A law passed by the New York Legislature in June forbidding the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores is awaiting the governor’s decision. Kathy Hochul.
Numerous postcards featuring graphic images of malnourished golden retrievers living in unsanitary conditions are piling up at the New York governor’s office. National animal rights organizations have launched a massive email campaign.
However, the pet store sector and its lobbyists have also mobilized. Zoom meetings with the governor’s staff have been held, and a pet store employee has independently produced a campaign of videos showcasing well-cared-for puppies that have become popular on TikTok.
Out of the hundreds of bills that Gov. Few issues seem to have more emotional weight than the one affecting the welfare of a constituency that cannot even vote: puppies. Kathy Hochul must decide whether to sign before the end of the year.
A bill that would have prohibited the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in New York’s pet stores was finally passed by state lawmakers in June after years of debate with unusual bipartisan support, setting off a bitter conflict between animal welfare organizations and the pet store industry.
They have refocused their efforts in recent weeks on lobbying Ms. As she considers whether to sign or veto the bill, Hochul meets with her office to present their case. Both parties trade accusations of lying and spreading false information.
If Ms. If Hochul signs the legislation, New York will join California, Maryland, Illinois, and other states that have enacted similar restrictions aimed at reducing commercial breeding operations, also known as puppy mills or kitten factories.
According to animal rights activists, the breeding facilities operate with little oversight and raise dogs in cruel and inhumane conditions, frequently resulting in the sale of sick puppies to consumers. This has caused the breeding facilities to be the center of intense controversy for years.
The bill aims to stop that pipeline by outlawing pet sales in New York’s 80 or so pet stores, which are infamous for their constant window displays of puppies that can cost thousands of dollars, and promoting pet adoption from shelters in its place. In an effort to encourage potential pet owners to visit and purchase from responsible breeders, people would still be able to purchase the animals directly from the breeders.
Jennie Lintz, the director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ puppy mill initiative, stated that “we know what it looks like when animals don’t get that care and certainly from photos and documentation of what these facilities look like, that is not happening.” “Since New York is still one of the country’s largest markets for these commercial facilities, the bill may not only have an impact here but also elsewhere.” ”.
Pet stores have vehemently opposed the legislation, claiming that it would force them out of business, result in the layoff of hundreds of employees, make it more difficult for people to get a pet in the state, and possibly create an underground market for pet sales. Supporters of the legislation have dismissed these claims as exaggerated.
The breeding industry claims that animal activists have portrayed the majority of the sector as abusive, which is one of its biggest complaints. It asserts that the industry as a whole is not typified by the filthy puppy mills that have been the subject of damning investigations.
Mike Bober, president and CEO of the Pet Advocacy Network, a national pet trade association, said: “Let’s not pretend that there aren’t people out there who are doing this the wrong way, but they are few and far between.” The fact that people willfully and intentionally misrepresent the state of breeding in the nation deeply offends and frustrates us. ”.
Ms. Hochul, a Democrat running for re-election in November, has not made her opinions on the legislation public, and her office stated that it was still reviewing it.
The federal government regulates and licenses most of the nation’s more than 2,000 dog breeders, but proponents of animal rights claim that the minimal care requirements are out-of-date, insufficient, and infrequently enforced.
A few pet stores in New York, including those in Albany and New York City, have been sued recently by the state attorney general’s office on charges of deceiving customers and selling puppies that were sick or mistreated and came from unlicensed breeders.
Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Shake a Paw, which runs two stores on Long Island, in 2021 for falsifying health certificates, charging customers for unnecessary veterinary expenses, and selling at least nine dogs that succumbed to serious illnesses shortly after being purchased. The store owners have vociferously denied the allegations.
Despite the industry’s belief that banning the retail sale of puppies will have a number of unintended consequences, such as increasing online fraud and decreasing consumer protections for those who adopt sick puppies, the lawsuits have fueled support for a ban.
While there are about 40 commercial breeders in New York, the A S. P. C. A. most of the puppies sold at pet stores in the state come from breeders outside the state, primarily in the Midwest.
A manager at Citipups, a pet retailer with two locations in Manhattan, Emilio Ortiz, claimed that the business carefully sourced the hundreds of puppies it sells every year from about 30 different breeders across the nation who, in his opinion, went above and beyond the requirements set forth by the government and provided “a great living situation for their dogs.” ”.
Mr. The bill’s opponent, Ortiz, claimed that the biggest barrier for the sector is a “distorted view and public narrative” that all breeders and pet stores are bad actors. Ortiz has met with state lawmakers and the governor’s office to lobby against the bill. He responded by starting to make videos that attempt to provide a behind-the-scenes look at how pet stores handle the animals they sell. Mr. On TikTok, Ortiz has gathered more than 300,000 followers, and his videos have received millions of views.
“It’s an uphill battle,” he said. Compared to some of these large national organizations, which raise millions of dollars and have a powerful marketing apparatus at their disposal, we are just small businesses. Usually, people only hear these terrifying tales, so I wanted to show them what actually occurs. ”.
He added: “We’d completely go out of business” if Ms. Hochul signed the legislation, noting that the sale of puppies accounted for about 90% of the store’s revenue.
