- Image by martin cleary via Flickr
Update: 2/17 It’s official, the ban on pet shop sales passed! While no surprise, the work in bringing this legislation to fruitition can now be passed along as a model to other cities and townships, who have been calling from across the US and even from Europe for this “blueprint.”
Carole Davis, West Coast director of the Companion Animal Protection Society, one of the main proponents of this ordinance, will be taking this campaign to LA.
Today is the day West Hollywood makes a decision on their ordinance to ban pet shop sales of pets. In just a few hours we’ll know if this ban will become law. While the law would take effect March 19 if passed, shops will be given until September 2011 to meet the new legal requirements, winding down their contractual arrangements with the commercial factory farms that churn out puppies like so many parts on an assembly line. South Lake, Tahoe adopted a similar law last year, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Speaking of HSUS, 38 pet shops in California have taken their pledge to stop selling puppies and kittens, instead working with rescues, shelters, and good family breeders. (By the way, good breeders don’t sell on the internet, so don’t be fooled.) The Mercury News reports that 500 pet shops nationwide have taken the pledge to stop selling pets. It’s a good start. Now people need to simply stop buying from pet shops.
As I’ve said in other blogs, when you buy from a pet shop you’re part of the problem. Even more so if you think you are saving an animal. It’s a harsh truth that you’re simply creating an order for a replacement animal. If you look at this a little closer, there’s another repercussion. Check your local animal control numbers euthanized against pet shop sales.
In LA the kill count was close to 100,000 last year. Buying a pet in a pet shop while approximately 8000 dogs and cats are put down each month sounds irrational when it’s put that way, doesn’t it? And our tax dollars are paying for it, so what is the thinking behind the action here? Out of 8000 animals a month, I bet there’s at least one that would work out very well for anyone. We can’t keep pretending that there’s no relationship between numbers killed and numbers bought at a pet shop.
As the first city in the country to ban declawing of cats in 2003, West Hollywood has the reputation of being in the vanguard of changing animals lives for the better. And they are helping the rest of us find a way out of the sticky and unexpected opposition that instituting animal welfare laws presents. They are the Pied Piper for humane communities.
Pets in West Hollywood are companions and owners are guardians. They must have solved all the legalities involved with changing the status of animals from pets, or owned property, to a companion/guardian relationship, a completely different model not based on ownership. Do you have any information on this point? Please share!
The really smart thing here may be that the AKC lobbyists can’t shut down local ordinances the way they gut State legislative attempts at recitifying the puppy mill problem. Another useful tactic, maybe a game-changer, and illustrative of that maxim that all politics is local.
What’s your take on this? How do you think this would affect animal welfare in your town, and are there already pet shops changing their business models, or does Petland litter your area?
(Source: Silicon Valley Mercury News)
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As a former resident of Los Angeles (currently residing in Santa Monica), I was part of a rescue coalition that attempted to persuade Los Angeles Animal Services to consider banning the retail sale of out-of-state puppies and kittens back in 2005. The response from their (former) General Manager, Ed Boks: "That won't ever happen."
I'm THRILLED the City of West Hollywood might prove Mr. Boks wrong, very soon. As you point out, West Hollywood has been instrumental in changing the way elective animal surgeries, such as declawing, tail & ear docking, are regarded in many Southern California municipalities. I can only hope all the positive press this issue is getting will do the same for the retail sales of puppies and kittens from factory breeding facilities (aka "puppy mills").
Hi, Dee, and thanks for adding to this important conversation. I heard last year that shipments of puppies were coming in from Russia and this served as a catalyst for current actions. There seems to be nothing standing in the way of this so I would be surprised if there were anything to upset the ban from taking place. It's great that progressive cities would use legislation to help rid us of the scourge that is puppy mills, rather than seeing this move as a something to be avoided for fear of being seen as "anti-business."
This action to ban retail sales of puppies is a good one – my opinion. I wouldn't even be against sunset legislation to ban the sales until say 2013 or so, so that the effectiveness of the ban could be evaluated.
I have two concerns. #1 – I don't understand why sales will continue until Spe 2011. Most contracts have an escape clause that allow either party an out should the subject of the contract become against public policy. #2 – I read on someone's blog (wish I could provide cite) that rescues import dogs from other states and countries. While I am not against a more global solution of finding homes for dogs needing rescue, I am wondering if the "please rescue this dog about to be euthanized" mentality or urgency will ever go away. And not to be suspicious, but I sometimes wonder if this mentality is created by the rescues themselves … because they stand to financially benefit from the adoption fees. What do you think?
