California Says Pet Stores Can Only Sell Rescued Animals
Dear friends around the world,
It absolutely breaks my heart to see animals abandoned, hungry and tortured. That is why I always carry some dog food and water in my car wherever I go, so that when I come across hungry animals on the streets, I can feed them. Many of my students also do the same and I am very happy to know that they are willing to go that extra mile to care for other sentient beings.
As sentient beings, animals are able to feel love and pain which is why we must not hurt them in any way. Buddhist philosophy teaches us that karma is accrued when inflicting suffering and pain on other sentient beings. That’s why I hope more people will become aware of this and stop contributing towards the pain.
I am very glad to hear that Californian pet stores will only be able to sell rescued animals in the near future and I rejoice for their efforts in making this new system possible. I also hope other states and countries will follow in their footsteps.
Please share this with your family and friends to create more awareness. May all animals quickly be free of pain and suffering.
Tsem Rinpoche
California To Only Sell Rescue Dogs And Cats In Pet Stores
BY : AMY GUARD
UNILAD/Army Guard
There is some wonderful news in the animal world after California pet stores have been told they must get their puppies, kittens and rabbits from shelters and rescue centres only.
As of January 2019, it will be illegal for stores to buy animals from pet breeders and any store being caught will face a fine of $500.
Individual, private buyers will still be able to buy their pets from a breeder, reports the New York Times.
The bill, A.B. 485, has had strong support from many animal welfare organisations, which claimed it was a blow to ‘puppy mills’ and ‘kitten factories’ that mass-produce animals, often in poor conditions and don’t look after them properly.
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California is the first state in the US to pass the legislation, though it is following some of its own cities and jurisdictions, which have ‘passed similar measures on a smaller scale’, writes New York Times.
The bill was written by Patrick O’Donnell and Matt Dababneh, both Democrats and California Assembly members, and it was signed into law on Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The legislation reads:
Because pet stores are one step removed from the breeding of the animals they sell, store owners rarely know the breeding conditions of their animals.
In many cases, puppy mills house animals in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate food, water, socialisation or veterinary care.
PA
It wasn’t without its opponents however, who argued the bill painted ‘puppy mills’ and responsible breeders with the ‘same broad brush’.
Mike Bober, who is the president of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, said the bill was ‘well-intentioned but misguided’ and said it would jeopardise hundreds of jobs.
But the number of for-profit pet stores in California had been ‘dwindling long before this bill was signed’, said Boris Jang, who owns a puppy store in Santa Ana, California.
Mr Jang said he expected the new law to put him ‘out of business’.
PA
He said he once worked with animal brokers but stopped about four years ago after learning that the dogs might be coming from commercial breeders where animals suffered.
Since then, he said, the Puppy Store has offered a mix of dogs. About half come from shelters or rescue centres; the rest, which are sold for profit, come from small local breeders or people who have a litter they do not know what to do with. He said that if he had to switch entirely to shelter and rescue dogs, he could not afford his lease at MainPlace Mall.
Still, Mr Jang said he understood lawmakers’ intentions, he said:
Their heart is in the right place, but their thinking is a little shortsighted.
PA
After the bill easily passed in California’s Senate and Assembly last month, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals praised the state for taking action where federal regulators had fallen short.
The organisation said in a statement:
By cutting off the puppy mill pipeline that moves cruelly bred animals from across the country into California pet stores, A.B. 485 will also help prevent California consumers from being duped into purchases that contribute to unconscionable animal ‘production’ and suffering.
Hear, hear!
But Ben Ashel, a pet store owner in the state said the new law might have ‘unintended effects’ and could mean potential pet owners will ‘order dogs online or find sneakier ways to acquire the breeds they want’.
His store, Puppy Heaven, specialises in tiny dog breeds including teacup Yorkies and toy Maltipoos. He said he was not sure what he would do once the law comes into play.
PA
Mr Ashel said some people need breeds that work well with children or accommodate allergies and other health issues.
Adding:
It takes the freedom of choice from people who want to get a puppy. They don’t want to get someone else’s unwanted dog or something of that nature.
They just want to start fresh with a puppy, and this law makes it very, very difficult.
Personally, I think it’s a great idea.
Source: https://www.unilad.co.uk/animals/california-to-only-sell-rescue-dogs-and-cats-in-pet-stores/
For more interesting information:
- Earthlings
- Good News for Animal Lovers!
- Stray Free Selangor!
- Don’t Abandon Senior Pets!
- Extreme cruelty!
- Rescued Cats and Dogs Only
- A kind woman
- Dogs in Tibetan Monasteries
- Amazing compassion!
- Heroes Behind the Scenes
- Hours Before Death
- Malaysian Government shows Care
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Did you know many dogs that are being sold in the pet shops are from puppy mills? Dogs are kept in the cage the whole time to only produce offspring, they are not well taken care of, most of them live in a very filthy environment. When they are not able to produce offspring anymore, they will be abandoned. By then, they are old and sick and waiting to die.
Can you imagine if a human is put into this situation? If this is not right to treat a human like this, what right do we have to treat an animal like this? So it is definitely a good news that California is making a rule to stop the pet shops to sell puppies from the puppy mills. There are so many stray dogs or animals, if we love animals, we should not get it in an inhumane way, by adopting a dog we can save a life.
When there is no demand, there will be no supply. People have to be aware of the sufferings the animals have to go through because of human’s greed. We think we are more superior that we keep hurting another life, this has to stop.
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This is great news! Every animals needs a loving home and there are so many pets to rescue. These animals also will be happy to have a good home as they know how it feels to be abondoned and alone.
