Image via The Independent, Getty

As part of an effort to curb inhumane breeding practices throughout the city, legislators in San Francisco passed a law that will force pet shops to sell only rescue animals.

While licensed breeders won’t be affected by the law, those who run puppy-mills will. In addition to taking on these inhumane forms of breeding, the law will perhaps most importantly encourage the purchase of shelter dogs who need homes.

In an interview with the U.K. newspaper The Independent, PETA director Mimi Bekhechi described the law as progressive, noting that it would set a good example for other cities to follow.

The same article notes that a number of other cities such as Boston, Austin, Chicago, and Los Angeles already have similar laws that encourage the purchase of rescue animals over puppy-mill dogs.

In the interview, Bekhechi notes that “Pet shops’ greed fuels the cruel commercial breeding industry that keeps female dogs and cats prisoner inside filthy wire cages. Their only purpose is to churn out litters of inbred puppies and kittens who are then taken away from them, transported hundreds of miles, and sold.”

While San Francisco currently doesn’t have any licensed stores that sell dogs bred in puppy-mills, the law would prevent any from opening in the future leaving San Francisco dog lovers to rest easy.

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