Grandfather pet clause is a disservice

The Burbank City Council’s decision to draft an ordinance to ban the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores made me proud to be a resident here. However, it is appalling that the council wants to write in an exemption for one store.

The communities abutting Burbank’s city limits have already become humane. Glendale and Los Angeles both have banned the sale of mill animals. By allowing this grandfathering, Burbank will remain a centralized pocket of inhumanity — all because one business has claimed that they, unlike every other pet store in the surrounding cities, simply cannot keep their business alive by adopting this new policy.

Pets are a multibillion-dollar industry in America. Humane pet stores still get a slice of that pie; there’s no reason Burbank’s stores will be any different. Grandfathering this store is not only a betrayal to the Burbank residents who wish to end the cruel practice of selling factory-farm pets, but a disservice to the business itself. Burbank and its businesses need to be on the cutting edge, and rescue-only pet stores is that cutting edge.

I urge the Council to take a solid stand and pass this ordinance with no exemptions. It is only a matter of time before city by city, all of Los Angeles County becomes rescue-only. How embarrassing and tragic it would be for Burbank to be the one last stronghold of inhumanity.

Stephanie Wescott
Burbank