Stores shouldn’t sell milled puppies

I live in Burbank and would like to see pet stores stop selling breed-for-profit, milled animals. This would not cause businesses to close but rather change to a more progressive, humane store model.

Puppies sold from pet stores come from puppy mills, or substandard backyard breeders. Employees may try to convince the public that their dogs come from responsible breeders, but it is simply not true. Even someone who shows dogs would tell you that responsible breeders would not allow one of their dogs to be sold like merchandise to whoever can pay via a store front.

Responsible breeders must know where their puppies are going, will extensively interview a buyer; won’t sell a dog without a contract that includes being able to return the pet as well as an agreement to spay/neuter and will introduce the buyer to the mother and father of the puppies

Responsible breeders have these policies because they have admiration for their breed and want to contribute to its betterment. They guarantee their pups are free of genetic diseases and they consider the puppies they produce to be their responsibility for the life of that puppy, so they follow-up to be sure their dogs do not end up in the shelter system.

Burbank is the media capital of the world and on the forefront in many ways, so continuing to have pet stores that sell milled animals seems to be a contradiction and a shameful, antiquated oversight. I want to see Burbank be a leader, and join other cities, in the movement to ban the sale of mill animals in pet stores.

Laura Thomas
Burbank