The industry claims that it would necessitate significant investment for stores to redesign floor plans originally intended to house live animals, despite the argument made by the bill’s proponents that pet supply stores that currently sell animals could adapt by switching to selling pet supplies.
Pet stores would be permitted to work with shelters and rescue groups to host adoption events, but they would not be entitled to any of the adoption fees. Mr. According to data gathered by his trade association, Bober claimed that all but two of the 28 pet stores in California that sold puppies went out of business two years after the ban took effect in 2019.
The bill’s proponent, Democratic state senator and self-described animal lover Michael Gianaris of New York, dismissed the business concerns of the industry and stated that the ban’s more important goal was to stop treating animals as commodities or as “items on a supermarket shelf.” ”.
As a way to keep people in business, I don’t believe we should condone torturing animals, said Mr Gianaris, the deputy majority leader and owner of a mixed-breed Cavapoo puppy named Fred and a rescue cat named Alley, claimed to have bought them from a reputable breeder. “I hope the governor doesn’t take as long to figure out the right thing to do as it took the entire Legislature,” ”.
Even though a majority of Republican lawmakers supported the legislation, Albany didn’t really take it seriously until the Democrats took over the State Capitol four years ago. In 2020, the State Senate passed the legislation, but the Assembly never moved on it.
While some animal activists vocally accused Carl Heastie, the chamber’s speaker, of stalling the legislation, some moderate Democrats in the Assembly opposed the measure and suggested more focused alternatives to control the pet trade.
That changed on the final day of this year’s legislative session when the bill, introduced in the lower chamber by Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan, was approved by the 150-member Assembly with only 15 votes against.
Puppies and kittens are “the last bastion of nonpartisanship,” according to Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, an association for animal shelters and rescue groups that supports the bill.
Asserting that they operate in New York with few regulations, the pet store industry has accused shelters and rescue organizations of hypocrisy. However, a second bill on Ms By establishing uniform standards for the veterinary treatment and housing of rescue animals, Hochul’s desk would work to change that.
Ms. The more than 100 shelters and 400 rescue organizations in New York, many of which, according to Post, are overflowing with dogs, including those people may have acquired during the pandemic but may have abandoned after being called back to their jobs, would experience less stress if the retail sale of the animals were prohibited.
Puppy mill practices are “completely inhumane,” Ms. Post said. And as long as we permit the sale of milled animals, New York is complicit in animal abuse.” ”.
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The breeding industry claims that animal activists have portrayed the majority of the sector as abusive, which is one of its biggest complaints. It asserts that the industry as a whole is not typified by the filthy puppy mills that have been the subject of damning investigations.
They have refocused their efforts in recent weeks on lobbying Ms. As she considers whether to sign or veto the bill, Hochul meets with her office to present their case. Both parties trade accusations of lying and spreading false information.
The more than 2,000 dog breeders in the country are largely regulated and licensed by the federal government, but animal rights supporters argue that the minimum standards of care they’re supposed to provide are antiquated, insufficient and rarely enforced.
The lawsuits have helped fuel support for a ban, despite the industry’s belief that prohibiting the retail sale of puppies will lead to a cascade of unintended consequences, including more online scams and fewer legal protections for consumers who adopt sick puppies.
Jennie Lintz, the director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ puppy mill initiative, stated that “we know what it looks like when animals don’t get that care and certainly from photos and documentation of what these facilities look like, that is not happening.” “Since New York is still one of the country’s largest markets for these commercial facilities, the bill may not only have an impact here but also elsewhere.” ”.
How Can I Tell If an Online Puppy Seller Is a Mill?
Many puppies sold online come from puppy mills. The only way you can be sure that a puppy came from a reputable source is to see where he or she came from yourself! Responsible breeders would never sell to someone they haven’t met because they want to screen potential buyers to ensure the puppies are going to good homes. Learn more about why you should never buy a puppy online.
FAQ
How do you tell if a puppy is from a puppy mill?
- They Don’t Know, or Don’t Share The Puppy’s Parents. …
- The Breeders Won’t Let You See The Kennel. …
- They Focus on More Than One Breed. …
- They Don’t Ask You to Sign Paperwork. …
- They Offer The Puppy When It’s Too Young. …
- The Pup Hasn’t Had Its Shots.
How do you tell if a website is a puppy mill?
These warning signs point to a puppy mill in operation: The vendor has a wide variety of purebred or “designer” hybrid breeds of dogs. Puppies are being sold at less than six weeks old. The breeder/seller is “in another state” and will ship a puppy without first setting up a face-to-face meeting.
How can I avoid buying from a puppy mill?
Avoid Online Shopping, Newspaper Ads, and Pet Stores The puppies in pet stores often come from puppy mills. The same is frequently true for puppy ads in publications or online If you come across a puppy deal that seems too good to be true, it probably came from a puppy mill.
What if I bought a puppy mill dog?
Even though a dog from a puppy mill has a chance to be healthy, this chance is much lower than that of a dog from a reputable breeder or animal shelter. Disease outbreaks and genetic diseases are frequent in puppy mills because they don’t require veterinary care, health screening, grooming, or vaccinations.