I don't know what the reason for the wait is, but think the hiatus between enactment of law and enforcement stops possible litigation to halt the process and other delay tactics so that it ends up taking twice as long to get a law to the point of full force and effect. Maybe a fairness doctrine where companies can adjust to new requirements. Look at the credit card companies, for instance, plenty of time to raise rates on the total bill due before they can't, etc.
Rescue work is a very broad network and one that extends throughout the US and Puerto Rico. I know what you're saying and I have struggled with this in the past, given that I like the idea of cleaning up your own house before you try to save the world, but life refuses to be packaged so neatly. You can't tell people they should not follow their hearts…as with the Americans, Brits and others who are busy saving dogs and cats around the world (Janice Girardi of BAWA Bali for instance). As to the constant pleas regarding heart attack adoptions who are otherwise slated for killing, there is a fatigue that sets in on that approach and it becomes almost ineffective. It is why we have to get to root causes. No more pet shop sales is a root cause of the deaths of adoptable dogs at shelters. If pet shops move to adopting out dogs and cats they get from shelters, market share for shelter pets will grow very quickly. And believe me, adoptions would have be flying out the door at breathtaking rate (and without regard to making a good match) for it to ever be considered a "money maker". Costs per animal generally far exceed adoption fees.
Rod, it may have been me that you were talking to about animals being imported by other states and countries, it happens here in British Columbia. There are rescue's here that import from high kill US shelters explicitly.
I don't have enough information to pass judgement, but it does make me wonder why we need to import animals from other countries when we have full shelters here at home.
I totally agree with you that people who purchase pets from a pet store are a huge part of the problem. I look forward to the day when puppy mills and cat mills no longer exist. This is good news and I hope the dogs and cats win, and that the rest of the world will take notice.
I live in Alabama where puppy mills abound. It's hard to pass any animal rights legislation because hunting lobbies block them.
Thanks for your comment, and yes, the majority of people in your town must support such an ordinance. If you don't have that, it's pretty tough to push back against a group that the voters support.
Thanks for this post, Mary. It amazes me that many people still don't get the connection between pet store sales and puppy mills. Legislation — and widespread coverage of it — remain crucial.
It's too true, isn't it? When people want something they will justify it no matter what, even the impulse buy at pet shop. Wiith sites like Petfinder.com, if there's a particular type of dog you're looking for and none other will do, you're more than likely to find it there. If major cities pick this up, I'll be interested to see what the response will be from the Petlands in the industry.
It’s a great start in the right direction, and it seems many other cities will be enacting this law also. I hope this will help with more animals being adopted. I am a foster parent for our local animal shelter and we have seen a huge increase in the number of animals being dropped off in the last year.
While this legislation is commendable, it will likely be met with challenging lawsuits. How long has the South Lake Tahoe law been in effect? Has it been challenged? Personally, I don't understand why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for a pet store puppy that is likely to have health issues when perfectly good dogs (or cats) are available for a fraction of that price at local shelters.
Hi, Steve – The law in South Lake Tahoe has been in effect for a year. I've not heard of any challenges, but the real test will be in LA. That's where you have the mega pet shops that have a presence across North America, with the big corporations like Hunte behind them, trying to get legislative strings pulled at the top. There should be no challenges at all in West Hollywood, as there are no pet shops that sell dogs or cats. I don't get the idea either of why anyone would pay enormous amounts of money for a puppy mill dog. I just don't. Did you know that good family breeders, working to improve the breed–not make a fast buck adopting to just anyone with the money–don't even charge as much as the Petlands of this world? Crazy!
I'm very pleased with this legislation! In Ontario there are very few pet shops that sell animals now, anyways. There are still a few "offenders" that sell puppies and kittens & I refuse to patronize these stores. The large stores like petsmart have cats that are all rescues from shelters and on the weekends they sometimes have adoption drives for dogs.
Great news!! Let's hope this spreads as quickly as the no-smoking ordinances did!!
This is so great!! I agree with Amy in that I too hope it spreads.
I'm hoping one day this can be made a provincial or federal law.
With millions of pets needing homes there is no reason why pet stores can't 'showcase' shelter dogs or cats.
Can i have you contact email?