California Bans The Sales Of Mill-Bred Animals In Local Pet Shops

October 17, 2017

California became the very first state in the U.S. to pass a law prohibiting pet shops from selling non-rescue animals. Some of the Californian cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, already have similar policies. The Assembly Bill 485, however, makes the ban on mill-bred animal retail sales statewide. It comes into effect starting from January 1, 2019 and is already signed by the Governor, Jerry Brown.

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No more retail sales of mill-bred pets

The law prohibits all Californian retail pet shops from selling any non-rescue animals. Once the law takes effect, the pet shops would be allowed to accept animals only from the specialized facilities, such as adoption centers or shelters.

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The bill affects only the sale of cats, rabbits, and dogs. The owners of the shops that will violate the law will be fined - $500.

It is noteworthy that the new initiative does not forbid to buy a mill-bred pet directly from the breeder. It only bans the sales of this kind of pets at retail stores.

The main goals of the initiative

The new law has two main goals. First, the authorities want people to consider the idea of a rescue pet adoption more often. According to ASPCA, only in the U.S., pet shelters accept over 6.5 million of stray cats and dogs every year. Around 1.5 million of them, unfortunately, become euthanized.

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The second goal of the new law is to improve the quality of the breeding process in the nation. Not all the breeders treat their pets with love and care they deserve. Some people try to turn mill-breeding into a profitable business. They do not take a proper care of their pets and keep them in awful conditions.

When advising people on how to find a responsible breeder, the U.S. Humane Society notes that a breeder who cares deeply of their pets is not likely to sell them through a retail shop. On the contrary, they will try to make sure that their pet is going to nice people and, therefore, prefer to meet the potential owners personally.

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