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posted by martyb on Monday December 31 2018, @02:28AM   Printer-friendly
from the can-you-lease-a-pet,-instead? dept.

Californian law change means pet shops can sell only rescued animals

California is set to become the first state in the US to ban the sale of non-rescue animals in pet shops.

The new law, known as AB 485, takes effect on 1 January. Any businesses violating it face a $500 (£400) fine.

The change means cats, dogs and rabbits sold by retailers cannot be sourced from breeders, only from animal shelters.

Animal rights groups have heralded it as a step forward against so-called "kitten factories" and "puppy mills".

Previously: California Commercial Pet Breeding Law Passed, Signed


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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by khallow on Monday December 31 2018, @05:39AM (3 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday December 31 2018, @05:39AM (#780163) Journal

    therefore there will be no need for animals to actually breed in the confines of a shelter.

    He's speaking of pet laundering - transferring breeders' pets through a shelter so that it meets the letter of the law.

    I usually disagree with many of the rules and laws dreamed up by the lawmakers in California, but this law is a notable exception and deserves a positive response from all human beings who love animals, because it is a step which will help prevent a lot of misery for animals, who, unlike some people, do nothing to deserve misery.

    I disagree. I doubt it'll do a thing to improve the lot of feral animals.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by edIII on Monday December 31 2018, @09:36PM (2 children)

    by edIII (791) on Monday December 31 2018, @09:36PM (#780391)

    I don't think pet laundering will be a problem. Professional breeders, of which I know a few, seem to be unaffected by the law. These are the people that charge thousands per puppy depending on the breed, and generally, those puppies have it pretty damn good. Prospective owners are encouraged to spend a few hours with the puppy a few times before the puppy is weaned from the mother. All involved are treated very well, including the animals. I've been very lucky to play with these puppies helping them acclimate to human beings.

    I've not heard of anything that affects these professional breeders, or why they would be forced to dump tens of thousands of dollars in lost profit to a shelter. AFIAK, the first thing a shelter would due is spay/neuter. For professional breeders, and breed enthusiasts in general, they're not interested in spayed/neutered animals. Likewise, nobody is interested in paying thousands of dollars to a shelter either, so the market is "capped" if shelters were truly the only business in town now.

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    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 01 2019, @01:43AM (1 child)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 01 2019, @01:43AM (#780482) Journal
      I think it will. A healthy reaction to laws like this is to first think "How will the people affected circumvent the law?" There are several obvious approaches such as pet laundering, importing from another state, and just making animal shelters and professional breeders the new pet stores.

      It's also interesting to follow the money here. Creating obstructions to real and potential competitors is a classic way to raise one's profits.
      • (Score: 2) by edIII on Wednesday January 02 2019, @06:10AM

        by edIII (791) on Wednesday January 02 2019, @06:10AM (#780910)

        No, I mean a problem for the professional breeders. I don't think anybody is going to come after their dogs, or prevent them from selling their puppies. Think of like super accredited investors. The amount of money involved, the paperwork, the pedigree requirements, and I'm sure licensing of some sort. New owners get to see where the dog is born, and get to see the mother with the puppies. The law is about preventing the abuse of animals, and that sounds a little but like some regulation would cover it. I don't think an inspection for professional breeders that also work the dog shows is too onerous.

        What I think is interesting, is what you alluded to. If there was a bad puppy mill for one type of popular dog, and it's whole business model shuts down, it's left to sell to the same customer as good puppy breeders. Meaning, the bad puppy mills couldn't pass even a customer inspection by anyone. You'd feel bad for the dogs. Puts them out of business, and creates a real sourcing problem for pet stores. They can't sell new, just "used" (spayed/nuetered) dogs. You might come across a puppy, but a lot of older dogs needing homes. I think the shelters will welcome this immediately because it's like getting brick & mortar sales joints for your dogs.

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