Bill to Ban Retail Sale of Cats, Dogs, and Bunnies Moves Ahead in New York

​worldanimalnews.com/bill-to-end-puppy-mill-pipeline-advances-to-assembly/

Bill S.1130 has moved through the senate in New York and will now head to the assembly before reaching the Governor's desk. Bill S.1130 aims to end the puppy mill pipeline and ban the retail sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits from pet stores. 

“With so many good animals in need of rescue, there is no need for puppy mills that abuse animals to supply pet stores,”
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris 

Puppy mills and breeders of pets exploit animals in order to profit heavily off of them. These animals are bred in mass quantities and shipped off to pet stores where they are quickly adopted. These animals are bred in conditions that are not ideal and often suffer congenital issues, eventually costing their families thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. Worst of all? These sweet little baby animals are diverting our attention away from shelter animals who are desperate for a second chance with a loving family. 

Puppy mills are abhorrent. Breeding dogs are forcibly bred repeatedly to churn out as many puppies as possible to maximize profit. The conditions these animals live in during their tenure in these mills leaves much to be desired. Ultimately, when the breeding females are too old or too worn out to continue, they are discarded as nothing more than trash to make room for a younger, healthier female to continue the exploitative breeding. These people are profiting off of the suffering of animals and sharing the wealth with pet stores who are benefitting from the exploitation. This cycle of manipulation and exploitation is keeping innocent animals locked up in cages at shelters.

It's hard to deny the charms of a puppy or baby animal. That charm is what keeps people going to breeders over rescuing shelter animals. The allure of innocent, sweet little babies is enough to have us falling all over ourselves. Rarely do we consider where these baby animals have come from or how much money the people breeding them are making off of these animals. Would people stop buying breed specific puppies / animals if they were aware of the conditions that these animals were bred in before arriving? 

The only reason a pet store should have animals is because they've been rescued. We must stop this vicious cycle of exploitation and give shelter animals a fighting chance at a good home. If you're truly looking for a companion and not a trophy, the breed should be irrelevant when considering adding a new family member to the mix. The only acceptable option is to ban the sale of animals that have come from breeders / mills.

I'll update this story as it makes its way to the Governor's desk.

HAPPY VEG