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Protect Pets and NJ Consumers; Allow A Hearing for S.2511
Dear Senate President Scutari,
As a New Jersey resident concerned about animal welfare and consumer transparency, I strongly urge your support for S. 2511, which would prohibit the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits by pet shops. These stores get their puppies from many of the same inherently cruel sources previously used by sellers in neighboring New York, where a similar law went into effect in December 2024. Please allow this bill to be heard in June.
For decades now, pet store owners and their lobbyists have misled the public about where the puppy in the window comes from. They claim retailers only purchase high-quality puppies from top-notch breeding facilities, and that USDA oversight of puppy mills is somehow a gold standard for quality and consumer protection. We know this is not true.
Commercial dog breeders in full compliance with the law can breed female dogs over and over again until their bodies give out. They can keep dogs in stacked, wire-bottomed cages just six inches longer than the dog in each direction. They can ship dogs thousands of miles in noisy, crowded, filthy trucks, where dogs can be exposed to illness or disease. And even these standards are rarely enforced, with commercial facilities remaining in business even after years of repeated, serious violations.
Do not be fooled. Year after year, the pet industry has demonstrated that it is not interested in ensuring the welfare of the dogs it churns out, nor is it interested in transparency or public accountability. These poorly regulated commercial dog breeders have only one goal: to breed the highest volume of puppies possible at the lowest cost for maximum profit. It is abundantly clear that the time has come for New Jersey to make a change. If this legislation is not passed, pet stores will continue operating with impunity, profiting from cruelly bred animals.
I respectfully urge you to give S. 2511 a public hearing before the summer recess and thank you for your consideration.
Protect Pets and NJ Consumers; Bring A.4051 for A Hearing
Dear Assemblymember,
As your constituent and as a New Jersey voter concerned about animal welfare, I am reaching out to ask that you please support Assembly Bill A. 4051, which would prohibit the sale of cats, dogs or rabbits by pet shops. Pet stores get their puppies from many of the same inherently cruel sources previously used by sellers in neighboring New York, where a similar law went into effect in December 2024. Please allow this bill to be heard in the Consumer Affairs Committee in June.
Year after year, the pet industry has demonstrated that it is not interested in ensuring the welfare of the dogs it churns out, nor is it interested in transparency or public accountability. These poorly regulated commercial dog breeders have only one goal: to breed the highest volume of puppies possible at the lowest cost for maximum profit. Enough is enough.
This legislation would protect New Jersey’s consumers by cracking down on the deceptive business practices that allow pets bred in cruel and inhumane conditions to be trucked into the garden state from puppy mills across the country. It will also better protect our state’s consumers, public health and animal welfare. Pet stores can still partner with shelters and rescues to showcase adoptable animals in their stores.
If this legislation is not passed, pet stores will continue operating with impunity, profiting from cruelly bred animals. Once again, I ask that you please bring A. 4051 forward for a hearing in June. Thank you for your consideration.
Shut Down New Jersey's Puppy Mill Pipeline!
Dear Legislator,
As an animal advocate and your constituent, I am reaching out to ask that you urge Senate President Scutari and Assembly Speaker Coughlin to move S. 2511/A. 4051 forward during this legislative session. I was disappointed to see this important measure languish in 2024, because it will stop cruel breeders from selling their dogs in New Jersey’s pet stores, as other states like New York have done.
Puppies sold in pet stores come from commercial breeding operations known as “puppy mills,” designed to prioritize profit over the well-being of the animals. In these operations, dogs often spend their entire lives in wire crates without adequate shelter, veterinary care, food or socialization.
At the end of 2024, New York's law prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores went into effect. Without quick action, I am concerned that these cruel businesses may move into New Jersey communities, bringing sick and poorly bred puppies with them, as well as heartbreak for New Jersey families.
Year after year, the pet industry has demonstrated that it is not interested in ensuring the welfare of the dogs it churns out, nor is it interested in transparency or public accountability. These poorly regulated commercial dog breeders have only one goal: to breed the highest volume of puppies possible at the lowest cost for maximum profit. Enough is enough.
This legislation would shut down the puppy mill pipeline that imports cruelly bred animals from puppy mills across the country to New Jersey’s pet stores. It will also better protect our state’s consumers, public health and animal welfare — while still permitting stores to provide space for rescue groups and shelters to adopt out animals to the public.
Some local laws already prevent pet stores from selling cruelly bred animals in their communities, but pet stores still operate with impunity in many parts of the state, profiting off cruelly bred animals. It is time for the state to outlaw this practice for good by enacting S. 2511/A. 4051 now.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my views.