New Jersey

A Ban on Pet Piercing in NJ?

New Jersey lawmakers are seeking to pass a bill that would ban the piercing and tattooing of pets.

Three Hudson County Democrats on Monday introduced legislation that would make the practice animal cruelty.

Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia (D-District 33) tells The Star-Ledger of Newark the bill would protect pets from people who don't see them as living creatures and from what he calls “needless mutilation.”

Bill A3588 “clarifies that piercing or tattooing animals constitutes needless mutilation and animal cruelty,” and would exempt farm animals that are sometimes branded or tagged for identification purposes.

“Anyone who knowingly or purposely subjects an animal to these and other forms of cruelty will be penalized," said Garcia.

A need for the law, which is also sponsored by Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell (D-District 31) and Raj Mukherji (D-District 33), was brought up by animal rights groups and is based on a similar proposal in New York that is awaiting signature from the governor.

The newspaper reports there are no publicly documented examples of pets being tattooed or pierced in New Jersey.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us