Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council Responds to Arizona Law Re: Sale of Commercially Bred Dogs and Cats
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) May 19, 2016 -- In a statement issued today, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) President and CEO Mike Bober responded to a new Arizona law implementing consistent statewide standards in regards to the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats in pet stores. This new state-level legislation reverses local sales bans in Phoenix and Tempe as well as a proposed one in Tucson.
The new law requires pet stores to display the source of their animals, including the name of the breeder and the USDA license near the animals’ cage or crate. Pet stores will be subject to escalating fines for not following protocol, ensuring transparency among breeders and sellers.
“We applaud the state of Arizona for taking this positive step toward consistent protection of animals and consumers. Meaningful sourcing restrictions are something we’ve been advocating for sometime now as they give prospective pet owners the information they need to ensure companion animals acquired from pet stores come from responsible, regulated breeders.”- Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) President and CEO Mike Bober
“Addressing this issue at the state level means that Arizonans from Phoenix to Flagstaff and Tucson to Tempe enjoy the same safeguards from one town to the next. It is a tremendous advance in ensuring the availability of responsibly bred pets at a store level where transactions can still be regulated instead of driving demand to unregulated markets because an owner cannot locate the pet they need via shelter or rescue in their area. The new statewide standards also address concerns that have arisen from sales bans at the city level. For example, the Phoenix ordinance makes multiple references to ‘nonprofit animal rescue organizations’ as a valid source for pet stores without defining the term. This is problematic as there is no definition of ‘nonprofit animal rescue organizations’ in either state or local law, yet this is one of the very few categories of organizations from which the ordinance permits Phoenix stores to source. We hope Arizona can set the stage for other states to follow suit as well, because inconsistent local legislation addressing an issue that is national in scope has dangerous unintended consequences. ” -Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) President and CEO Mike Bober
http://www.pijac.org
Tierra Bonaldi, The Impetus Agency, +1 (775) 322-4022, [email protected]
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