Burbank group fights puppy mills
Momentum is expected to build at a pet adoption event this weekend in support of a proposed ban on the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats in Burbank.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the parking lot behind Handy Market, 2514 W. Magnolia Blvd., where organizers will gather signatures in support of an ordinance that’s slated to go before the Burbank City Council on Aug. 28 that, if approved, would prohibit the sale of animals that come from puppy mills and other retail sources.
If it’s approved, Burbank would join 26 other cities in the United States and Canada that have passed similar ordinances, according to event organizers.
A similar ban approved by the Glendale City Council last year will go into effect in September following an extensive outreach to affected stores.
Glendale joined other Southland cities, such as West Hollywood and Hermosa Beach.
Burbank officials are still hammering out the details of the city’s proposed puppy mill ordinance, according to city spokesman Drew Sugars.
Three council members — Mayor Dave Golonski, Emily Gabel-Luddy and Jess Talamantes — plan to attend the weekend signature drive event, according to organizers.
Golonski, who has adopted two dogs in the past, said he didn’t know organizers would be collecting signatures in support of the ordinance at the event, “but that’s fine with me.”
In terms of his own support for a ban on the sale of animals from puppy mills, Golonski said he will voice his opinions next month.
“I’ll make that decision when it comes to the City Council,” he said.
Animal advocates, such as Best Friends Animal Society — which is co-sponsoring the Burbank event with Rizzotti Real Estate — say dogs used for breeding in puppy mills spend their entire lives in small cages without adequate human interaction or veterinary care.
Each pet adoption at the Burbank event will cost $9. All pets will have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and come with a 30-day pet insurance policy.
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