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Cat, dog sale ban decision delayed
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Jessey Bird - Windsor Star
Windsor pet store owners concerned about whether they will be banned from
selling dogs and cats will have to wait for a final decision.
A recommendation by the city's licensing commission that included banning dog
and cat sales at pet shops was delayed Tuesday pending additional research.
"Without the sale of puppies, we're gone," said Mike Drouillard, owner of
Corbret's Pets. "We would have to move our business out of the city."
Corbret's Pets doesn't sell many cats, but Drouillard said he sells between 12
and 20 puppies a month. He told the commission Windsor's over-population problem
isn't the fault of pet shop owners, but "neglectful or irresponsible pet
owners."
The report recommended council adopt one or more of the four proposals for
stricter control of pet stores, including preventing dog and cat sales.
"It's unconscionable that we are importing cats to an environment where there
isn't enough space for them in good homes," said John Roushorne, executive
director of the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society.
In 2006 the humane society euthanized 223 dogs and 4,041 cats, a three per cent
increase over 2005. Besides pit bulls, the humane society has not euthanized an
adoptable dog since 2004.
Before making a final recommendation to city council, the commission will seek
veterinarian input. It will also consider the mandating of spaying and
neutering, as well as grandfathering pet stores so only current stores can sell,
said licensing commissioner Diane Sibley.
If the ban is passed, Windsor will be the first municipality to restrict the
sale of cats and dogs in pet stores.
Comment: Ideally,
our group would like to see all animal sales prohibited by pet stores. There is
far too much suffering and cruelty associated with this industry, and as most
animals are purchased on impulse, the chances are awfully high that the kitten,
rabbit, bird, or any other “pet” will not end up in a forever-home.
Pet retailers to weigh
lawsuit against city
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Craig Pearson -
Windsor Star
REGULATIONS QUESTIONED: Chad Drouillard, part owner of Corbret's Pets, with Pug.
Railers say they may sue over the city's pet store bylaws.
The president of a national pet industry association says Windsor's tough new
pet shop bylaw -- which he calls the first of its kind in Canada -- creates an
uneven playing field and may be challenged in court.
On Monday, city council passed a series of regulations, but stopped short of a
controversial proposal to ban pet stores from selling cats and dogs.
Pet shops must now have a written agreement with a veterinarian for on-call
service for emergency veterinary treatment and humane euthanasia of any animals
kept for sale or display; must have suitable exercise areas; and must have an
annual inspection form filled out by an investigator before they can have
licences renewed.
But the new regulation which critics challenge most is that the city will
consider revoking licences of any establishment if the humane society places an
order on it or finds an animal in distress.
"It's disappointing," Louis McCann, executive director of the Pet Industry Joint
Advisory Council of Canada, said Wednesday. "We're not opposed to stores being
regulated. But it should apply to all pet establishments."
McCann said new regulations should also apply to the local humane society.
John Roushorne, executive director of the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society,
said he's pleased the city now has the power to revoke a licence from rogue
operators, though he had hoped for a ban on the sale of cats and dogs.
McCann thinks city inspectors should make orders against pet shops and the
humane society alike.
"If you have an establishment that really does not want pet stores selling pets,
and that establishment has the power to issue orders, and the pet stores need a
licence to sell pets, what do you think is going to happen?" McCann asked. "You
would never see another scenario like this, where you put somebody who is in a
position of competition to enforce laws with their competitor. It's ridiculous."
McCann said the Windsor situation will be discussed, and a legal challenge
considered, at the national board meeting of the association -- which represents
almost 600 members -- Jan. 12 and 13 in Montreal.
Mayor Eddie Francis said he believes the new bylaw is close to what the pet
council suggested in a Dec. 6 letter.
"I would be the first to admit that if council passed a law banning pet stores
from selling cats and dogs there may be an issue, because that's what pet stores
are in the business of selling," Francis said.
Dennis Radosz, manager of Corbret's Pets on Tecumseh Road, said he's upset the
new bylaw singles out pet stores.
"I agree with PIJAC that if city council's going to pass this, it should apply
to the humane society, boarders, breeders and everybody else," he said.
- Pet store bylaw may bring about
accountability
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
I applaud the City of Windsor for the new bylaws regarding pet stores. It is
time these business owners are held accountable for the health and
well-being of the animals they sell. Those who speak for pet stores believe
that the humane society is also a pet store and should be licensed as such.
I have yet to see any shelter purchase animals for profit, or any pet store
be not-for-profit. That is a lame argument by pet store supporters and they
should be ashamed that a bylaw has had to be put in place.
Wendy Gatehouse, Harrow
-
- Pet store crackdown will uphold
standards
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
I'm disgusted, though not surprised, that the Pet Industry Joint Advisory
Council is opposed to tightened regulation of pet stores. In every city,
there are responsible stores, but also nightmarish operations.
Anyone familiar with politics knows that bylaws don't arise from a vacuum;
they are problem-driven. If PIJAC were responsible, it would object to those
who give their industry a bad name. It would encourage measures that would
uphold humane standards.
Most troubling is their suggestion that the humane society is essentially a
pet store. PIJAC knows full well that, unlike pet stores, the humane society
makes no profit from its animals, and in fact loses money on adoptions. The
adoption package includes veterinary services typically valued at two to
three times the price of adoption. They're also fully aware that the humane
society is subject to inspection by the Ministry of Agriculture.
