Boston City Council Passes Ban on Sale of Dogs, Cats and Rabbits; Mayor Expected to Support Ban

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Nelson the Shar-pei/pug mix was bought online in Missouri and shipped to Massachusetts. He ended up needing emergency medical care at the MSPCA.

The Boston City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning the sales of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores in Boston. Jamaica Plain's City Councilor Matt O'Malley proposed the law that would also prohibit the sale of animals in public parks and city streets.

Nelson the Shar-pei/pug mix was bought online in Missouri and shipped to Massachusetts. He ended up needing emergency medical care at the MSPCA.

Nelson the Shar-pei/pug mix was bought online in Missouri and shipped to Massachusetts. He ended up needing emergency medical care at the MSPCA.

Mayor Walsh is expected to sign the ordinance, according to Andrew Ryan of the Boston Globe, and the ban on sales in public parks and city streets will then take immediate effect.  The ban of selling dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores will take effect on Dec. 31, 2017.

This bill is deemed the Puppy Mill Bill to prevent the sale of puppies and kittens in stores. These animals often come from mills where young animals often receive shoddy medical care, living in poor conditions leading to poor health and medical bills for their eventual owners. They are often shipped from out of state.

The bill has been praised by numerous animal welfare organizations, including the MSPCA-Angell that has experience a 50 percent rise in rabbit surrenders in the last year alone.

 

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