Regulates Sales At Pet Shops
A new animal rights legislation package is expected to be passed that will change the way animals are bred, sold and cared for in New York.
City Council Members Elizabeth Crowley and Corey Johnson both support the bills that would bring unprecedented regulation to the pet industry in New York City by ensuring animal welfare and promoting responsible pet ownership.
“After years of tireless work, the passage of today’s historic legislative package will make New York City a national leader in animal rights,” Crowley said.
The legislative package includes Intro 55-A, a bill sponsored by Council Members Crowley and Johnson that would regulate the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores. It would prohibit the sale of cats and dogs that were obtained from breeders who have violated the Animal Welfare Act, or from brokers who may serve as middlemen for “puppy mills,” and would stop the sale of rabbits received from any source.
Also passed were Intro 136-A, a bill that would require the spaying, neutering and licensing of animals sold in pet shops in New York City; Intro 146-A would prohibit the sale of a cat or dog from a pet shop until the animal has been implanted with a registered microchip with the purchaser’s contact information; and Intro 73-A would update the definition of “pet shop” within the animal abuse registration act.
“Combined, these bills will regulate irresponsible breeders, prevent overpopulation, provide for animals to be safely accounted for and ensure that abusers are unable to obtain animals,” Johnson said.
The regulations stipulated in Intro 55-A that aim to stop the sale of cats and dogs from puppy mills are among the most important achievements of the entire legislative package. The bill would mandate that all pet shops in New York City be required to hold an operating permit issued by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
It also states that any cat or dog that the pet shops offer for sale come directly from a breeder licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that meet certain inspection standards.
This would prohibit shops from selling dogs and cats obtained from brokers that support puppy mills, and would stop the sale of rabbits from any source by guaranteeing that the pet shops have verifiable information on the sources and health of the animals they offer for sale.
The chair of the NYC Bar Association’s Committee on Animal Law Christine Mott said, “We support a ban on the sale of rabbits by City pet shops in order to reduce rabbit overpopulation and shelter intake,” in reference to Intro 55- A. “Rabbits are the third most commonly surrendered animal in the city shelter system,” she stated.
“The passage of these lifesaving measures marks a pivotal moment in the history of New York City animal welfare, ensuring that dogs and cats offered for sale in our pet stores do not come from breeders who fail to meet even the most basic of care standards prescribed by federal law,” said Matt Bershadker, the president and CEO of the American Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
