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Health & Fitness

Establishing a Voluntary 'Puppy and Dog Protection Rating Program' for Pet Stores in Suffolk County

A brief update on the evolution of legislation proposed last year by Jon Cooper to ban the sale of dogs in pet stores in Suffolk County to where we are today.

Many of us remember the legislation proposed last summer by County Legislator Jon Cooper to ban the retail sale of puppies in pet stores. Legislator Cooper found support for his proposal from many people in Suffolk County and it seemed that Suffolk County was poised to pass groundbreaking legislation. However, Legislator Cooper learned that New York State had pre-empted legislation in this area. He revised his proposal to be a voluntary rating system for pet stores.

Passed by the Suffolk County Legislature late in 2011, there are two key committees: The Criteria Committee will establish the pet store application form, rating form and rating criteria and the Suffolk County Pet Store Rating Committee to analyze and verify information provided by participating stores and to rate each pet store using the forms and criteria from the Criteria Committee.

Due to term limits, Legislator Cooper could not seek another term representing District 18. Legislator William Spencer now represents District 18.

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Legislator Spencer shared his thoughts on the progress of the Criteria Committee and next steps for the ranking system. “The intent is to encourage consumer awareness about the background and quality of the pet stores so the consumers can direct themselves to stores that use humane suppliers and shippers,” this should “decrease the reliance on puppy mills.” Legislator Spencer advised that the Criteria Committee has four members and a chair and they continue to work on the ranking criteria and “the system for ranking, for example, will it be a pass/fail or a numerical ranking.” Legislator Spencer stressed “there will be a positive incentive” for the pet stores to participate in this voluntary program, as stores “who treat animals humanely and use licensed breeders who follow good practices” can use their ranking to communicate their good practices. The next step will be for the criteria to be presented to the entire Legislature.

Sara Davison, the executive director of the , sits on the Criteria Committee as a representative of a Long Island based animal welfare organization. She is encouraged by the work of the committee which will be “a step to highlight the good pet stores.” The ranking committee has developed “the essence” of the criteria, and are putting them into an objective format so they can be used by the Rating Board who will review the applications, perform site visits and establish ratings for individual stores.

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So lots of work is going on, we will learn more as the work progresses. Please join me in recognizing Legislator Spencer for his commitment to ensuring continuity in leadership to this important program and to the Criteria Committee members for their work to give this program a strong foundation.

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