“Some of our greatest historical and artistic treasures we place with curators in museums; others we take for walks.”
--Roger A. Caras
BIG news for California animal advocates: California is the first state to ban retail sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits with The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act (Assembly Bill 485). Some cities in the U.S. have even more restrictive ordinances, but this is the first statewide ban. The legislation was passed by the Senate with a unanimous vote on October 13th and goes into effect on January 1, 2019. This is just a fancy way of saying that pet stores will no longer be allowed to sell live cats, dogs, or rabbits. What retailers can do is have animals up for adoption in stores from agencies such as the SPCA, Humane Society, local shelters, and other animal rescue organizations.
I remember as a kid, I'd LOVE to go to pet stores, even to just walk by, and see the cute puppies in the window. You know that pet stores strategically placed those cute fur balls there, so kids would harass their parents until they bought them a puppy! There's even a song about it, which, since hearing this news, I can't get out of my head: “How much is that doggy in the window, the one with the waggly taiiiiiiiil?”. Pretty sure my grandmother taught it to me. So how can that be bad? Why this law? Well, pet stores have to purchase their animals from somewhere, right? Some of the companies that retailers buy from breed large quantities of animals, and the conditions can be terrible and inhumane for the animals (“puppy mills”, “kitty factories”, etc.). The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act also serves to encourage people to adopt in stead of shop. Shelters are constantly overwhelmed with homeless animals, many of which have to be euthanized due to overcrowding. And, holy cow, housing and euthanizing homeless pets in California costs taxpayers a whopping $250 million dollars a year!
On the flip side, pet retailers are worried. They argue that the law will endanger jobs in the pet retail industry and give people fewer breed choices. Even though this in itself is a valid argument, I believe that the well-being of the animals preempts commercial arguments. As an aside, this law does not prohibit consumers from buying animals of their favorite pedigree from a private breeder of their choice. Let's hope this law will help future pet parents choose reputable breeders and put puppy mills out of business.
Yeah, I'm going to have to side with Governor Brown on this one. I took my kids to PetSmart in San Jose recently, where they have a fantastic adoption center. We got to cuddle the kittens, make faces at the puppies, and touch the velvety bunny rabbits. But most importantly, in the short time we were there-- before I dragged them out-- we saw several animals get adopted. It's a beautiful thing, y'all. Please don't misinterpret this to mean that I am shaking my finger at those who choose to buy from reputable breeders. Some of my favorite fur babies are purebreds! But I sure do root for those “underdogs”. And, hey, if you need a goldfish (and don't mind cleaning a tank), a smelly hamster (ick!), or a reptile (not in my house!), you can always hit up the pet store. Go pet those animals in the adoption center while you're there!
Sources:
https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/171201e.aspx
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-pet-stores-ban-cats-dogs-rabbits_us_59bd5843e4b02da0e1426efa
https://www.idausa.org/news/california-pet-rescue-and-adoption-act-signed-into-law/
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/14/gov-brown-signs-pet-rescue-act-mandating-shelter-dogs-cats-be-sold-at-pets-shops-in-california/
--Roger A. Caras
BIG news for California animal advocates: California is the first state to ban retail sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits with The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act (Assembly Bill 485). Some cities in the U.S. have even more restrictive ordinances, but this is the first statewide ban. The legislation was passed by the Senate with a unanimous vote on October 13th and goes into effect on January 1, 2019. This is just a fancy way of saying that pet stores will no longer be allowed to sell live cats, dogs, or rabbits. What retailers can do is have animals up for adoption in stores from agencies such as the SPCA, Humane Society, local shelters, and other animal rescue organizations.
I remember as a kid, I'd LOVE to go to pet stores, even to just walk by, and see the cute puppies in the window. You know that pet stores strategically placed those cute fur balls there, so kids would harass their parents until they bought them a puppy! There's even a song about it, which, since hearing this news, I can't get out of my head: “How much is that doggy in the window, the one with the waggly taiiiiiiiil?”. Pretty sure my grandmother taught it to me. So how can that be bad? Why this law? Well, pet stores have to purchase their animals from somewhere, right? Some of the companies that retailers buy from breed large quantities of animals, and the conditions can be terrible and inhumane for the animals (“puppy mills”, “kitty factories”, etc.). The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act also serves to encourage people to adopt in stead of shop. Shelters are constantly overwhelmed with homeless animals, many of which have to be euthanized due to overcrowding. And, holy cow, housing and euthanizing homeless pets in California costs taxpayers a whopping $250 million dollars a year!
On the flip side, pet retailers are worried. They argue that the law will endanger jobs in the pet retail industry and give people fewer breed choices. Even though this in itself is a valid argument, I believe that the well-being of the animals preempts commercial arguments. As an aside, this law does not prohibit consumers from buying animals of their favorite pedigree from a private breeder of their choice. Let's hope this law will help future pet parents choose reputable breeders and put puppy mills out of business.
Yeah, I'm going to have to side with Governor Brown on this one. I took my kids to PetSmart in San Jose recently, where they have a fantastic adoption center. We got to cuddle the kittens, make faces at the puppies, and touch the velvety bunny rabbits. But most importantly, in the short time we were there-- before I dragged them out-- we saw several animals get adopted. It's a beautiful thing, y'all. Please don't misinterpret this to mean that I am shaking my finger at those who choose to buy from reputable breeders. Some of my favorite fur babies are purebreds! But I sure do root for those “underdogs”. And, hey, if you need a goldfish (and don't mind cleaning a tank), a smelly hamster (ick!), or a reptile (not in my house!), you can always hit up the pet store. Go pet those animals in the adoption center while you're there!
Sources:
https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/171201e.aspx
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-pet-stores-ban-cats-dogs-rabbits_us_59bd5843e4b02da0e1426efa
https://www.idausa.org/news/california-pet-rescue-and-adoption-act-signed-into-law/
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/14/gov-brown-signs-pet-rescue-act-mandating-shelter-dogs-cats-be-sold-at-pets-shops-in-california/
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