In September, Toronto Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker will reintroduce a motion to ban the for-profit sale of dogs and cats in Toronto pet stores and flea markets. These retail outlets are notorious for selling animals bred in puppy mills. The conditions in puppy mills are nothing short of torture, and it is widely acknowledged that they only way to shut them down is to cut off demand for their "products".
Apparently this bill has been brought forward before, but the Council managed to dilute it to the point of complete ineffectiveness.
If you live in Toronto, please email or call your City Councillor and express your support for this bill. You can find your Councillor's contact info here. (I don't live in Toronto, but this gives me an idea for a Mississauga-based action.)
Here are some talking points.
- Puppy and kitten mills cause extreme animal suffering. Breeding animals endure a life time of unrelieved misery. Banning the sale of puppies and kittens from retail outlets is a sensible, moderate measure that enjoys the support of mainstream organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. Many municipalities, from Richmond, BC to Albuquerque, New Mexico have already passed bans on the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores.
- Animals from mills often end up in city animal shelters, at taxpayer cost. Puppy mill operators profit from animal exploitation and pass on the costs to the public.
- Consumers are being defrauded. Born in dire conditions to disease-ridden parents, often the product of rampant inbreeding, animals born in mills often have severe, chronic, and incurable health problems. The result is either emotional anguish and considerable financial hardship for unsuspecting owners, dogs surrendered to shelters, or worse, abandoned animals.
If you do call or email your City Councillor, a Facebook group is asking to hear about any response you receive: here.
More info about puppy mills:
Previous wmtc post: puppy mill action week
Stop Puppy Mills
Prisoners of Greed
No Puppy Mills Canada
A Dog Owner's Guide to Stopping Puppy Mills
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