[Maggie Avants]
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Legislation that would ban so-called “puppy mills” statewide was passed Tuesday by the state Assembly with a 55-11 vote. California Assembly Bill 485, the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, would prevent pet store operators from selling a live dog, cat or rabbit in a pet store unless the animal was obtained from a public animal control agency, shelter, animal rescue agency, humane society or other law-abiding nonprofit organization that is in a cooperative agreement with at least one other private or public shelter.
"Today is a good day for pets in California," said Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell, D-Long Beach, who introduced the bill alongside Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Woodland Hills. "The passage … is a step closer to ensuring that dogs, cats and rabbits from shelters are able to find forever homes."
Dababneh called the Assembly’s strong, bipartisan support of the bill "a huge step forward in the effort to bring an end to the cruel, inhumane treatment of animals at puppy mills."
Statistics published in 2014 by the Humane Society of the United States estimated there were some 10,000 licensed and unlicensed puppy mills across the nation, with an estimated 2.04 million puppies sold annually who originated from puppy mills – U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed and non-USDA licensed.
Supporters of AB 485 -- which made its way to the state's Senate Rules Committee following Tuesday’s vote -- say it would put an end to pet store operators purchasing animals from high-volume, commercial breeding facilities.
"... In educating legislators about the bill, we heard many stories from members and staff about their own experiences with sick animals purchased from pet stores, heartwarming stories of fostering, and of rescuing pets in need," said Judie Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation. "The 'shelter pet' is already the official state pet, now California is on its way to helping those pets get out of shelters and rescues and into pet shops where they have a much better chance of finding their forever homes."
Mike Bober, president and CEO of the Pet Industry Advisory Council, is of the opinion, however, that AB 485 activists are either unaware or have chosen to ignore "the disparity in regulations between retailers and shelters."
The bill would "increase the risk that dogs, cats and rabbits provided to prospective owners will have genetic defects and communicable diseases, since shelters are virtually unregulated," Bober wrote in a blog post. He also believes it would be harmful to the economy because an estimated 95 retail pet stores would be at risk of closing their doors, thereby eliminating jobs.
AB 485 is proposed at a time when many municipalities across the state have already approved such bans on a local level. San Francisco enacted city- and county-wide bans in March, prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats not obtained from an animal rescue organization or shelter. In May, a similar ban became effective in Sacramento. Several other California cities, including South Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Irvine, Palm Springs, Turlock and Colton, to name a few, also have such laws in place, according to Bestfriends.org.
The Senate would need to pass AB 485 by a majority vote.
If enacted, a pet store operator cited with a notice of violation could also be charged on suspicion of committing a misdemeanor crime if they fail to comply within a specified time frame.
Image of a suspected puppy mill via U.S. National Guard/Wikimedia Commons
