Some good news to report from Connecticut Votes for Animals !
This session's pet shop bill is now official!
We are pleased to report that Governor Malloy signed Public Act 14-77 (SB 445) today, thereby passing the pet shop bill into law that will be effective as of October 1, 2014. A detailed summary of the new law's provisions is available on our Web site
This law stands among the strongest state-level pet shop legislation in the country. Among its provisions, it will require that all dogs and cats sold in pet shops must originate from breeders who are USDA licensed, and have no direct violations of the Animal Welfare Act, nor more than 2 indirect violations within the past two years. The 2012 data on breeders supplying Connecticut pet shops reveals a significant number of unlicensed breeders, and breeders with multiple violations. Under the restrictions of this new law, up to 80% of the breeders used in 2012 would be eliminated from the supply chain into Connecticut as of October 1!
But what about the other 20% of breeders supplying pet shops? They are still likely puppy mills. It is important to remember that even USDA-licensed breeders with "clean" inspection reports can be puppy mills because the federal regulations governing these breeders outline survival standards, not humane standards
Further, public hearing testimony repeatedly confirmed that reputable, responsible breeders will not sell through pet shops. We always encourage adoption as your first option! But if you must find a puppy through a breeder, it is always better to visit a local breeder directly and in person - not through a pet shop
Once again, I'd like to express our gratitude to Rep. Brenda Kupchick, whose tireless advocacy made all the difference!
Sincerely,
Amy Harrell, President, CVA
This session's pet shop bill is now official!
We are pleased to report that Governor Malloy signed Public Act 14-77 (SB 445) today, thereby passing the pet shop bill into law that will be effective as of October 1, 2014. A detailed summary of the new law's provisions is available on our Web site
This law stands among the strongest state-level pet shop legislation in the country. Among its provisions, it will require that all dogs and cats sold in pet shops must originate from breeders who are USDA licensed, and have no direct violations of the Animal Welfare Act, nor more than 2 indirect violations within the past two years. The 2012 data on breeders supplying Connecticut pet shops reveals a significant number of unlicensed breeders, and breeders with multiple violations. Under the restrictions of this new law, up to 80% of the breeders used in 2012 would be eliminated from the supply chain into Connecticut as of October 1!
But what about the other 20% of breeders supplying pet shops? They are still likely puppy mills. It is important to remember that even USDA-licensed breeders with "clean" inspection reports can be puppy mills because the federal regulations governing these breeders outline survival standards, not humane standards
Further, public hearing testimony repeatedly confirmed that reputable, responsible breeders will not sell through pet shops. We always encourage adoption as your first option! But if you must find a puppy through a breeder, it is always better to visit a local breeder directly and in person - not through a pet shop
Once again, I'd like to express our gratitude to Rep. Brenda Kupchick, whose tireless advocacy made all the difference!
Sincerely,
Amy Harrell, President, CVA
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