Massachusetts Senate passes bill to ban sale of dogs, cats from pet stores

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WJAR) — Changes could be on the way in Massachusetts when it comes to where you buy ‘Buddy’ or ‘Rocky’ as the Senate passes legislation banning pet stores from selling dogs and cats.

It’s part of the ‘PETS Act’, which still needs approval from the House of Representatives and Gov. Maura Healey.

Several municipalities including Attleboro have already adopted similar regulations at a local level, with the goal being to prevent a puppy mill to pet shop pipeline.

Alisa Clements, the Director of Government Affairs for the Pet Advocacy Network spoke with NBC 10’s Devin Bates about the bill. (WJAR)

“If it will help stop puppy mills and maybe help put a crimp in that distribution and force people to think of other ways to acquire pets, especially rescues, that would be great,” said dog owner Linda Taylor.

However, those against the legislation claimed it would hurt small businesses who rely on pet sales. The non-profit Pet Advocacy Network believes it could even end up shifting demand to shady online sellers or out-of-state dealers.

“New York’s ban went into effect a little over a year ago, and we’re already seeing folks selling dogs out of their cars in Manhattan and importing dogs from Taiwan to apartments in Queens and selling them,” said Alisa Clements, the Director of Government Affairs for the Pet Advocacy Network.

Clements said these sellers are not inspected or regulated.

“All the things that our pet stores do, because they are the most highly regulated and inspected place to get a dog in this country,” she said.

The MSPCA has voiced its support for the PETS Act, adding that state and federal records show dogs from, “some of the worst puppy mills in the country have been sold to Massachusetts consumers at pet shops.”

The Pet Advocacy Network, while agreeing with some other measures of the sweeping PETS Act, like allowing seniors in state-funded housing to have a companion animal of their choosing, was disappointed the ban on dog and cat sales was included in the package.

Instead, the organization is throwing its support behind another bill under consideration, H.2256, which would essentially require pet stores to source their dogs and cats from U.S.D.A-licensed breeders while tightening up inspection requirements.

“They’re going to have to be licensed, inspected and transparent about the health and origins of every animal that they sell, so it’s really this great, comprehensive bill that will strengthen the regulations,” Clements said. “This is actually something that will help increase protections, would do something for animal welfare and help combat that problem we’re seeing of bad actors.”

If the PETS Act does pass, store owners who sell a dog or a cat could face a $1,000 fine, with repeat offenders risking losing their shop’s license altogether.