Ban on pet sales hanging over New York pet stores

New York State in the USA has taken a step closer to its aim of banning the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores. Following a vote by the state's Senate in favour of the move last summer, the State Legislature's agriculture committees, which oversee pet dealers, have also voted for it, according to a report in the Democrat & Chronicle daily. If the full chamber were to approve the draft bill, it would hit the 80 or so pet stores registered in New York hard.
Animal welfare organisations and a host of politicians have protested for years that the vast majority of animals for sale in pet stores come from puppy mills. These are "places of unimaginable cruelty," Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, the bill's sponsor, told the local press.
The legislation has been considered in Albany before, but has always stalled.