December 28, 2025
Mike De Sisti/Imagn Images
New Jersey lawmakers canceled votes on a bill that would ban pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits. Store owners had warned the ban could push them out of business.
Both legislative chambers canceled votes last week on a bill that would bar pet stores from selling cats, dogs, and rabbits.
The delay comes weeks after owners of some of the few New Jersey pet stores that still sell the animals warned the ban could push them out of business, and it's not clear whether the bill will pass before the Legislature's session ends next month.
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"We'll look to the sponsor to see what changes she wants to make. We may or we may not," Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) told reporters following Monday's voting session.
Bill sponsor Assemblywoman Shama Haider (D-Bergen) did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Animal welfare activists have for years urged lawmakers to end these pet sales in a bid to stop the flow of ill or abused animals from puppy mills, commercial breeding facilities with poor conditions that can leave pet owners with surprise veterinarian bills.
The few remaining pet stores in New Jersey that still sell animals – there are fewer than 20 – have argued the ban is unnecessary because they do not source animals from disreputable breeders.
Supporters of the legislation said new limits are needed because pet stores continue to flout rules created by the Pet Purchase Protection Act, citing fines that the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs levied against eight pet stores in September, chiefly for failing to post documents and disclosures required by the law.
One of the eight stores, Oh My Dog in Kearny, was fined for procuring puppies from an unlicensed breeder.
"All of the humane organizations have been speaking with one voice here because it's really important to stop the puppy-mill-to-pet-store pipeline and the inhumane practices of these commercial breeders," said bill sponsor Sen. Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson).
Earlier this month, pet store owners told lawmakers that banning pet sales could force them to close. Similar legislation spurred some store closures in New York and California, which are among the eight American states that bar pet stores from selling some popular pets.
New York's ban is one reason New Jersey is pursuing its own, said Mukherji, arguing the prohibition had led to some New York pet stores relocating across the Hudson River.
"New York beat us to it, and now that's pushing the unconscionable commerce south of the border, and we should be standing up for New Jersey's dogs, cats, and rabbits," he said.
The legislation would fine pet stores that violate the ban on cat, dog, and rabbit sales $1,000 for each animal sold. If a store accumulates three violations, the bill would require courts to revoke its license.
And it would allow judges to permanently bar a pet store with three or more violations from operating in New Jersey.
Gov. Phil Murphy has expressed some support for limiting pet stores' ability to sell dogs, cats, and rabbits. Speaking on News12 New Jersey Friday, Murphy said he supports the bill's intent but stopped short of saying he would sign the measure.
New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.
