Kudos to Gov. Jerry Brown: Now that California’s pet stores will be required to sell dogs, cats, and rabbits from shelters or adoption centers, countless animals will have a chance to experience the love and companionship that they deserve.
The new law, though, should raise a red flag about purchasing our animal companions from a breeder. Licensed or not, there is no such thing as a responsible breeder—every sale exacerbates the homeless-animal overpopulation crisis.
Shelters take in more than 6 million animals every year, and because there aren’t enough good homes for all of them, about half must be euthanized. Others are turned away by other shelters and left to survive on the street, where they can be hit by cars; are exposed to weather extremes and disease; and are vulnerable to cruel humans who shoot, stab, and poison them.
When we purchase an animal from a breeder, we not only encourage him or her to pump out more puppies, kittens, and rabbits, we deny a home to one whose life may depend on being adopted. Visiting an open-admission shelter addresses both issues.
Craig Shapiro
PETA Foundation
This article appears in Nov 2-12, 2017.
Craig, I agree with your philosophy in general. My personal situation is difficult: I love Persian cats, but they are rare in shelters and adoption centers. The few I have found through Helping Persians here in California have been held back by the foster care givers because the animals are so traumatized (or perhaps the care giver becomes attached to the animal). I have been looking for a young male Persian cat for nearly a year now, and the only place I can find them is through breeders. Unfortunately, breeders know that Persian cats command high dollar, and I cannot afford a kitten that costs $1000 or more in addition to traveling to L.A. or S.F. to meet the cat. Also, because Persian cats are rare in shelters and adoption centers, this leads me to believe that their pet parents keep and care for them for life, as I have done, and not abandoning them.
I disagree with this law because this is nothing but government over-stepping its role by establishing business practices for small business owners. Oh, there could be a positive note if there is such a population reduction that the county stops with the development of their $20M animal shelter, but that isn’t likely to happen.