A dog rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm sits in a crate at the San Francisco the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (SPCA) shelter on March 20, 2015. (Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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California will be the first state to require pet stores to sell rescue animals under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday.

Starting in 2019, pet stores will transition to selling dogs, cats and rabbits from shelters or adoption centers.

Stores can be fined $500 for each animal for sale that is not a rescue.

“This is a big win for our four-legged friends, of course,” said bill author Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) in a statement.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

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