Animal rights activists are jumping with joy after news that
Atlanta will become the 9th city in Georgia and largest city in America to independently ban the sale of cats and dogs in retail pet stores.Last year,
California, the nation's largest economy and most populous state, led the way in the fight to end puppy mills and pet overpopulation by passing a similar law which prohibits pet stores from selling puppies, kittens, and rabbits from commercial breeders. In 2019, the state of
Maryland joined the Golden State in the pet store-pet sale prohibition, and in early 2020, so did Maine.
But that still leaves 47 whole states without such legislation.
Commercial breeders — commonly referred to as "mills" because they force animals to continuously produce more and more young to feed the pet trade — are cruel and often keep their animals in horrific conditions.
Pet mills create a vicious circle by pumping more and more animals out into the market. Many of which end up in shelters and being euthanized. But now pet stores will only be able to sell rescue animals, meaning that more animals that were facing the needle will have the chance to find a second forever home.
More than 230 cities and counties in the US already have banned pet mill animals from pet stores, and that number keeps growing. But we need these bans to be enforced statewide, not just city to city. California, Maryland, and Maine are the first states to do so.
Now, other states need to follow suit. The following states still have no pet store-pet sale ban:
AL | AK | AR | AZ | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NJ | NH | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WYPlease take a moment to sign and take a stand against pet mills and if your state is named above, call your state representatives and ask them to pass a pet mill ban in your state. Together, we can end pet mills in the United States for good.