New legislation on the west coast will alter which animals can be sold in pet stores.

We've all heard the phrase "Adopt. Don't Shop." The idea behind it is to save the lives of rescue animals rather than shop at pet stores that may or may not get their inventory from a mass breeding operation. Now that phrase is being incorporated into new laws in the state of California.

On Friday (Oct. 14) Governor Jerry Brown signed off on a piece of legislation that will require pet stores in the state to sell rescue animals.

According to the LA Times, pet stores will transition to selling animals like dogs, cats and rabbits from rescue shelters starting in 2019. The penalty for failing to do this will be a $500 fine for every animal that is not a rescue. The idea behind it is simple, reduce the number of animals in shelters looking for a home. The LA Times reports that many groups supported the bill, but others like the American Kennel Club and California Retailers Association opposed it.

California is the first state to implement this kind of law, but don't be surprised if this catches on in other states.

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