Council should approve pet sales ban

On Oct. 16, the Burbank City Council is expected to vote on an ordinance to prohibit the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats in pet stores in Burbank. For those who don’t know, “commercially bred” most times means animals that come from puppy and kitten mills that breed these animals under horrific conditions. Many of the “pedigree” papers are falsified and these animals have extraordinarily high incidence of disease and premature death. The profit motive for pet store owners gives little incentive for them to evaluate the conditions upon which their suppliers are raising these animals.

An overabundance of highly adoptable dogs and cats, of every breed, size and personality imaginable, is available through humane societies, shelters and private rescue organizations. Supplying pet stores with these excellent candidates for loving homes would dramatically ease the current overpopulation problem that causes thousands upon thousands of dogs and cats to be killed in Los Angeles County every year. Imagine the savings to California taxpayers if we could reduce the number of shelters needed in our cities, as well as the costs inherent in euthanizing these innocent creatures. With this ban in place, consumers would still have the opportunity to find a reputable breeder, if necessary, and visit that facility to make sure the conditions are humane.

This legislation increases the accountability of pet owners to know where their animals are coming from, helps promote a more humane business model for pet stores seeking to provide dogs and cats to customers, and helps alleviate the overwhelming homeless pet population. We urge our esteemed council members to vote “yes” on this ban.

Jim Casey
Burbank