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U.S. NEWS Monday 28 august 2017
Sick puppies spur New York scrutiny of non-profit rescues

by Democratic Gov. An- with the agriculture agen- requires anyone bringing a
drew Cuomo this month, cy, follow state documen- dog into the state for sale
puts non-profit shelters and tation and vaccination or adoption to be regis-
rescues under the same requirements and disclose tered with the state and
state Agriculture and Mar- the number of animals have health certificates for
kets regulations that cover transported annually. It each animal.Ketzer said
licensed pet dealers and also gives the agency New York’s lack of over-
municipal shelters.“You the authority to craft ad- sight has spawned a brisk
have up to 500 non-profit ditional regulations.More trade in puppies shipped
entities under no regula- than 35 states have some from southern states and
tion whatsoever,” said Bill form of regulation of shel- overseas to the Northeast,
Ketzer, a regional official ters and rescues, ranging where the local supply
with the American Society from simple registration to has been reduced by ag-
for the Prevention of Cru- standards of care, Ketzer gressive spay-and-neuter
elty to Animals. said. Massachusetts lists programs and bans on pet
The new law requires the state-approved organiza- store puppies supplied by
organizations to register tions online. Connecticut breeders.q
In this July 16, 2016 photo,
Peanut, a puppy adopted
by Butler reclines on a sofa
in Butler’s Gloversville, N.Y.,
home. Peanut, who was
adopted from a New York
Pet Rescue shelter, died of
parvovirus.
(Sara Butler via AP)

By MARY ESCH
Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — When
Alexis Kozmon and her
husband decided to get
a dog for their 6-year-old
daughter, they chose to
adopt rather than buy
from a breeder to teach
the child the value of res-
cuing.Four weeks later, the
puppy the family named
Sugar was dying painfully
from distemper, and de-
spite $3,000 in veterinary
treatments, the only hu-
mane option was to put
her down. Two of Sugar’s
siblings met the same
fate. Kozmon faulted the
volunteer-based rescue
that had trucked the pup-
pies from Texas, but when
she complained to New
York’s consumer protec-
tion agency, she learned
such groups are exempt
from oversight.“There was
a loophole,” said Kozmon,
who lives in Middletown,
Connecticut, but adopted
from a group in southeast-
ern New York. “There was
nothing they could do to
follow up or investigate.”
Kozmon is among the ani-
mal lovers who pushed for
a new law to provide state
oversight of non-profit pet
adoption groups. It cracks
down on everything from
shoddy health and record-
keeping to unscrupulous
pet dealers rebranding
themselves as non-profit
“rescues” and peddling
puppies from the same
puppy mills adopters seek
to avoid.The law, signed