If you need a reason to be happy today, puppy stores in NJ might soon be required by law to sell rescues.
The New Jersey Senate approved a bill earlier this week that would require puppy and pet stores in general licensed after January 12, 2016 to sell pets obtained ONLY from shelters and rescue organizations. That’s a big deal for the estimated 3.9 million dogs that end up in shelters each year according to The Human Society, with over 1 million of those eventually being euthanized.
New Jersey is taking a stand against puppy mills, and the Human Society puts the number of puppy mills in the USA at around 10,000 — so imagine just how many sad puppies we’re talking about. While the NJ Senate has only approved the bill, it’ll soon head for the State Assembly where it’ll be debated and *fingers crossed for puppies in the Garden State*, approved. Opponents of the bill are firm believers in a pet owner’s right to choose from a variety of breeds. To put that in perspective, that’s like upholding human genocide in the name of being able to find more exotic combinations of hair and skin color. Oh wait, that’s been done before.
According to The Humane Society:
“Online and in stores, 99 percent of puppies come from puppy mills, no matter what the breeder or store says. Mother dogs remain locked in cages their whole lives and have half the life expectancy of the average dog. Twenty percent of their puppies don’t even make it to stores. They die in terrible conditions. And the ones who do get sold often have undisclosed health issues.”
Anyway, if this law passes we’ll be here at our desks just across the river in NYC partying with doggy treats, runs through the park, and cat naps — and encouraging our friends to visit puppy stores in NJ versus any other state.
[ via Patch.com ]
