Maryland’s lawmakers
voted to ban the sale of puppies and kittens from pet mills in the state at a
General Assembly on Saturday.

Ban

Maryland is
set to join California – the only state in the US with a standing ban on sales of pets from mills – pending the approval of Governor Larry Hogan.

The bill will
prohibit sales of cats and dogs in pet stores, with the exception of those that
have come from animal welfare organizations, animal control
units, and licensed breeders.

House
Speaker Michael Busch pushed for the bill with the support of his sister Kathleen ‘Laurie’ Bernhardt, who saved her brother’s life the year before by giving him
half of her liver.

Opposition

Despite the
approval of lawmakers, the bill has been disputed by those who worry it will
interfere with businesses that turn a profit by commofidying animals.

Donna Ryan,
of pet store Just Puppies in Towson was one of the naysayers.

She
explained that her store goes ‘beyond the rules that Maryland has already
established’ but that the new bill could prevent Just Puppies from dealing with
small breeding operations.

Species specific

Other
opponents of the bill thought it fell short at the expense of other animals.

During
discussions earlier in the month, Republican Del. Deborah C. Ray questioned why it only applied to cats and
dogs.

She asked: “Aren’t you worried about the rats
and the birds and the ferrets?”