Gloucester, Monmouth and Bergen counties are taking similar steps.
HADDONFIELD -- With its recent adoption of "Norman's Law," Haddonfield's move means all 37 local governments in Camden County have signed an anti-puppy mill ordinance that was spurred by 2015 protests of a Cherry Hill pet store.
According to New Jersey Residents Against Puppy Mills, Haddonfield approved the measure on Feb. 28. The ordinance was developed in cooperation with the Humane Society of the United States to address the "murky supply chain between local pet stores and cruel, commercial puppy and kitten mills."
"This milestone is really just the beginning. The movement, which had its start in Camden County, is spreading rapidly," animal advocate Alan Braslow said earlier this month.
At its heart, "Norman's Law" prohibits pet stores from selling animals that can be traced back to mass breeders. Animal activists claim pet stores frequently purchase animals at a lower price from breeders, who then go through "brokers" to conceal the true source of the animals that often develop serious heath issues at a young age and are sold at "exorbitant prices."
Camden County's official roll-out of the legislation came in September 2015 after animal activists raised concerns over the source of puppies for sale at a Cherry Hill pet store. The ordinance's namesake is a dog named "Norman," whom Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash adopted from a shelter.
Sick puppy's owner says store knew of issues
"There's something uniquely American about the grassroots workings of local government," Nash said. "Ordinary people have an opportunity to stand up and be heard, and most people, thankfully, are opposed to animal cruelty."
According to New Jersey Residents Against Puppy Mills, 21,000 "healthy, adoptable" dogs are euthanized every year in New Jersey; that figure swells to 2.5 million nationally, the group argues.
"Yet, commercial breeding facilities, also known as puppy mills, continue to mass produce puppies and kittens. These secretive operations are able to exist due to minimal federal standards and inadequate enforcement," the group said last week in a press release. "The breeding parents, housed in unsanitary environments, enjoy no human contact, receive no veterinary care and are never groomed."
According to figures provided by the group as of March 2, a total of 146 municipalities across New Jersey have passed local anti-puppy mill ordinances. Behind the 37 in Camden County, 19 in Bergen County, 11 in Gloucester County and seven in Monmouth County are among those taking similar steps.
"Gloucester County, sparked by Freeholder Daniel Christy, passed a resolution of
support on Feb. 15 and already accounts for 11 local ordinances," Braslow said. "In addition, we now have converted pet stores that previously sold commercially-bred animals from puppy mills into rescue adoption centers in Camden and Gloucester counties. We are truly becoming a model for the nation."