The BC SPCA is lauding a landmark decision by Richmond council to ban the sale of dogs in pet stores.

“By their actions Monday night, Richmond councillors have become leaders in Canada in the fight against puppy mills and the cruelty that is condoned inside them,” said Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA.

“We respect that this wasn’t any easy decision for council, but it is the right decision and it builds on Richmond’s existing reputation as a humane and responsible community that does not tolerate animal cruelty.”

After hearing from more than a dozen delegations in a standing-room-only meeting area Monday, councillors voted unanimously to have city staff draft a bylaw amendment effectively banning the sale of dogs in pet stores.

The amendment, which was initially proposed by Coun. Ken Johnston last year, will be brought back to council for preliminary approval at its Oct. 12 meeting, followed by public consultation. Pet store owners would then be given until next spring to sell or remove dogs from their storefronts.

A Richmond resident, Chortyk says she’s exceptionally proud of her community, whose actions she hopes will set a precedent for other jurisdictions across the province.

“This is a significant step in the fight against puppy mill abuse. This ban has the potential to get something started that will eventually prevent the suffering of thousands and possibly even millions of animals whose lives are sacrificed at the altar of profit in dark, dank and inhumane breeding facilities in the Lower Mainland, in Canada and in North America,” she says.

Kristin Bryson, who works as a criminal prosecutor but volunteers as a member of the BC SPCA board of directors, also addressed councillors at the open meeting.  She noted that Canadian pet stores source their dogs from puppy mills in the United States and Canada, and in fact Richmond’s own Pet Habitat, which has operated in the city since 1980, patronizes the Hunte Corporation, a notorious American puppy broker that acquires its puppies from puppy mills.

Bryson added that there are more than 10,000 puppy mills currently in operation, producing between two and four million dogs annually. In the U.S., taxpayers spend $2 billion per year to house and euthanize all the unwanted animals.

“But in the U.S., they are doing something about it, beginning with imposing a ban on the sale of animals in pet stores,” Bryson said.

She noted that full or partial bans on the sale of live animals in pet stores exist in Hermosa Beach, South Lake Tahoe and West Hollywood, California; Austin, Texas; and Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, Lauderdale Lakes, Flagler Beach, North Bay Village and Opa-Locka, Florida.

Meanwhile, similar bylaws are currently being considered in San Francisco and Glendale, California; Rio Rancho, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Wentzville, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; and Jacksonville, Hallandale Beach and West Palm Beach, Florida.

In addition, Bryson said Albuquerque, New Mexico imposed a ban on the retail sale of all companion animals back in 2006, which has given that city four years to evaluate it.

“Statistics confirm that in that jurisdiction, animal adoptions have increased by 23 per cent and euthanasia at city shelters has decreased by 35 per cent.”

Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the BC SPCA, is thrilled with council’s support for a ban on pet-store puppies, particularly in light of the 14 dogs seized by SPCA cruelty investigators from a suspected puppy mill in Abbotsford in September.

“I would like to say the terrible condition in which these animals were found was unique, but sadly this is the reality of life inside a puppy mill,” said Moriarty. “There is never any concern for the health and welfare of the breeding parents or the puppies; there is only concern for maximizing profit.”

Moriarty called Richmond’s actions bold and heartening.

“They’ve made a compassionate, reasoned, evidence-based decision to take a stand against animal suffering and we applaud them for it,” said Moriarty.

The Monty Fund for Community Education & Outreach supports the Truth about Pet Stores and Pets in the City initiatives that are critical in the fight against puppy mills. Your gift can help us to create a brighter future for animals and prevent the suffering of unwanted and homeless pets. Please donate today.

Photo caption: An example of the reality of life inside a puppy mill; small cages, no access to outdoors, lack of medical care and inabilty to socialize with other dogs (bottom). 14 badly neglected puppies rescued from a suspected puppy mill in Abbotsford are receiving medical care and loving attention while in BC SPCA custody (bottom). 

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.