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
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday January 01 2019, @03:14AM
That's old news. I've personally caught a 'humane society' redhanded buying up intact and pregnant bitches for the purpose of selling their puppies. Most 'rescues' that specialize in some rare breed (which otherwise are almost never seen in shelters) either breed their own puppies, or buy them from commercial breeders. This has been going on ever since 'rescue' became a highly profitable business, about 20 years ago. (And if you don't think it's profitable, take a look at their IRS filings, with the awareness that "administrative expenses" is charity-speak for "owner's salary". Numbers range from $50k to over $700k.)
And right now the majority of 'rescue' animals are imported (in 2007, CDC reported 270,000 imports for sale by 'rescue', and that number has only gone up). Some are street dogs from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and China. Some are stolen from their owners (eg. the Golden Retrievers famously 'rescued' from Turkey). But increasingly they are bred for 'rescue' import,, largely in Russia and Mexico. Basically, it's a black market in plain sight, which came about because legitimate channels were restricted out of business.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.