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.

A former Brigham and Women’s Doctor who was charged with raping two patients last year has been indicted on new charges. Derrick Todd, 52, from Wayland, Massachusetts, was indicted by a grand jury on three charges of rape and 17 counts of indecent assault and battery. He is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday, March 25.

“The allegations outlined in those indictments reflect just an extraordinary exploitation of a patient’s vulnerability and abuse of a position of trust,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told reporters.

The new charges stem from allegations by 11 women from the ages of 20 to 60 years old, Ryan said. The crimes allegedly occurred between 2022 and 2023 while Todd was a practicing rheumatologist and primary care physician at Charles River Medical Associates, a private practice in Framingham.

“Allegations include him making inappropriate sexual comments during exams, conducting exams that were excessively painful, and conducting examinations that lasted an unusual and unnecessary amount of time,” Ryan said.

Todd first faced criminal charges last year when he was indicted on charges of raping a 39-year-old woman and 26-year-old woman, both patients at Charles River.

Dozens more women accuse Todd of abuse, some during his time at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, with more than 270 plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against him.

“He was a master manipulator. And his ability to groom patients, giving them access, seeing them early hours, late in the evening, texting with them by cellphone privately,” said attorney William Thompson who is representing his accusers.

Faulker Hospital conducted its own investigation and fired Todd. He also relinquished his license to practice.

DA Ryan said her office has completed its investigation but that still leaves room for others to come forward and for other counties to bring charges.

“It’s a journey. It’s day by day, and everyone is a survivor, and everyone is healing in their own way,” Thompson said.