City should ban sale of mill pets

My husband and I rescued our Oscar, a miniature pincher/dachshund mix, who was only 3 months old, from Burbank Animal Shelter in June 2010. He has been the most amazing, smart and friendly dog. In August 2011, we took in Harley, a Maltese/Yorkshire terrier mix who was badly neglected and abused. Harley was originally purchased from an unlicensed backyard breeder in Burbank who was looking to make a buck. While Harley is a bit of a handful, and has come with a variety of health issues (backyard-bred dogs come with a plethora of health concerns), he is our family and we wouldn’t have it any other way. These dogs are our “kids.”

I think about what would have happened to our “kids” if we had not brought them home. Both would have joined the thousands of dogs and cats that are euthanized in the Los Angeles area each year, as Oscar was consistently looked over in the shelter and Harley’s last owner was on her way to dump him at a city shelter. It’s sickening to think of these two suffering alone and scared in a shelter, only to be put to death.

Worse is knowing that the number of animals euthanized yearly could be drastically decreased if Burbank banned the sales of mill animals. Banning the sales will give these poor shelter animals another chance at life and stop the inhumane production of puppy mill dogs. It’s time for Burbank to stand up against selling for-profit animals and progress toward a more humane way.

Amy Lynn Thompson
North Hollywood