On Monday, April 26, the New York Senate Agriculture Committee will consider a bill which will prohibit retail pet stores from selling any dogs or cats. Instead, they would only be allowed to “showcase” animals available for adoption from a shelter, rescue, or adoption agency that has no affiliation with breeders.
New York residents are strongly encouraged to contact the committee today, and ask them to not allow Senate Bill 1130 to advance. Scroll down for committee contact information.
Summary:
Current law requires that pet dealers (defined in part as anyone who sells more than 9 dogs a year that are not bred and raised on their property) must comply with extensive consumer protection laws.
Senate Bill 1130 specifically removes retail pet stores from the definition of “pet dealer”. As such, they are removed from the requirements that protect the health and welfare of dogs and enable consumers to know the health and background of the animal prior to sale. In addition, even though the bill allows animals to be “showcased” that are available for adoption, it is not immediately clear if background information or information on the shelter or rescue is required.
AKC understands and agrees with the concern with “retail rescue” and false rescues. However, as currently written, this proposal implies that reputable breeders should not be involved in rescue work. This undermines the dedicated volunteer efforts of breed experts and breeders who are part of AKC clubs and who regularly help dogs in need get appropriate assessments, care, and rehoming.
Talking Points:
- Although this bill is being touted as the ultimate solution to ending the problem of bad breeders, fewer than 4 percent of pets purchased in the US come from pet shops. This bill will do little to address any issues associated with substandard breeders; however, it dramatically harms the option to choose a professionally raised, purpose-bred dog.
- It harms responsible pet breeders and retailers who are regulated under federal and state laws, while encouraging the sale of pets that come from unlicensed and unregulated sources that are not subject to federal animal welfare or New York consumer protection laws.
- Since the bill does not allow rescues or shelters to work with dog breeders, it would seem to imply that breeders should not be involved in rescue work. This undermines the dedicated volunteer efforts of breed experts and breeders who are part of AKC clubs and who regularly help dogs in need get appropriate assessments, care, and rehoming.
- It will ban the sale of pets from known, regulated and inspected sources, and restrict pet shops to only sell pets from unregulated sources (i.e., shelters, rescues, and other similar organizations).
- It will reduce the average person’s access and ability to choose a pet with the predictable type, mandated care, and substantiated health background that come with purebred pets from regulated sources. Individuals who lack the resources or do not have access to private hobby breeders will be the most directly impacted.
For additional talking points, visit www.akcgr.org/petchoice
What You Can Do:
Contact the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Ask them to not support Senate Bill 1130. If you are a constituent of a committee member, use the form provided to take action. Otherwise, use the contact information below:
Sen. Michelle Hinchey (Chair – Kingston)
hinchey@nysenate.gov
Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (Bronx)
biaggi@nysenate.gov
Sen. George Borello (Jamestown)
borrello@nysenate.gov
Sen. Jabari Brisport (Brooklyn)
brisport@nysenate.gov
Sen. Leroy Comrie (St. Albans)
comrie@nysenate.gov
Sen. Pamela Helming (Geneva)
helming@nysenate.gov
Sen. Daphne Jordan (Castleton-on-the-Hudson)
jordan@nysenate.gov
Sen. Rachel May (Syracuse)
may@nysenate.gov
Sen. Jessica Ramos (East Elmhurst)
ramos@nysenate.gov
For more information, contact AKC’s Government Relations Department at doglaw@akc.org.