NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2019 / The American Kennel Club recently issued a statement on bills being considered by the New York State Legislature that would severely restrict the ability of New Yorkers to purchase purpose bred dogs. As a result of similar measures passed in other states, the AKC has noticed an uptick in the sale of sick dogs from unregulated sources and pet importers. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a million dogs are imported into the U.S. each year - many for the giant American rescue market. The AKC believes a better approach is to improve consumer protection laws that cover all pet buyers and sellers, improve transparency and expand consumer education - and protect our freedom of choice. The AKC's statement was originally published in the Albany Times Union and is reprinted below.
Scanning the news from around the country, it's nearly impossible to miss states trying to legislate away freedoms of personal choice and lifestyle. New Yorkers are not immune, with lawmakers in Albany now going after another part of the family - our four-footed ones.
If some lawmakers have their way, average New Yorkers could soon lose the ability to choose a source or breed of their pet.
Bringing a new pet home is a serious commitment. When selecting a pet, thoughtful owners should be able to choose one with knowable characteristics. Predictability in characteristics - such assize, temperament, exercise and grooming needs - and health-tested parents are hallmarks of purpose-bred and purebred dogs. Getting the right fit the first time is more than a feel-good issue; it's crucial for the long-term well-being of pet and owner. The ability to make an educated choice is also likely one of the reasons that fewer than 5 percent of the dogs in U.S. shelters are purebred.
Bills (A6298/S4234 and A6299/S593) currently under consideration in Albany would ban pet stores from selling animals from regulated U.S. breeders, and require them to sell only randomly sourced pets from rescues or shelters. On its face, this sounds altruistic, but this regressive proposal also puts the single most regulated and health-checked source of pets out of reach for average pet owners - and tips the scales in favor of unregulated retail rescues, unscrupulous pet sellers and pet importers. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an untold number of dogs are imported illegally into the U.S. each year - many for the giant American rescue market.
A similar measure that passed in California in 2017 is now being linked to an uptick in the sale of sick pets there.
Great pets can come from a variety of sources, including breeders, shelters, rescues and retail pet stores. New Yorkers should not be limited to arbitrary choices because of inaccurate and discredited prejudices about pet professionals.
Our New York lawmakers don't need to rubber-stamp California's bad ideas. A better approach is to improve consumer protection laws that cover all pet buyers and sellers, improve transparency and expand consumer education - and protect our freedom of choice.
SOURCE: American Kennel Club (AKC)
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/546518/AKC-Calls-on-New-York-to-Reject-Bills-that-Harm-Responsible-Breeders