Hope that more countries and states will copy this and help rescued animals!
Thank you Rinpoche sharing this article. I’m very happy to heard this good news. I totally agree with the new law that California has implied. Because : 1)it can give the homeless dogs to have a home.2) It can also lessen the amount of puppy mills. We can decrease the number of animals slaughtered like: 1) Do some social media to create awareness. 2) Publish books about cruel towards animals or books of the benefits of vegetarian.
I think this new ruling could be beneficial in the long term. Hope more states and countries move towards the sale of rescued animals.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the good news about the authority in California is working their way to legalize the pet stores in California only can get their puppies, kittens and rabbits from the shelters and rescue centres but not from the breeders. Eventually this law will reduce the numbers of stray dogs and cats on the streets, which can directly save them from the unprotected environment.
When the people in California start to appreciate and take care of these rescued dogs and cats, I believe sooner or later they can gain inner peace and happiness as a result of showing compassion and love to the less fortunate animals. All the animals deserve to be protected from the harsh weather and to be given sufficient food in order to survive as they are not able to generate their own income like human beings. Moreover, animals has given us the opportunities to practise compassion, equality, kindness, patience and altruism, which we need these positive qualities very much in this degenerating age where we are easily being swayed to negativity because of untamed minds.
May more and more people start to treat animals fairly and most importantly, not to eat them as food.
Humbly with folded hands,
kin hoe
Is really nice to know that California pets store only sell rescue dogs and cats. This is very good start to curb animals abandon cases. Besides that, it can also control breeder on bred dogs and cat cruelty for commercial.
In Malaysia, i wish government should execute the same actions in local pets shop.
Start adopt and stop buying. Animals got feelings too, don’t abandon them.
Jason
This is a good law I personally strongly agreed on this law. They are many dogs mills and pets mills that breed the animals for commercial. Thus, when the dogs and cats are not sold, what will be happened to them. I have personally experiences when every certain seasons, people throw their dogs away. At first I thought is from the house the dogs being abandon, when I bring the dogs to pet hospital, we manage to scan the tag in the dog and find out that it is from a pet shop which close down. This rise a question what happen to those pets when a pets get old or the petshop close down? Will they get killed? Been abandons or?
Some people said they wanted to start with “fresh” puppy , have they consider that these abandon puppy need love? Or we can see how selfish the person is, so, if the dogs no longer suitable for the family, they would just throw away? Looking at how they react to the law. What is wrong to give love, to learn to love a pet that have been abandon, doesn’t it give more moral education to the kids?
Happy to hear that California has passed a law that Pet stores can only sell rescued animals. This is good news for those Pets at the shelters, they will have a chance of finding a home. This also stop the cruel commercial breeding activities and animal suffering. Hope to hear the good news from other States in US and also world wide.
The excellent initiative by California state government is a wonderful news for all animals and animals lovers. By restricting pet shops from selling pets supplied by commercial breeders, where the condition of breeding is usually unhygienic and in extremely poor condition. These sellers will have to find other means to support their living which do not cause harm and suffering to others. The effect of this new law not only alleviate unnecessry sufferings for many animals but also reduce the negative karma for the sellers for had been profiting from the pain of others.
Thank you, Rinpoche for this sharing.
Great news ….California Says Pet Stores Can Only Sell Rescued Animals. It will be illegal for pet stores to buy animals from pet breeders . Pet stores will only be able to sell puppies, rabbits, and kittens they obtain from animal shelters. Thats a nice idea in a way those abandoned animals will have a home.A bill requiring pet stores to only sell certain rescue animals would make California the first state to do such a thing . The pet stores are required to work with animal shelters or rescue operations if they want to sell. Hopefully more states will follow California authority in passing the law.
May all those pets will have a home soon and find love,caring. They deserved a better place to be care and love. We should give them a chance , not to hurt them.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing . I have shared this post with my friends .
I rejoice that Californian authority has made the first step to stop commercial breeding company from torturing helpless animal just for the profit.
This move will eventually lead to less animal suffering and more adoption of a stray cat and dog
This is wonderful rejoicing news! Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this piece of good news. California’s pet-stores will no longer be able to sell dogs and cats from puppy mills and kitten factories in the near future! California will legislate against pet-stores selling animals that are from these mills and factories.
This will surely lead to the reduction of suffering of animals as it will greatly reduce animals being bred in puppy mills and kitten factories! The fine of $500 that will be imposed on those who break the law will hopefully act as a deterrent.
Although there are murmurs of complaints against this legislation, such as pet-stores being forced to shut down because of poor business,resulting from a drop in demand for their animals as people turn away from adopting “unwanted” rescued dogs and cats, still, all in all, saving animals from suffering is still the main thrust of this legislation. It is important to increase public awareness against such cruelty as that inflicted on animals in puppy mills and kitten factories.
May other states and other cities follow suit to legislate against puppy mills and kitten factories.
This is such a good news for pet animals. The pets have unimaginable sufferings from mistreatment in pet mills. The new law will curb the supply.
From the comments in the news people can just come out with their own reasons how the new law is not good. They justify that the new law will affect their income or their ‘rights’ for more choices. This is just ignoring the cruelty that is happenings in pet mills.
More public education campaign is definitely needed to inform the masses the negative consequences of keeping the pet mills around.
This is indeed a great move from the California authority and passing it as a law. This move will surely reduce the number of puppy mills and reduce the suffering of animals tremendously. Many cats and dogs suffered as most breeders do not maintain and treat the animals poorly. Hopefully more states in United States and other countries will follow suit on this noble act.