New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Vetoes Bill To Stop Puppy Mills - National Humane Education Society

Paws Down!
May 3, 2017

To New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for vetoing a bill that would have made commercial dog and cat breeding facilities illegal in New Jersey. The bill also would have established additional restrictions on pet dealers.

In 2015, the state of New Jersey passed The Pet Purchase Protection Act. The bill was signed into law by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and requires all pet stores in New Jersey to display on each dog or cat cage the breeder information for that animal. Among other measures, the law also requires pet stores to provide instructions for customers to access the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) animal welfare inspection reports for the dog breeder. This law was written in hopes that more individuals purchasing commercially bred animals would think twice before purchasing an animal who likely came from a puppy mill. While this law was a vital step in the right direction, it is not known how many buyers reviewed breeder information. Furthermore, much of the value of the law has been lost since the USDA suddenly removed dog breeder inspection reports from the USDA website early in 2017.

In response, New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak, who is running for governor of New Jersey, sponsored an amendment to The Pet Purchase Protection Act with S3041. The amendment would have flat-out prohibited the sale of puppies from pet stores who source animals from large scale commercial breeders and would have banned the for-profit sale of cats and dogs at flea markets, a popular venue for inhumane backyard breeders.

According to a recent news article, Governor Chris Christie has vetoed the bill. However, the New Jersey Legislature has vowed to override the veto.

Take action. Never purchase a dog or cat from a retail pet shop, flea market, or online seller. Residents of New Jersey, contact your legislators  and encourage them to take part in the effort to override Governor Christi’s veto!

Dear Senator,

I am a concerned New Jersey resident, writing to express my dismay that Governor Christie has vetoed S3041, the bill to prohibit pet stores and flea markets from selling commercially-bred dogs and cats. Similar laws are appearing across the United States and have already been passed in cities such as New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Miami.  A statewide law would be groundbreaking, but the idea is far from extreme or unprecedented. These laws are needed to cut off cash flow from pet shops to large-scale commercial breeders, better known as puppy mills. I hope I can count on you to help override Governor Christie’s veto for the sake of animals, and the people who love them.

Respectfully,

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