1615 Duke Street, Suite 100

Alexandria, VA 22314
t: 202.452.1525
pijac.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7th, 2019

Statement from Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council President and CEO Mike Bober on the
Proposed Amendment to Connecticut House Bill 5386 Prohibiting the Sale of Dogs, Cats, and
Rabbits in Pet Stores:

PIJAC is disappointed that an amendment undoing the hard work of the Joint Environment Committee
earlier this session on HB 5386 has been introduced by those who seek to close small, local pet stores
throughout Connecticut. In March, the Environment Committee made the responsible decision to support
a bill that tasks the Connecticut Department of Agriculture with reviewing the impacts of California’s pet
sale ban to fully assess its consequences before hastily implementing a similar law in Connecticut. This is
smart public policy, as many of the consequences of California’s four-month-old law are just beginning to
be known.

Under current Connecticut law, pet stores are regulated and required to offer consumer warranties—
protections that are not required of any other animal source including shelters and rescues. In 2014,
Connecticut was the first to introduce sourcing and transparency regulations making it a leader in animal
care. This is leadership that Connecticut should be proud of and is often commended for. The thoughtful
approach that Connecticut took on this issue should be repeated, rather than forgotten in favor of hasty
and uninformed public policy decisions that threaten the availability of pets from the only regulated
source in Connecticut.

Statewide sales bans like the one in this amendment are an unwise and unproven reaction to well-intended
animal health and safety concerns and take away the only regulated pet source that provides legal
protections for both animals and consumers.

Media Contact: Gwyn Donohue, 202-452-1525 x1080, gwyn@pijac.org

About PIJAC Since 1970, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has protected pets, pet
owners and the pet industry – promoting responsible pet ownership and animal welfare, fostering
environmental stewardship, and ensuring the availability of pets. PIJAC members include retailers,
companion animal suppliers, manufacturers, wholesale distributors, manufacturers’ representatives,
pet hobbyists, and other trade organizations.
PIJAC | 1615 Duke Street, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22314 | 202.452.1525 | pijac.org