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New York Legislators Target Hobby Breeders Again in Proposed Pet Dealer Legislation
Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison
In May 2025, two New York legislators introduced animal bills that would require virtually every breeder to become a licensed pet dealer or stop breeding. Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (District 67) and Senator Michael Gianaris (District 12) introduced bills, AB 8653 and SB 8252. These bills would amend the definition of pet dealer, remove the exemption for hobby breeders, and add a definition for brokers that resell animals bred by others. The current definition of a pet dealer is:
“any person who engages in the sale or offering for sale of more than nine animals per year for profit to the public. Such definition shall include breeders who sell or offer to sell animals; provided that it shall not include the following:
(a) Any breeder who sells or offers to sell directly to the consumer fewer than twenty-five animals per year that are born and raised on the breeder’s residential premises”. Subsection (b), not included here, refers to municipal pounds or shelters.
However, as of December 15, 2024, the New York Puppy Mill Pipeline Act, also sponsored by Rosenthal and Gianaris, no longer allows pet stores or brokers to be licensed as pet dealers and prohibits them from selling dogs, cats, and rabbits, reducing in-state options for pet seekers. It also renders the business aspect of the pet dealer definition unnecessary for those selling pets to the public. Assembly Bill 8653 and SB 8252 would remove the commercial aspect of the pet dealer definition, but they would also remove the exception applying to small breeders, further reducing pet seeker options. Originally identical, these bills redefined a pet dealer as follows:
“any person who breeds animals and sells or offers to sell more than nine animals that are born and raised on such a person’s residential premises directly to a consumer, provided that it shall not include” specified municipal or private animal welfare organizations.
The proposed threshold of nine animals in a person’s lifetime places an undue burden on both breeders and the state. Senate Bill 8252 has since been amended to reinstate the “per year” qualification for the nine-animal threshold; however, this amendment does not significantly reduce the burden for breeders or the government.
A breeder, or a good Samaritan taking in a pregnant animal off the street, could exceed either threshold for licensing in a single litter! It would be virtually impossible for a breeder to maintain a breeding program that emphasizes genetic diversity and animal health while staying under the licensing threshold. They would have to meet the care and other requirements that were designed for pet dealers and commercial breeders. The state would have to enforce the law in the private home of nearly every hobby breeder in the state. Furthermore, municipalities that currently regulate exempt breeders may need to amend their local ordinances.
The 2025 part of the two-year session is over, but legislative rules allow the automatic reintroduction of many bills during the second year of the session. New York fanciers need to be prepared to fight these bills in 2026, accept the state’s intrusion into their homes, or choose to give up breeding should either of these bills be enacted as written. Assembly Bill 8653 remains in the Assembly Agriculture Committee unchanged. Senate Bill 8252 has been amended, discharged by the Senate Agriculture Committee, and committed to Rules.
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