There's a simple solution to this. Whenever the humane society finds a
pet-store animal in distress, call the city and have the bylaw unit send a
car around. This entirely eliminates this "conflict of interest" notion.
Perhaps instead of threatening lawsuits, PIJAC could try making constructive
suggestions that would protect both the businesses and the animals in their
care.
Susan Weldon, Windsor
June 19, 2011: At Pets
Unlimited, there no longer is a puppy in the window, reports the Chronicle
Herald. The chain, with 18 locations in Atlantic Canada, including 10 in Nova
Scotia, has decided to stop selling puppies, according to spokesman Jim
Harrison. There have been complaints to the SPCA and to animal welfare and
advocacy organizations about animals in their stores and breeders that supply
the chain.
The competition for Pets Unlimited
is using shelter animals says Nova Scotia SPCA executive director Kristin
Williams. “For instance, Pet Valu, Global, even Pet Smart is coming into the
market in the fall, and all of them use a shelter program, meaning that the
animals are available for adoption." She further added a voluntary code of
breeding practices for the pet industry is being developed at the national
level.
We need required codes with enforcement. The pet trade is
a multi-billion dollar industry that treats animals as mere commodities to be
bought and sold for profit. The suffering and collateral damage is staggering.
Whether captured from the wild or bred and warehoused in backyard mills, these
creatures represent nothing but dollar signs to the greedy profiteers. Denied
basic veterinary care, many animals from mills are overbred, sick, have genetic
problems, and other ailments. People who buy
puppies from stores, for example, often spend thousands of dollars trying to fix
their new canine companion only to have them die or live short, painful lives.
Animals matter to us. We stand in solidarity with
them and in the name of compassion, urge you to do the same. Carmina Gooch
Update: August 18, 2011
The Canadian chain PJ's Pets has
announced it will stop selling puppies as of September 1. PJ's will be shifting
its focus to adoption, helping to find homes for animals living in shelters as
part of their Every Pet Deserves A Home Program.
PJ's and its sister company, Pets Unlimited have 41 stores
across Canada. Space in their stores will be offered to pet adoption services to
educate and to advertise animals available for adoption. Stores with enough
space will actually house adoptable pets. This is a complete turnaround from
only a year ago.
Update #2
December 17,
2012
Edmonton Humane Society issues warning over new pet
stores selling puppies
Comment:
PJ’s Pets announced last year that it would stop selling puppies in all of its
stores nationwide. That did happen – but since then, PJ’s has closed all of its
stores in Western Canada.
The former president of PJ’s Pets has
recently opened My Pet in
the former PJ’s Pets locations in Londonderry Mall and West Edmonton Mall.
All that matters to these people is the bottom line.
Consumers beware!
September 9,
2011 Petland CEO Robert Brissette announced that it will phase out the sale
of puppies and kittens in its retail outlets across Canada. The chain has eight
stores in BC.
In a media
release, Brissette said more people are using online services to purchase
animals, leading to a drop in sales at pet stores. In fact, as the public
becomes aware of cruelties like puppy mills and other animal mills, they are
choosing to adopt from rescue groups and humane societies. The Petland chain has
frequently been identified as a retailer of puppy mill bred dogs according to
investigations by the Humane Society of the US. Animal advocacy groups in Canada
have been a strong and relentless voice in bringing attention to the brutal
realities of the powerful and ruthless pet industry and in lobbying local
governments to create new animal welfare bylaws that prohibit the sale of live
animals in pet stores. It’s a beginning, but with so much more to be done, won’t
you get active?
September 21, 2011
Toronto
City Council voted unanimously to ban the sale of dogs
and cats in stores. The decision restricts pet stores to carrying only dogs and
cats that are available for adoption from humane societies and other shelters.
This move is applauded by animal activists who have been lobbying municipal
governments for ages. Undercover video and media reports on investigations of
puppy mills and backyard breeders show shocking and sickening conditions of all
kinds of animals, from rodents to birds and reptiles, bred for one purpose only
– to line the pockets of the ruthless exploiters engaged in this lucrative
industry.
July 19, 2012
Maple Ridge Mulls
Live Pet Sale Ban; aims to make pet stores more accountable, 2013
August 15, 2014
Only rescue and shelter animals
allowed at Waterloo pet shops
June 22, 2017:
Vancouver councillor seeks ban on pet store sales of dogs, cats and rabbits.
Heather Deal has put forward a motion calling for a ban on the sale of puppies,
kittens, and bunnies at retail pet stores. "We're doing this because a lot of
other cities have already done it — places like New Westminster, and Richmond
and because of a recent store opening here in Vancouver has raised a huge issue
around this," she said.
Carmina Gooch, representing the
Rabbit Advocacy Group wrote to City politicians supporting the motion, which is
long overdue. Our leaders have a responsibility to help prevent the routine
suffering and abuses prevalent in the industry. In closing she wrote, “I kindly
request that you follow the lead of other cities and make the humane and ethical
decision to put an end to sales of rabbits, cats, and dogs in pet stores. The
time to act is now.”
Updates:
BC municipalities starting to
prohibit rabbit sales in pet stores; UBCM resolution passes; letters;
Vancouver 2017
There's plenty more to read on our
Pet Shops/Rabbits/Legislation page
Choose adoption!
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