by NORTH COUNTRY GAZETTE on FEBRUARY 21, 2016

MAMARONECK—If the village of Mamaroneck adopts proposed regulations on village pet shops that would effect a local ban on puppy mill puppies and kittens from being sold in pet stores, it could set a precedent in the state.

puppy mill dogsVillage trustees are scheduled to vote on the proposal Monday, Feb. 22 at a meeting to be held at the Village Court Room, 169 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Mamaroneck, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum is pushing for the adoption of legislation. Village pet shop owners could only obtain dogs and cats from rescue shelters or humane societies in Westchester County or those that are registered with the New York State Department of Agriculture.

The proposed law targets puppy and kitten mills by imposing a village-wide ban on the sale of commercially-bred dogs and cats. Violations would be prosecuted as a misdemeanor and result in fines of $250 to $1,000.

Rosenblum says, “We are responsible for the welfare of our animals and our citizens, and this law protects both”.

More than 120 towns nationwide passed similar laws, including Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. New York State currently has no such law.

Until 2014, New York localities were prohibited from passing animal welfare laws. That changed when Governor Cuomo signed the Puppy Mill Bill allowing towns to pass their own laws

This law protects animals by cutting off the demand for breeding them in inhumane Puppy Mills and protects consumers from purchasing sick animals that pet stores buy from puppy mills. Every Federal court in 2015 from Arizona to New York has upheld our responsibility to protect our animals and dismissed pet store lawsuits trying to undermine sales of shelter animals,” Animal Rights Counsel Susan Chana Lask said in a press release.

The law was drafted in response to a pet store called Best Breeds Puppies and Kittens. Owner Richard Doyle was arrested on several counts of animal cruelty and accusations of performing unlicensed surgeries on the puppies he sold.

The proposed law follows:

§156-12 Prohibition on Sale of Commercially Bred Dogs and Cats in Pet Stores

a. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell any live dog or cat in any pet store, retail business or other commercial establishment located in the Village of Mamaroneck, unless the dog or cat was obtained from an animal shelter or a humane society located in the County of Westchester, or a non¬profit rescue and humane organization registered with the New York State Department of Agriculture.

To express your support for this law to the members of the board of trustees, contact them.