OP-ED: Pet sale ban would take Massachusetts backwards

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a proposal, Senate Bill 3028, that would ban the sale of dogs and cat at pet stores across the Commonwealth. Ed Sayres, former CEO of the ASCPA and former president of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, published an op-ed in The Boston Herald warning policymakers about the unintended consequences of a retail pet ban.

“It [SB 3028] drives dogs and families away from pet stores, which are regulated brick-and-mortar local businesses, and into the black market where there are essentially no regulations to protect people and animals,” writes Sayres. “Families go to pet stores precisely because they are looking for dogs that aren’t at the local shelter.”

Read the full op-ed in The Boston Herald here.