NEW YORK - Pet dealers across the state will soon be subject to higher standards of health and safety for the animals in their care.

Under the law signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, pet dealers will be required to provide animals not be kept in the dark, with access to natural or artificial light.

Animals that are pregnant or sick have to be separated from the others, and enclosures must be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis.

Higher standards of pet food have also been introduced.

The new rules take effect in 90 days.

The Humane Society of New York says people who care about animal treatment should avoid pet stores and adopt from shelters instead.

"Pet shops in general - they get their pets from puppy mills. The animals are not kept in clean conditions. You see them in the window with the shredded newspaper. That's where they're going to the bathroom, eating, playing, rolling around. They're kept in either the dark or the light too often. Their cages aren't clean, their areas unsanitary," said Humane Society of New York Associate Director Anne-Marie Karash.

In a statement, Governor Cuomo said, "If pet dealers are going to profit from the sale of living animals, they should at the very least adhere to basic standards of decency and care."