Legislation will cut off the puppy mill pipeline

Few things bring brighter smiles than the adorable puppies, kittens and bunnies enjoyed in our social media feeds. But for animals sold in New York pet stores, there is a cruelty behind the cuteness. Every year, thousands of puppies are shipped to pet stores across New York, sourced through a pipeline of out-of-state commercial pet breeders, mostly from the Midwest and profiting from an inhumane sales model more appropriate for the 1950s than today.

Puppy mills are large scale, factory-like breeding operations, prioritizing profit and expedient sales over the well-being of these animals. Consumers unknowingly purchase overpriced puppy mill pets as stores perpetuate myths that they only sell animals from local breeders they know, when in fact they peddle pets raised in shocking conditions designed to keep costs low. For every animal sold there is a mother and father languishing in a bare wire cage, producing litter upon litter until deemed useless and discarded. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides little protection, using standards under the federal Animal Welfare Act that only keep the animal alive. Some commercial breeders selling to New York pet stores have lengthy records of violating even these minimal standards.

Consumers are impacted as pets come home with health issues associated with unsanitary conditions, insufficient veterinary care and poor breeding at these mills. Like farm animals, antibiotics are used prophylactically and administered as a substitute for veterinary care.

New York can bring down the curtain on this puppy mill pipeline by passing legislation ending the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris’ bill has passed the Senate. Now, attention turns to Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal’s bill, A.4283, to address out-of-state puppy mills and their brokers, plus the small number of pet stores still selling these animals.

The Assembly should move with the same alacrity as the Senate and bring this popular legislation to a vote this session. And for those seeking a puppy or purebred, please adopt from one of New York’s outstanding animal shelters or work with a responsible breeder who has nothing to hide.