A law banning pet shops from selling commercially bred pets in California will take effect in the new year, making it the first state to require all pet shops to sell animals obtained through rescue or animal shelter group.
The bill, signed into law earlier this year, was aimed at stopping so-called "puppy mills" and "kitty mills," according to a fact sheet for the bill.
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Under the new law, California pet shops would only be allowed to sell animals from an animal shelter or rescue group. A fact sheet for the bill explained that taxpayers currently pay $250 million to shelter neglected, stray and abandoned animals.
"By offering puppies, kittens and rabbits for adoption from nearby shelters, pet stores can save the lives of animals in search of a home, save the breeding animals trapped in puppy mills and relieve pressure on county budgets and local tax payers," a document explaining the bill argues.
Officials with the American Kennel Club opposed the bill, writing that "when governments attempt to limit the legitimate sources from which a person may obtain a pet, it not only interferes with individual freedoms, it also increases the likelihood that a person will obtain a pet that is not a good match for their lifestyle and the likelihood that that animal will end up in a shelter."
AKC officials said the group "strongly opposes any measure that restricts choice by compelling people and/or retailers to obtain pets solely from shelter or rescue distributors."
Those who violate the new law could be subject to a $500 fine for each animal offered for sale.