New York State to Ban Sale of Puppies and Kittens in Pet Shops

Law Effective from December 2024
Ban on Factory-Style Breeding... Adoption Encouraged

A dog inside a glass partition at a pet shop in Seoul is struggling with the heat. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Pet shops in New York State, USA, will be prohibited from selling dogs, cats, and rabbits starting December 2024.

According to The New York Times (NYT) and the Associated Press (AP) on the 15th (local time), New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill containing this provision on that day. The bill aims to eradicate commercial breeding facilities known as "puppy mills" and "kitten mills."

There has been intense friction between animal protection activists who support the bill and pet shop owners who oppose it during the bill's enactment process.

Activists argue that animals bred in pet factories and supplied to pet shops are often abused or sick, and they hope to stop the supply from factory-style breeders. On the other hand, the pet industry warns that this ban will lead to a series of unintended consequences, claiming that it will become more difficult for New Yorkers to obtain pets and that this will lead to a black market for pets.

The pet shop owners' association, People United to Protect Pet Integrity (PUPPI), told the NYT, "A complete ban on pet sales unfairly harms responsible pet shops that carefully raise puppies and does little to close commercial breeding facilities."

Although most sellers in the pet industry raise pets humanely, animal rights groups have been criticized for selectively amplifying cases of a few unscrupulous operators who have been subject to lawsuits and investigations in order to demonize the entire breeding sector.

A pet shop owner in New York who has been in business for over ten years expressed frustration to the AP, saying, "We deal with responsible breeders." He added, "Since 90% of our business is puppy sales, we will not survive going forward." It is reported that there are about 80 pet shops currently in New York State.

Once the law takes effect in December 2024, pet shops in New York State will no longer be pet retailers but will serve as intermediaries connecting abandoned pets under protection in temporary shelters to homes or providing spaces to host adoption events for rescued animals. This is intended to encourage people to adopt from shelters and rescue organizations instead of purchasing pets.

Meanwhile, even after the new law is enacted, New York residents will still be able to purchase pets directly from individual breeders who raise animals born and raised on their own property, not from pet shops. However, breeders are prohibited from selling more than nine animals per year.

Previously, California enacted a similar law in 2019, becoming the first state in the U.S. to ban factory-style pet breeding. Following that, Maryland's "No More Puppy and Kitten Mills Act" took effect in January 2020. Illinois also joined in enacting similar legislation in September last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.