Vegan actor Edie Falco is urging New York to ban puppy mills.
The former star of HBO’s “The Sopranos” has joined the battle with the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to end the sale of puppy mill dogs in New York pet stores.
Falco has two dogs, one of which she rescued from a puppy mill. She brought Sammy the dog along to Upper West Side ASPCA to encourage others to rescue or adopt instead of buying animals from a pet store.
“It’s an exciting time that we can actually be close to putting an end to this cruelty,” the vegan actor told CBS New York. “By adopting a shelter pet, you’re not only saving their life, you’ll find out in time you’re saving your own.”
What is a Puppy Mill?
According to the ASPCA, New York has one of the highest concentrations of pet stores selling puppies in the United States.
Many of these puppies come from puppy mills, which are notoriously bad for welfare standards, as they breed animals for profit.
Dogs are kept in cramped, dirty cages, notes the ASPCA, and they can suffer from physical health problems and emotional trauma, the symptoms of which aren’t always apparent until after the animal has been purchased.
Will New York Ban Puppy Mills?
Thanks to a new bill sponsored by Queens Sen. Micheal Gianeris and Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, New York could be on its way to banning puppy mills for good. If passed, pet shops will only be able to obtain puppies from rescue shelters or human societies.
“Unsuspecting customers pay hundreds of dollars for a cute puppy or kitten, only to find that the animal is incurably sick,” explained Rosenthal in a statement.
She continued, “by ensuring that pet stores can offer only rescues for adoption, this legislation will protect consumers, help to shut down the mills and end the puppy-to-pet store pipeline.”
Similar legislation was proposed last year but was voted down. With Democrats control both chambers of New York state legislature, lawmakers say there is hope the bill will be passed this time.