Dog Cat Retail Sales Banned Arkansas New Jersey

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My name is Nicole Murray and I am an avid animal lover. Dogs in particular are one of my favorites.

But not just any dogs - rescues.

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There was a law passed in a small town in Arkansas that supports our rescues and it is needed in the Garden State BIG TIME.

It is not that puppies who come from breeders are any less deserving of love. It is that the dogs, cats, bunnies and other animals in shelters are being overlooked.

I have to be honest -- it makes my skin crawl when I discover someone got their new furry family member through a breeder.

I have butted heads with friends and even certain family members on this issue.

"I specifically wanted a golden doodle or golden retriever."

I'm sorry but yuck. Don't judge another animal before you get to know them.

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I am hoping that this law will help.

Don't you feel a little silly paying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, for a new pet when you could have adopted one from a nearby shelter for a quarter of the price?

This is just one of the reasons I want to tell you about a new law in Arkansas that is desperately needed in New Jersey -- and worldwide.

According to THV11.com, a new ordinance has been passed, "prohibiting the retail sale of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens unless the pets are from or working with a shelter."

Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images

The inspiration behind this new law occurred when a pet retail store known for doing business with puppy mills was confirmed to be built.

“Thousands of dollars… we're talking about $7,000 to $10,000 for a puppy,” said Jen Boyer, the chair of the Fayetteville Animal Services Advisory Board. “We can’t regulate what happens everywhere, right? But we can regulate what happens within our city limits."

This law may have been passed to stop a specific store from doing business, but the idea behind it can be applied worldwide.

The adoption fee for my dog Carolina was $250 at the Monmouth County SPCA. If you take that $10,000 price tag listed above, that is enough money for 40 rescues to find their forever homes.

Animals are not objects put on this earth to be bought.

They are lifelong companions and family members that are here for love and support who need it in return.

Carolina, my adorable rescue

I challenge you to go into a shelter and meet a few of their dogs or cats who are up for adoption. You will be surprised what (or who) you find.

When it really comes down to it, these four-legged rescues just want to be loved the same as you or I.

Don't give up on a rescue because of where they came from.

I hope that by the end my lifetime, this law is passed across the globe.

There are already way too many rescues who do not have homes.

But let's pay $10K for one because of the sparkly collar. Makes sense.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.