What's the dog in the window?
Thanks to a new law, pet stores across New York will be banned from selling dogs, cats and rabbits starting Sunday. So stores are eager to offer bargain prices in advance to clear out their furry stocks.
“I didn't think I would buy a dog, but if I couldn't sell it, I was going to go to a shelter,” said Krisjan Polonia, a 31-year-old paralegal who ran away with a black and white “teddy bear” dog. . ” – Shih Tzu/Bichon mix – from Astoria Pets, Queens.
“And kids do crazy things,” said Polonia, who bought the adorable dog for her son for $650, originally priced at $2,800.
The Puppy Mill Pipeline Act aims to curb the influx of animals entering the state from abusive breeding practices in puppy mills and instead encourage adoptions from overcrowded shelters, Kathy Hochul It went into effect Sunday, two years after the governor signed the bill.
As a result, the weekend turned into a buyer's market for potential pet owners across New York City.
Ingrid Rodriguez, 25, adopted a 10-week-old Pomeranian for $1,300, down from $1,450 at Astoria Pets.
One buyer took home a $3,250 Corgi puppy for just $500 cash.
“This wasn't the plan,” Rodriguez told the Post. “I was passing by with my mom, and she saw the sign and wanted to come in. We went in, holding the dog to our chests…”
She said she had “mixed feelings” about the law but hoped it would deter people from illegally breeding dogs.
“I'm in favor of changing the law. I was an unlicensed veterinary technician,” Polonia said.
But pet store owners who cut off tail-wagging customers won't be able to fight the law, and countless small businesses with ethical practices will be forced to close their doors because of the law. insisted.
“I've been here 42 years. For the past eight years, the city has told us we have to buy only from breeders who have given us a Class A license,” said Don, 73, who owns Astoria Petz. It resulted in a total ban on the sale of pets, D'Alessio said, and explained that whatever the city's regulations were, it was strictly followed.
“Two years ago, a law was passed that says you can't buy things from anyone. We can't stay in business. We're out of business! We won't last long,” he said. “We can't keep selling cheaper supplies online. All we hear all day is '$14?!'” You can buy it at Chewy for $5! “We won't survive.'' It's over now. ”
“120 stores that I know of are closing almost immediately,” he said. “We have approximately 2,500 employees from Albany to Montauk.
“There's never been a violation here, look at the paperwork. After 15 years of paperwork, there's never been a violation.”
D'Alessio said she was forced to remove all the dogs over the weekend or otherwise send them to a shelter.
He said he sold all 21 dogs he owned. However, he said he excluded the three he gave to longtime customers who couldn't afford to buy them.
“I'm out. I'm done. I'm 73 years old. I have six children, two of whom work for me. I have six grandchildren. [New York officials] I have no idea what they are doing to small businesses in the state,” D’Alessio said.
Meanwhile, activist groups, including New York City's New York Animal Shelter, are happy to see an end to a practice they say allows for inhumane breeding.
“For too long, pet stores have been the endpoints of a cruel supply chain that treats living things as commodities,” ACC President Rise Weinstock said in a statement. “This legislation will not only help close the pipeline, but also shine a light on humane alternatives like adoptions from shelters.”
The Best Friends Animal Society said the ban was “a long time coming.”
“Pets sold in pet stores are often raised in puppy mills, which are often inhumane and prioritize profit over humane care,” a representative for the organization said Sunday. A representative for the organization told The Pos on Sunday. “The reality is that the dogs used to breed puppies at these facilities often spend their entire lives in wire cages without proper shelter, veterinary care, food or socialization. .
“When people don't have the option of buying from a pet store, they are even more motivated to explore adoption options because while it may seem the easiest, it is often not the best choice. The number of pet stores will increase,” the representative added, noting that pet stores: They now have the option of renting out their space in overflowing shelters.
