Measure has been long sought by animal advocates
A Senate panel approved legislation Thursday that would bar New Jersey pet stores from selling cats, dogs, or rabbits in a divided vote Thursday.
The Senate Economic Growth Committee approved the measure, one long sought by animal welfare activists, in a 3-2 vote along party lines over the worries of store owners who warned the bill could force their closure.
The bill’s supporters said it would stop the flow of ill or abused dogs from puppy mills, commercial breeding facilities whose poor conditions can leave pet owners with hefty veterinarian bills.
“Many unsuspecting consumers of puppies are unaware of the medical and behavioral issues inherent in dogs bred at the horrific puppy mills. However, unlike other products that can be easily disposed of, the consumer of a dog develops an emotional attachment to the newest member of the family and will do anything to make that pet healthy,” said Camden County Commissioner Jeff Nash.
Bill proponents argued the states’ few remaining pet stores that sell cats, dogs, or rabbits — less than 20 remain in New Jersey — obtained their wares from disreputable breeders, citing a September enforcement notice from the state’s consumer affairs division that fined eight pet stores over violations of the state’s Pet Purchase Protection Act.
“It is well-documented that New Jersey puppy stores are currently sourcing from massive Midwest breeders and brokers with awful animal welfare records and are repeatedly violating the state consumer protection law,” said Ariel Lefkovits of Humane World for Animals.
Only one of the stores, Oh My Dog in Kearny, was fined for purchasing puppies from an unlicensed breeder. The rest faced penalties for a range of other infractions, including failure to post a list of consumer rights, animal birth dates, and breeder inspection reports, among other things.
Pet store owners said their breeders are above board, arguing animal rights activists who claimed otherwise did so without evidence.
“There’s a lot of misinformation going on, and the point I want to get across is any of these activists or Humane Society or Humane World for Animals, none of these people have been to the breeders we use, and we have,” said Thomas Gallo, owner of the Pet Center in Old Bridge.
Gallo’s store was fined $12,500 in September for failing to post animal histories and vaccine records, among some other documents. Gallo has said he is contesting those fines.
The bill would fine pet stores $1,000 for each cat, dog, or rabbit sold and would require courts to revoke a store’s license after three violations. A judge could also permanently bar the pet store from operating in the state.
Barring pet stores from selling cats, dogs, and rabbits would do little to stop the flow of pets from poor breeders, said Shake a Paw owner Jeff Morton, who said those sales would instead flow through animal shelters and rescues that face different, less stringent regulatory regimes than their commercial counterparts.
“You want to talk about importing dogs into New Jersey? That’s what all these rescues do. They’re buying dogs for resale, passing them off as rescues, charging $1,600 to adopt their dogs, and then you’re meeting in the Home Depot parking lot or on the New Jersey Turnpike at exit 8A,” Morton said.
Shelters, kennels, pet shops, and pounds must be inspected by local health authorities at least once a year, according to the state Department of Health. New Jersey animal rescues are only subject to inspections if they also operate a shelter or become the subject of an animal cruelty investigation.
Store owners warned that similar bans enacted in states like New York and California had shuttered businesses.
“The regulated stores, the ones who are following the rules, are the ones that are forced to close. Twenty-six of California’s 28 pet stores shut down after their ban, and New York lost two dozen more,” said Alisa Clements, deputy director of outreach and advocacy for the Pet Advocacy Network, an industry lobbying group.
The vast majority of American states allow pet stores to sell cats, dogs, and rabbits. Only eight states bar such sales, though other bans exist at lower levels of government, including more than 150 in New Jersey, Lefkovits said.
The panel’s two Republican members, Sens. Kristin Corrado (R-Passaic) and Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris), and Sen. Britnee Timberlake (D-Essex) said more stringent regulations targeting puppy mills would be a better solution. Timberlake voted to advance the bill.
“There’s been one constant and common thread, that almost every person brought up puppy mills and bad breeders, and I agree that they’re the problem,” Corrado said. “They should be addressed through regulation and enforcement.”
