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Controversial law says pet shops can only sell rescue animals

Posted at 2:38 PM, Oct 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-17 18:08:30-04

Getting a purebred puppy at a California pet store will soon be impossible.

A new state law just passed makes it illegal for pet stores to sell dogs, cats, and rabbits from any source other than a shelter or a rescue.

"The problem is puppy mills and this law is specifically targeting shutting down and not supporting puppies being manufactured in unsafe, unsociable, and horrific conditions," Elena Bicker of Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation said.

Bicker and her peers feel these laws will help animals in the long run but not everyone is receptive to the new law.

"it not only interferes with individual freedoms, it also increases the likelihood that a person will obtain a pet that is not a good match for their lifestyle and the likelihood that that animal will end up in a shelter," says the American Kennel Club.

Regardless of personal opinion, the statewide ban will go into effect in 2019 and consumers will have to buy purebred animals directly from breeders.