As of January 2019, California has now become the first ever state in the US to ban pet stores from selling dogs and other pets unless they come from shelters and other rescue organizations.
The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, also known as AB485, was created to help put a stop to certain breeding facilities that are considered to be puppy mills. These are the places where they operate on selling puppies while keeping their breeders in unsanitary and unkind environments.
These businesses usually treat the puppies they sell as nothing more than merchandise that they need to make a profit from. Because of this, these harmless creatures are bunched up together without enough space and only fed the bare minimum to survive. Often, they aren’t given any medical attention or even social interaction until they are given over to the care of the pet store.
According to the AB 485 Fact Sheet, California taxpayers pay about two hundred and fifty million dollars each year to help give shelter to these rescued and abandoned animals. If the pet stores have access to the dogs, cats, and rabbits available for adoption from local shelters, they won’t have to continue funding the operations of these puppy mills.
One of the best reasons for this law being passed is the opportunity for every new dog owner to save a life. Rescuing a dog or whichever animal that you choose from your nearest shelter will be saving that pets life.
This bill also requires pet shops to have records of where each animal comes from, or they will have to pay a fine of $500 per pet. This information has to be displayed in full view of where the animal is.
However, if you are in California and still prefer to purchase a pet that isn’t rescued, you can still do so through private breeders.
Check out this video to learn more about AB485:
Source: News Today | YouTube
