Current:Home > NewsNew York bans pet stores from selling cats, dogs and rabbits -MoneyBase
New York bans pet stores from selling cats, dogs and rabbits
View
Date:2025-04-12 14:16:43
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York on Thursday became the latest state to ban the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores in an attempt to target commercial breeding operations decried by critics as "puppy mills."
The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and takes effect in 2024, lets pet shops work instead with shelters to offer rescued or abandoned animals up for adoption. It will also ban breeders from selling more than nine animals a year.
"This is a very big deal. New York tends to be a big purchaser and profiteer of these mills, and we are trying to cut off the demand at a retail level," said Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Democrat.
He added that the puppy mill industry treats animals "like commodities" and said "there is no pet store not affected."
Pet shops have argued that the law will do nothing to shut down out-of-state breeders or increase their standards of care and said it would result in the closures of the dozens of pet stores remaining in New York.
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, like New York is doing now, it does not regulate sales by private breeders.
A handful of states followed. In 2020, Maryland banned the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores, triggering pushback from shop owners and breeders who challenged the measure in court. A year later Illinois barred pet shops from selling commercially raised puppies and kittens.
In New York, pet advocacy groups have long called for a full shutdown of facilities that raise and sell animals for profit, saying animals are raised in inhumane conditions before they are shipped off to stores.
Emilio Ortiz, a manager at Citipups pet shop in New York City, said the new law could serve as a death sentence for the business he's worked at for more than a decade.
"Ninety percent of our business is selling dogs. We're not going to survive this," said Ortiz, who considers the ban unfair to stores that work with responsible breeders. "They're closing the good actors along with the bad actors."
Jessica Selmer, president of People United to Protect Pet Integrity, a New York coalition of pet store owners, called the law "careless" and "counterproductive" and said she hopes the governor will "consider legislative remedies to some of the pitfalls of the bill."
The new law will not affect at-home breeders who sell animals born and raised on their property.
Lisa Haney, who breeds dogs at her Buffalo home alongside her husband, said she supports the law.
"One pet store near me, they get dogs from all over the Midwest and different large facilities, and you have no idea where they come from and who the breeder is. People are really clueless and take the puppy," Haney said.
Her business, Cavapoo Kennels, partly focuses on breeding hypoallergenic dogs for people who have allergies, and her business model operates on a need basis. The waitlist runs from six to 12 months, ensuring each dog ends up in a home.
Gianaris said the law will allow buyers to be more conscious of where their pets come from.
"If a consumer went to a mill and saw the awful conditions, they wouldn't buy these animals," he said. "Dealing with a breeder allows people to see where their dog comes from, and it cuts off the middlemen that serve as a way to wash off the awful activities that take place at the mill."
veryGood! (29)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- This Program is Blazing a Trail for Women in Wildland Firefighting
- California Has Provided Incentives for Methane Capture at Dairies, but the Program May Have ‘Unintended Consequences’
- Inside Clean Energy: Three Charts to Help Make Sense of 2021, a Year Coal Was Up and Solar Was Way Up
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Facing water shortages, Arizona will curtail some new development around Phoenix
- Jessica Simpson Seemingly Shades Ex Nick Lachey While Weighing in On Newlyweds' TikTok Resurgence
- Despite Misunderstandings, Scientists and Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic Have Collaborated on Research Into Mercury Pollution
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- YouTubers Shane Dawson and Ryland Adams Expecting Twins Via Surrogate
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Da Brat Gives Birth to First Baby With Wife Jesseca Judy Harris-Dupart
- It's not just you: Many jobs are requiring more interviews. Here's how to stand out
- Teen Mom’s Kailyn Lowry Confirms She Privately Welcomed Baby No. 5
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Inside Clean Energy: The Idea of Energy Efficiency Needs to Be Reinvented
- Inside Clean Energy: Explaining the Record-Breaking Offshore Wind Sale
- YouTube will no longer take down false claims about U.S. elections
Recommendation
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
Matthew McConaughey and Wife Camila Alves Let Son Levi Join Instagram After “Holding Out” for 3 Years
The first debt ceiling fight was in 1953. It looked almost exactly like the one today
Amazon must pay over $30 million over claims it invaded privacy with Ring and Alexa
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Our first podcast episode made by AI
Scientists Say Pakistan’s Extreme Rains Were Intensified by Global Warming
Inside Clean Energy: Explaining the Record-Breaking Offshore Wind Sale