We urgently need your help. Please join the fight against puppy mills today!

The City of Richmond is poised to become the first jurisdiction in Canada to ban the sale of puppies in pet stores, a significant step forward in the fight against puppy mills.  On Oct. 11, 2010, Richmond City Council passed first, second and third readings of a new bylaw that would prevent puppy mill operators and puppy brokers from distributing puppies through pet stores.  The city is now in a public consultation phase before the bylaw is brought back to City Council for final approval in November.

Please let Richmond City Council know that you support this bylaw! 

The pet industry is voicing loud opposition to the new bylaw and we urge animal lovers to speak up to let Richmond’s mayor and councillors know that we support their progressive and bold step on behalf of abused and neglected animals. 

Your support during this public consultation phase is key in ensuring the new bylaw is passed.

The BC SPCA supports the new bylaw because:

• The BC SPCA works tirelessly to shut down puppy mills, but as long as there is a market for these puppies through pet stores, classified ads and the Internet, this horrific form of animal neglect and suffering will continue.  The proposed Richmond bylaw is an important first step in addressing this cruelty.
• Many pet stores access their dogs through “puppy brokers”, who source their animals from unscrupulous dealers and puppy mills in order to maximize profits.  Pet Habitat, for example, acknowledges that the puppies in their stores are from the Hunte Corporation, a notorious puppy broker in the United States which warehouses hundreds of dogs in tiny cages and ships them across North America.
• Reputable breeders will not allow their puppies to be sold through pets stores – the Canadian Kennel Club specifically states that their members do not sell their animals to pet stores. A good breeder will insist on meeting prospective guardians and screening the new home carefully. Individuals seeing the cute puppy in a pet store window have no way of knowing where the puppies were bred or accessing vital information about the animal’s health and genetic background. The BC SPCA regularly gets calls from people who are upset because they purchased sick and ill-bred puppies from pet stores.
• Pet stores promote “impulse” purchasing of dogs – and city shelters and SPCA facilities are full of puppies who were purchased without proper education or consideration and are abandoned or surrendered shortly after.  Because many of these puppies come from puppy mills, they are sick or ill-bred and shelters must spend thousands of dollars on veterinary bills before the animals can be rehomed.
• It has been proven that pet stores can be extremely profitable through the sale of pet supplies and services – the new Richmond bylaw will protect animals abused in puppy mills without hurting the profits of pet stores.

Please help the City of Richmond become a national leader in the fight against puppy mills by speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.

 

Take action today

1. We urge animal lovers from across B.C. to express their support. Send a message to Richmond's Mayor and Council.  
2. If you live in Richmond, please write to your local newspapers in support of the new bylaw.  Letters can be sent to the Richmond Review or Richmond News. 
3. Spread the word!
   Tell five friends about this important issue and how they can speak for animals too.
4. Make a gift to the BC SPCA Monty Fund for Education & Outreach and help us to continue advocating on behalf of abused and neglected victims of puppy mills. The BC SPCA is a not-for-profit organization funded primarly by public donations. Please donate today.

For more information, visit our Truth about Pet Stores and Puppy Mills campaign.

On behalf of all the animals we care for and protect, thank you. 

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.