Oneonta Star: State bill targets puppy mills, aims to increase pet adoption

ALBANY — Animal rights advocates are giving four paws up to legislation that would prohibit pet stores in New York from selling dogs and cats from commercial breeders.

"It's long past time that we do something on this here in New York," said State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, the sponsor of the legislation.

The proposal is aimed at hurting the profitability of puppy mills by shrinking their ability to keep stores stocked and nudging consumers to consider adopting rescue animals from shelters.

This week, California became the first state in the nation to require pet stores to sell only rescued companion animals.

Libby Post, director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, said the New York approach will differ from the California statute in that consumers here would not be buying the rescued dogs and cats from the pet shots, but from shelters. The Gianaris bill would allow pet shops to facilitate adoptions of dogs and cats from shelters, but the stores would not be collecting the payments from the consumers, she added.

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