Is it illegal to make a puppy fur jacket?

Question

I watched 101 Dalmatians for the first time and wander: Can dogs or cats be raised like farm animals for the purpose of food or fur? What species of animal is not allowed for product other than endangered species?

Answer 1

united-states

19 USC §1308 prohibits the import, export, or interstate sale of cat or dog fur:

(1) In general

It shall be unlawful for any person to—

(A) import into, or export from, the United States any dog or cat fur product; or

(B) introduce into interstate commerce, manufacture for introduction into interstate commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in interstate commerce, offer to sell, or transport or distribute in interstate commerce in the United States, any dog or cat fur product.

A brief summary of state laws can be found this article at the Animal Legal & Historical Center:

A handful of states have laws concerning dog and cat fur. Alabama, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia prohibit trade in domestic dog or cat fur. Virginia also prohibits killing a dog or cat for its fur, while Florida prohibits killing a dog or cat with the “sole” intention of either selling or giving away the pelt of the animal. In Oregon, a person cannot buy or sell dog or cat fur that is obtained from “a process that kills or maims the cat or dog.”

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united-kingdom

In the UK, the trade in cat & dog fur was banned by the The Cat and Dog Fur (Control of Import, Export and Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008, which were in turn passed to follow EU Regulation #1523/2007:

The placing on the market and the import to, or export from, the Community of cat and dog fur, and products containing such fur shall be prohibited.

More information about the legal consequences and enforcement of this law can be found at this review article.

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Finally, note that Cruella de Vil's actions did not involve trade in dog or cat fur; she acquired most of the puppies via legal means, and was planning to kill and skin them for her own personal use, not to sell the resulting articles to other parties. As such, I believe that her planned course of action would have been legal in the UK and in all US states except Virginia. The only unquestionably illegal act she undertook was directing Jasper & Horace to steal Pongo's and Perdita's puppies.