What's Happened with Puppy Mill Ban in California?

Dear Editor, The New York Times:

Re “California ‘Puppy Mill’ Ban Would Also Cover Kittens and Bunnies” (September 18). As soon as I read the title I became very eager to read the rest of the article. Regulating pet sales and cracking down on puppy mills has been talked about for years. It always seems to be the same discussion about the poor conditions that the animals in puppy mills are in and how it’s wrong. This article proved that point when it quotes officials stating their concern for the well-being of the animals and how action needs to be taken.

One statement that was different was from Matt Bershadker, president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who said “While awareness of the puppy mill problem is growing, humane regulation at the state and federal level has been slower to evolve.” This statement was the nail on the head as to why nothing has been done yet. This article opened up a new door for activists, but they might not have realized it yet.

This article states what the ban will include, and the negative effects if anyone was to get in trouble for running a puppy mill or purchasing a puppy from a mill is minor compared to the damage that they have done. It will be interesting to see if activists bring up more suitable punishments and regulations to make the ban that was signed by Governor Brown as effective as possible.

I hope this topic gets some more attention and updates the readers of what has been going on since this was originally written. The talk has died down in the media and this article served as a nice rejuvenation to the ongoing problem.

Sincerely,
Kathryn Brennan


For more information:
www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/us/california-puppy-mill-ban.html