New York City pet stores sell more puppies than any other city in the country but an ordinance has now stopped them from buying puppies.
The ordinance, passed earlier this year, prohibits pet stores in NYC from obtaining puppies from commercial puppy brokers and USDA-licensed breeders who had received severe Animal Welfare Act violations.
The law was challenged by several pet stores.
But earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed the challenged.
Kimberly Ockene, senior attorney for companion animals of the animal protection litigation section for The Humane Society of the United States, issued the following statement:
“We are pleased that this law was upheld…The successful defense of this ordinance and several others throughout the country affirms that local jurisdictions can act to prevent animal cruelty and protect consumers. It also signals a rising interest in cracking down on the puppy mill industry nationwide.”
Throughout the United States 94 localities have passed similar ordinances with dozens currently pending.
This is the fifth consecutive time the pet industry has challenged a local ordinance like this and lost.
