There is more cause for celebration this holiday season with the New York State Legislature’s passing of the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill, banning the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits at retail pet stores. New York joins just seven other states, California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington in acknowledging the barbaric practices of large-scale commercial breeding, also referred to as puppy mills, by banning the sales of mill bred pets in retail stores.
Pet stores are the smiley faces of a sad, cruel business where economies of scale, cost cutting and profits come at the expense of the physical and mental well-being of the animals. The local pet store is the final link of a supply chain that includes commercial breeders, distributors and transporters each motivated to minimize costs and maximize profits for their link in the chain.
While in this supply chain, puppies and their canine parents are not technically pets, they are livestock according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture which minimally regulates the industry. To all intents and purposes, puppy mills are factory farms, and each puppy or breeding parent are simply bookkeeping entries, no more, no less.
That kind of cold-blooded calculation means that mothers are bred until they are literally used up, veterinary care, quality food, trained staff play time and enrichment all come with costs that cut into profits. The result is often genetic, congenital defects and health issues costing unsuspecting buyers thousands of dollars in care to treat the puppy in which they have a hefty emotional investment.
Worse still, commercial breeders have appropriated rescue and shelter language duping people into thinking they are adopting a pet, rather than buying a pet from an unscrupulous source. While animal shelters struggled to operate during the pandemic due to staffing shortages and curtailed operations, the commercial breeding industry was busy expanding, with dubious marketing tactics, and making purchasing a pet online quick and easy.
Sadly, shutting down the pipeline of cruelty into retail stores is no easy feat. A last-ditch attempt from lawyers representing breeders was made in New York to overturn the ban, but thankfully did not succeed. And breeders in Maryland unsuccessfully challenged that state’s ban on selling dogs and cats in retail stores claiming it was unconstitutional. With only a handful of states with bans, we have a long way to go in ending this horrific industry.
People looking for pets online should be cautious because there are no regulations and it’s easy to be led into supporting inhumane commercial breeders.
And it’s totally unnecessary! Any pet that you can think of is available for adoption. If you’re looking for a specific type of size, color, breed, and personality, they can be found at an animal shelter or rescue.
The New York legislation also allows pet stores to work with shelters to use their space for adoptions. Partnerships between pet supply retailers and shelters and rescues is nothing new as PetSmart and Petco have been leading the way for years in this area, but it offers an opportunity that is powerful when it comes to ending the killing of pets in communities across the nation.
It’s a win-win for the rescues and shelters working diligently to ensure that companion animals find loving homes and for the retailers that positively enhance their brand equity by being part of the lifesaving in their communities. Pets complete families, positively affect our mental and physical well-being, connect us socially and also contribute to the economy.
Pairing retail pet supply stores with shelters and rescues makes a lot of business sense because new pet parents need supplies, treats, toys, and food and showcasing shelter pets in a very public forum increases their chance of adoption.
Bravo to Queens state Sen. Mike Gianaris and Manhattan Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal for their stewardship and leadership on this important and historic milestone for the great state of New York. And congratulations to Gov. Hochul for signing the legislation into law and recognizing that there is no place for animal cruelty in the State of New York.
Castle is CEO of Best Friends Animal Society.
