California To Ban All Puppy Mill Pet Stores

California is leading the way! The word finally got out about the horrors of puppy mills and the lawmakers in California are poised to take a stand!

Patrick O’Donnell, an assembly member, introduced A.B. 485 which proposes a ban on the sale of animals that were cruelly bred in pet stores and the ban would be for the whole state of California! The animals included are cats, dogs, and rabbits. The ASPCA reports that 35 municipalities all across California have local ordinances that are along the same vein as A.B 485, but the passage of the bill would be the first time a state has passed protections for any animal sold in a pet store.

The California Senate has already approved the bill with a 32-0 vote. Now, the Assembly gets the bill back, and there is a procedural vote before the bill becomes law. Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA, said in an interview that passing A.B. 485 will stop the sale of dog and cats that are commercially bred in a pet store and stop the supply of inhumanely bred animals to communities in the state. In this way, customers will not be knowingly contributing to cruelty.

Once it passes in California, puppy, kitten, and rabbit mills will take a huge hit (on their profit margin), and California will make history! Let us hope that other states follow suit and ban the sale of cruelly bred animals. Until then, in your state, please adopt – don’t shop!