Democratic Brooklyn councilman Justin Brannan will introduce legislation that will require New York City pet shops to sell only dogs and cats sent from rescue groups and animal shelters in hopes that will help shut down puppy and kitty mills that operate under inhumane conditions.
Brannan says, "There are thousands of healthy animals in our shelter systems right now that are desperately looking to be adopted. So I don't think that a single animal should be sold that comes from a puppy mill until all of our shelters are empty."
Queens Senator Michael Gianaris introduced a similar state bill in February that has failed to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Brannan, who was quoted in the New York Post said, "The state bill is great, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. This would be a real game-changer for New York City and is something we should be doing right now if we're serious about being the most humane city we can be."
PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne said, "We have a cat and dog overpopulation crisis that is the fault of pet stores and breeders while animals are dying in shelters because of a lack of a good home."
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