Breaking! Anti-Puppy Mill Bill Passes CA Senate; Help Urge Governor To Sign It Into Law

California Assembly Bill 485, the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, passed the California State Senate by a vote of 32 to 0 today.  AB 485, authored by Assembly Members Patrick O’Donnell and Matt Dababneh and sponsored by animal advocacy group, Social Compassion in Legislation, is a landmark bill that will ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits sourced from high-volume, commercial breeding facilities in all pet shops throughout the state. Instead, pet shops will be required to source animals from local shelters and rescues.

With Assembly Member Rocky Chavez signing on as a co-author and more Republicans voting in favor in both houses, the bill passed with bipartisan support.

“I thank my Senate colleagues for their support on this critical measure and for defending the voiceless,” said Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach). “AB 485 gives so many shelter animals the chance to find their forever homes, while simultaneously cutting off the outlet for puppy mill animals into our state.”

Senator Cathleen Galgiani of the 5th district stated, “Most Californians agree that we need to put the brakes on the mass breeding of animals who end up in local shelters costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to care for and eventually euthanize.  It’s a costly and unsustainable vicious cycle.  AB 485 will take the puppy mills out of pet stores and give shelter animals a better chance of being adopted.”

“I am proud to be a Joint Author of the ‘Pet Rescue and Adoption Act.’ This measure made another key advancement today as it passed the Senate with strong support from my colleagues in the State Senate,” remarked Assemblymember Dababneh. “This bill is an important step in ending the inhumane and deplorable breeding practices of puppy mills, and fostering increased adoption opportunities for pets at local shelters. However, our work is not done yet. I look forward to working with my Assembly colleague to ensure the Governor’s support.”

“We are thrilled by the Senate’s vote today,” stated bill sponsor, Judie Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation. “AB 485 is a historic bill that will reduce the demand for high volume, cruelly bred dogs, cats, and rabbits. AB 485 will allow over half a million pets normally euthanized in our shelters annually a greater chance for adoption, and again show that California is a leader in animal welfare legislation. We are hopeful Governor Brown will agree and look forward to him signing the bill into law.”

The bill will now go to back briefly to the Assembly Floor for a concurrence vote on the amendments adopted in the Senate; then to Governor Brown’s desk for signature.