Astoria Puppy Shop Says New Law Will Put It Out Of Business

ASTORIA, QUEENS — For 40 years, people strolling down Steinway Street have stopped to stare into the windows of Astoria Pets, where live puppies in clear plastic crates roll around in beds of shredded paper.

But the shop's days are numbered: a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday will ban the sales of dogs, cats and rabbits at all retail pet stores, aiming to encourage adoption instead. It will take effect in December 2024.

Supporters say the law will crack down on inhumane "puppy mill" breeders — large-scale facilities accused of keeping animals in cruel, disease-ridden conditions.

But Astoria Pets manager Don D'Alessio called the law unnecessary — and said it will spell demise for the store, which first opened in 1982. About 90 percent of its revenue comes from selling puppies and kittens, he explained.

"Without that, we'll be out of business," he told Patch. "It's just a horrible law."

D'Alessio argued that Astoria Pets already sources its animals from top-tier breeders. He said the shop abides by a 2015 New York City law that requires pet shops to sell only dogs and cats acquired from "Class A" dealers — a federal certification for breeders who sell animals that they personally bred.

"This is what the public doesn’t know, and this is what Gov. Hochul doesn’t know," D'Alessio said. (THE CITY first reported on the pet shop's plight.)

D'Alessio called his shop a neighborhood institution, describing third-generation customers whose parents and grandparents bought pets there.

"We’ve been here for over 40 years, bringing joy to the community," D'Alessio said. "And this is what we're faced with."

A provision in the law allows pet stores to rent out their space to animal shelters to hold adoption events. But D'Alessio said it would do his shop little good, since his insurance would not cover the events.

The puppies in the window of Astoria Pets have sometimes been a source of neighborhood concern, as residents have taken to Reddit to describe "sad"-looking animals kept in crates. In 2010, a fire in the shop prompted a request from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that the shop stop selling live animals.

But D'Alessio countered that his dogs are kept in good conditions, getting "a special diet," a dedicated veterinarian, three exercise periods per day, and health examinations both before and after they arrive at the shop.

"What more do you need than that?" he asked.

In the State Senate, the new law's chief sponsor was Astoria's own Michael Gianaris, who hailed its approval as "a great day for our four-legged friends and a big step forward in our fight against abusive and inhumane puppy mills."

Existing federal regulations on both breeders and stores are "loosely regulated," Gianaris argued, pointing to reports that the Department of Agriculture had scaled back enforcement of animal welfare violations during the Trump administration.

"My thanks to Governor Hochul for standing up for the voiceless loving animals who are members of our families and deserve the respect we’ve shown them today," he said in a statement.