelters to offer rescued or abandoned animals for adoption. It will also prohibit breeders from selling more than nine animals a year.
It will be years in prison for those who do not comply
The law will be applied to prohibit the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits
“This is a big problem. New York tends to be a big and lucrative buyer of these mills, and we’re trying to reduce demand at the retail level,” said Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-May. He added that the puppy mill industry treats animals “like commodities” and said that “there is no pet store that is not affected.”
Pet stores have argued that the law will do nothing to shut down out-of-state breeders or raise their standards of care, saying it would result in the closure of the dozens of remaining New York pet stores.
California enacted a similar law in 2017, becoming the first state to ban such sales. While that law requires pet stores to work with animal shelters or rescue operations, as New York is doing now, it doesn’t regulate sales by private breeders.
New York approves a regulation to prohibit the sale
A handful of states followed. In 2020, Maryland banned the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores, prompting backlash from store owners and breeders who challenged the measure in court. A year later, Illinois banned pet stores from selling commercially bred puppies and kittens.
In New York, pet advocacy groups have long called for a complete closure of facilities that breed and sell animals for profit, saying the animals are raised in inhumane conditions before being shipped to stores.
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