Sondage/Interdiction de vendre chats & chiens dans petshops

[Animal 0]

Toronto (Canada)

Should sales of cats and dogs be banned from retail stores in order to try and reduce the number of unwanted animals?
Yes
No





Council candidate wants to ban sales of cats and dogs in pet stores
Published On Fri Aug 6

Ian Butt, 27, manager of the Feed Me More Pet Foods on Church St., holds a kitten for sale for $150. "There's no reason why pet stores shouldn't sell pets as long as they are careful where the are getting the animals," he says.

JASMEET SIDHU/TORONTO STAR

Those puppy-dog eyes. That cute furry face. The tiny tail that won’t stop wagging when you press your face against the glass window.

There is nothing more irresistible than an adorable animal in a pet store and Dean Maher knows this.

But Maher, who is running for city councillor in Ward 20-Trinity Spadina, also sees the animals that wind up neglected or languishing in shelters. So, on Aug. 13, Maher will appear before the city’s licensing and standards committee to propose a city-wide ban on the sale of cats and dogs from pet stores.

“Why would you buy a kitten when the Humane Society is packed with cats?” Maher said Thursday night. “I’m hoping that removing the impulse buying from the pet shop will make people better pet owners.”

But Ian Butt, manager of Feed Me More Pet Foods near Church and Wellesley Sts., hopes the bylaw never sees the light of day.

“I’m opposed to it,” says Butt, 27, whose store sells both cats and dogs. “There’s always this negative stigma with pet stores. But there’s no reason why pet stores shouldn’t sell pets as long as they are careful where they are getting the animals.”

Under Maher’s proposal, all pet stores, flea markets and retail shops would be banned from selling cats or dogs. Registered humane societies and rescue centres would be exempt.

Maher wants to reduce the number of unwanted animals in the city and in his report, he points to alarming statistics that say more than 25,000 dogs and cats were euthanized by Toronto Animal Services between 2002 and 2007.

“That number alone says to me animals are just too easily picked up and dropped off and thought of as disposable,” Maher said. “Hopefully in the long run, (banning pet shop sales) will reduce unwanted animals.”

While Maher doesn’t think his proposed bylaw will solve the problem completely, he feels it would be a “very significant step” towards reducing unwanted animals and promoting more humane treatment. Removing cats and dogs from pet stores would also force prospective owners to do more research before buying their pets, he said.

Veterinarian Dr. Kenneth Hill, who owns Bloor Mill Veterinary Hospital, is supporting Maher’s bylaw proposal and has written a letter of support, asserting a ban would help reduce the number of puppy and kitten mills that often keep pet stores stocked.

He said pet store employees also tend to be poorly-trained and under-informed when it comes to properly advising prospective pet owners.

“This results in pet owners who become dissatisfied with their pet or who are unable to cope with breed-specific behaviour and health issues,” Hill wrote. “Dogs and cats are then prone to suffer neglect or in worse case scenarios show-up in veterinary offices to be euthanized.”

Maher expects his ban will be well-received by Torontonians and feels confident his proposal will be approved by committee to go before city council. He pledges to continue pursuing the issue even if he isn’t elected as city councilor in October.

Butt, however, contends pet stores can responsibly sell cats and dogs.

The Church St. pet store manager says his store buys from home breeders and tries to ensure older pets are sold before bringing in a fresh crop of kittens and puppies. He says he would be saddened to see the ban implemented — not only would he lose revenue, he would also lose the opportunity to sell pets to first-time owners.

“For independent stores, they are a good place for people who are first-time pet owners,” he argues. “Yes, I think, cats and dogs are overbred. At the same time, I don’t think people who are inexperienced pet owners should be getting pets from shelters.”

Butt would like to see stricter regulations placed on pet stores rather than an outright ban.

“Make them a little more strict,” he says. “But completely banning (pet store sales) altogether is not the answer.”

According to Maher’s report, Toronto had 27 registered pet shops as of March 28, eleven of which sold cats or dogs. In his bylaw proposal, stores currently selling dogs or cats would have one year to sell off their inventory.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/844617--council-candidate-wants-to-ban-sales-of-cats-and-dogs-in-pet-stores