Pet shop offered more than shelter

By joining the politically correct trend to ban puppy sales in pet stores, the City Council did a great disservice to the Burbank citizens it serves. Have any of our illustrious council members tried to adopt a dog at a shelter? Well, we did, several times. At the Burbank Animal Shelter, they distribute popular small dogs via a lottery system, sometimes getting as many as 30 families hoping to get one dog.

At another Burbank rescue, our application was denied because we live in the hillside district, too close to coyotes. When we ventured out of town we adopted a dog, only to find out two weeks later and several trips to the vet that the dog was terminally ill with distemper.

After all of that, we ended up buying our shih tzu puppy in Peggy Woods Pet Emporium on Hollywood Way. That was six years ago, and Howie is a wonderful addition to our family. Pet Emporium provided us with his pedigree from a reputable breeder; a one-year health warranty, with his first appointment on them; and, he was already microchipped. You don’t get any of that at a rescue.

I know it’s hard to argue with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but I thought our council members were above believing their sentimental, public-relations tactics. What a sham; what a shame.

Laura Snow
Burbank