Canada City is First to Ban Sale of Dogs

Next month, Richmond, British Columbia, will become the first city in Canada to ban the sale of dogs in its retail stores.

A bylaw was passed in November “to curb the purchase of animals from puppy mills and stop people from impulsively buying animals,” according to ctvbc.ca. It amends a previous bylaw by adding dogs and puppies to the list of animals that Richmond’s retail stores are prohibited from selling.

“People are going to learn that animals have the right to decency to have their health looked after,” Evelina Halsey-Brandt, of the Richmond city council, told ctvbc.ca after the bylaw was passed. “Now other cities will do the same thing.”

In a statement from the British Columbia SPCA, Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations, said, “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.”

Opponents to the ban included Ernest Ang, owner of one of the few stores in the city that sells animals. He told ctvbc.ca that the law wouldn’t help put an end to puppy mills because people can still buy those dogs via the internet.

“We’re always totally against puppy mills. We are against cruelly to animals. We are pet lovers and that’s why we’re into this business,” Ang said.

Several U.S. cities, including Austin, West Hollywood and Hermosa Beach, have banned the sale of dogs in retail pet stores.

Many of the bans have resulted in “higher adoption rates and lower euthanasia rates,” according to the Best Friends Animal Society.

The Richmond ban goes into effect on April 30.

PHOTO: thetbone

Laura Goldman

Laura Goldman is senior social media writer for i Love Dogs, Inc. She does love dogs. And elephants and turtles. Along with writing about the loves of her life, Laura likes to play with her two pound pups and tell anyone who’ll listen just how awesome Pit Bulls are.

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