The laws governing animal care and protection in our country constantly seem to be moving two steps forward and one heartbreakingly dreadful step backward. The Las Vegas city council decided last week to lift a ban on puppy sales in retail pet stores, the vast majority of which come from puppy mills, as Pennsylvania lawmakers were passing laws to safeguard dogs from the harsh winter cold.
The Las Vegas City Council banned the retail sale of non-recovered dogs, cats, and pot-bellied pigs in January 2016. Retail establishments were restricted to selling and offering for adoption only animals from recognized rescue groups and shelters. Customers can still purchase pets from breeders who are not in need of rescue.
Restrictions For Pet Purchase
The restriction would only have applied to two businesses in the city: a Petland facility on Rampart Boulevard and Puppy Boutique on Rancho Drive. It was scheduled to go into effect on January 6, 2018.
Less than two months before to the prohibition’s implementation, city council members once more voted to overturn the ban and keep allowing city stores to buy and sell pets from large-scale commercial breeders, sometimes known as puppy and kitten mills.
After more than two hours of public discussion, the majority of which was in favor of maintaining the ban, municipal council members decided to lift the restriction by a vote of 4 to 3.
Complains By Pet Store Owners
Despite the fact that 99% of pups sold in retail store environments are sourced from sizable commercial breeding operations, pet store owners complained that the rule violated consumer rights by forcing them to adopt rescued animals with unknown backgrounds and health histories.
The Humane Society asserts that ethical breeders avoid pet retailers by selling their puppies because they prefer to meet their puppy purchasers in person. Additionally, the majority of national breed organizations’ codes of ethics prohibit or strongly advise against members selling their dogs to pet retailers. Puppy mills, which are for-profit businesses that mass-produce puppies for sale, provide the majority of puppies for pet stores. Twenty percent of their puppies are never sold in stores, and the mother dogs in these breeding facilities “stay imprisoned in cages their whole lives and have half the life expectancy of the average dog.” They usually pass away in horrible circumstances. Additionally, people who are regularly advertised have hidden health problems.
Pet stores deceive potential customers by claiming that their puppies and kittens come from breeders that are “USDA licensed.” In reality, the USDA has consistently acknowledged that its rules and regulations are simply intended to protect animals’ lives but not to treat them humanely.
Purchasing Dogs
Retail establishments can continue to purchase puppies, kittens, and pot-bellied pigs from commercial breeders, but if customers do not purchase them as a result of their knowledge, such establishments will struggle to thrive. Instead of buying from a pet retailer, anyone looking to expand their family can go to nearby shelters and rescue groups OR buy directly from a trustworthy breeder.