California ban on pet sales would strip longstanding con­­sumer protections

Regretfully, Assembly Bill 485 – a ban on the sales of non-rescue, non-shelter cats, rabbits, and dogs at pet stores that recently passed the state legislature – puts thousands of Californians and their pets at risk by exempting pet stores from most of that article’s 21 provisions.

For example, pet stores are currently required to provide substantial warranties to those who buy cats or dogs, as well as ensure customer education, animal health and background accuracy, and veterinarian examinations. Hefty fines await violators.

All of these and more are gone if AB 485 becomes law. As an advocate for the health and welfare of companion animals, Governor Jerry Brown should veto AB 485 for the sake of his constituents and pets across California.

Proponents of AB 485 claim the bill will help consumers and protect pets by stopping unethical breeders. However, existing laws, math, and basic business principles combine to provide these protections far better than a sales ban could. Federal law only allows stores to source cats and dogs from U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed and inspected breeders, as well as hobby breeders. Stores are also held responsible in civil matters under California’s warranty law.

Far fewer pet owners obtain their companions from pet stores than the bill’s proponents would have people believe. They are the source of about four percent of dogs, compared to about one-third of dogs coming from rescues and shelters. Conversely, they are a disproportionately large source of purebred dogs that come from responsible breeders and arrive at a forever home.

Finally, pet stores are trusted partners in pet care because working with bad breeders would put their reputations on the line. Mostly independent small businesses, they can only compete with online or chain retailers through customer relationships – relying on healthy, well-bred animals to meet customers’ needs and to create happy, lifelong relationships.

Unfortunately, the bill in front of Governor Brown holds those very relationships against stores while denying Californians the chance to have the pet that best fits their lifestyles and needs.

Perhaps the most important consumer protection removed under AB 485 is the state’s current warranty, which helps make pet stores the most regulated pet-providing entities in California. My organization and our members across the Golden State proudly support these regulations to ensure only ethical partners in pet care are in business in California.

It is because of the industry’s dedication to customers and pets that we support warranties, transparency, and other best practices. Every provider of pets should require paperwork about the genetic, health, and check-up history of companion animals – because they care, not because it’s the law. Organizations that abuse animals and the public trust, whether stores and breeders or illegal rescues, should be held accountable and either heavily fined or put out of business.

Bad actors exist in any industry. Responsible retailers and breeders want to work with activists, regulators, and state representatives to put those who prioritize profits over pet health and consumer well-being out of business or behind bars. Regretfully, AB 485 puts our members in the same category as animal abusers. It also puts all California cat and dog lovers at significant financial and emotional risk if a pet falls ill or dies before its time.

The pet store owners who oppose AB 485 run small businesses and want pet lovers to be protected from unscrupulous businesspeople. AB 485 does not do this. Governor Brown must veto it.

Mike Bober is president and CEO of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, or PIJAC. PIJAC is the advocacy and legislative voice of the responsible pet trade.

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