California became the first state in the nation to bar pet stores from selling commercially bred dogs.

That retail ban, however, did not apply to online pet sales and people who resell dogs. Lawmakers passed a bill Monday to make that illegal, too.

SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers approved a bill Monday that would ban online pet dealer websites and shadowy middlemen who pose as local breeders from selling dogs to California consumers — the latest move to curtail the pipeline from out-of-state puppy mills.

Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) said Assembly Bill 519 will help ensure buyers aren’t misled about where their puppies come from after a Times investigation last year detailed how designer dogs are trucked into California from out-of-state commercial breeders and resold by pe

See Full Page