It also seems that the breeding done by these mills produce pets that are more susceptible to illness. It sounds cruel.

Tho I do wonder how difficult it will be to enforce.

people won't go to pet stores if they want a purebred dog.

They will buy from a breeder.

That said, it at least highlights the problem and will help reduce breeders I would think.

Do the pets stores cover the cost of all vaccine's ?

Are they going to charge $800 or $900 for mixed breed puppies?

If that's the case they will be in pet stores until they grow old and the stores have them put down.

I could also get certain dogs from the petcstore for that price. Not much difference really.

I have never seen purebred puppies in a pet store for $300 ,ever... I have never seen mix breed puppies either.
That's why I'm saying also, if the pet store prices mix breed puppies for $300 people will buy them.
If they try to get pet store prices , no one will.

In New England the average price for a pet store dog is $1000 to $1200

The humane society really isn't selling them it covers the cost of vet check , vaccines.
It's more of a donation than a sale.

If one really wants, say, a Maltese, a reputable breeder will give you a puppy for cheaper than a pet store, and the odds are excellent the dog will be healthier, and come from parents raised in decent surroundings.

The prices will probably be from $150-300, which is also what most rescues charge.

I think this is an excellent law.

that they don't check out the homes their puppies go to and have no requirements or contracts in regards to them.

A legit breeder doesn't sell to just anyone.

You need to have a cost that makes it prohibitively expensive for people to buy the animals for any other purpose other than companionship.

And yes, many, many shelters include free vaccinations and shots in that price.

All shelters have an adoption cost for the reason I've explained above.

she had been caged for most of her life... breeding.

Chloe was SO afraid of everything... I can't even begin to describe what my incredibly wonderful neighbor went through to bring this dear critter back to life.

Once a dog that held her head and tail low... cowering from everything... now, trotting down the sidewalk, tail held high and frequently wagging... and not unknown to flop down on fresh cut grass to roll around.

I have the best neighbor ever!!!!!!!

And when they do, they take such joy in everything.

I think that explains a lot about a dog I know.

Thanks.

It was the same thing. Lots of cowering, shaking dogs that had very little socialization. Many of them lost huge hunks of hair lost due to all the stress and fleas. These were mostly little dogs, and many of them were mixed breeds, because the mill owner didn't focus on one specific breed Our local SPCA took in about 40 of them, and they've been featured on the weekly "adopt a pet" segment on the local news. The one on this morning was shaking like a leaf. Hopefully, it will come out of it's shell like many of the other dogs already have.

The real galling thing is that the owner of the puppy mill just got a relatively small fine, and was allowed to keep some animals that were supposedly "pets". And, this is not the first time she was shut down. She had a mill in my county. The sheriff's office shut her down, so she just moved to the next county and started right back up again. No doubt she'll try it again. This shitstain on life sold a lot of her dogs at flea markets, rather than pet shops. That needs to stop, too.

something mixed in her. Anyway they both came from the pound and they are both Chihuahuas. I love them to pieces. I would never but a dog again. Too many need homes.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7187712&page=1

The problem is that, in many places, the punishments are so light, they don't really put a dent in the profits. Here in South Carolina, they amount to a slap on the wrist. If somebody gets caught, they get shut down, pay a few thousand dollars in fines, and then pack up and move to the next county to start again. The only way these assholes are going to be stopped is to flat out bankrupt them and make them serve a significant amount of jail time.

if not starting with here in the US.

Frankly this constant 'spay and neuter everything that walks' is useless unless they address WHY the animal end up homeless. these are NOT puppies that are in those shelters. they are dogs that are listed as "moved, cannot keep." With the millions of people that lost their homes to foreclosure, their pets ended up in shelters because 90% of rentals dont' accept dogs. Period, and as the market tightened up for rentals, it got worse. Go on Craigslist and pretend you have a 50 lb. dog. I dare you. Find 10 recent rentals that would accept your dogs. You won't.

This obsession to spay and neuter everything, and to virtually wipe out all dogs eventually (many cities are considering bans of ALL unspayed pets,) is not the answer. It helps. But until we get a clue, the way Europe does.. or they way it USED to be before property management companies ran everything in renting, the dogs and cats will continue to die in shelters.

I've volunteered in shelters. the majority of pets are "MOVING CAN'T KEEP." Oh, but I guess that if you ban bred dogs, in favor of rescue dogs, it makes more homes for the dogs that poor people/renters have to give up. Sort of like the adoption industry.. convincing young women that they can't afford to have a baby, so that an affluent couple can raise it. Sort of like that. So many rentals refuse pets now, that we have to be sure that the homeowners can adopt more rescues.

Which is ridiculous because most larger dogs tend to be calmer and bark less than small dogs.

Landlords and rules and laws in general seem to ignore what dogs were bred to do in their decisions about what to allow.

BULL FUCKING SHIT that this is the leading reason for homeless animals.

I am a shelter volunteer, as well. Lack of spaying and neutering and straight up abandonment will always be the leading cause. You might be seeing that animal after two miserable years trying to survive because some fuckhead couldn't grasp the spay and neuter concept.

Stupid people buying animals and returning them like accessories - also a leading cause.

Your idea that spay and neuter campaigns should be tied to "virtually wiping out all dogs eventually" is INSANE.

I have interned for HSUS, and am friendly with someone at every one of the notable animal law organizations in the country. The animal law community is a small one and we all know each other. I don't think I've ever met anyone who would not LAUGH in your face at your "virtually wiping out all dogs eventually" nuttery. We are so impossibly far from this, that to talk about that isn't covered by the word "absurd."

And frankly, your comments on spaying and neutering are downright irresponsible.

Started dating a guy who doesn't like my animal - BOOM - another leading cause of pets in shelters and a sure sign someone is a shitheel of a person.

And "moving can't keep" is WAY TOO OFTEN code for "moving, don't give a shit about keeping." "Doesn't fit my new lifestyle."

"Having a baby and bought into a whole bunch of old wives' tales, horseshit, and other assorted ignorance, and so now that I have fulfilled my mission on earth, to spawn another stupid self-absorbed asshole into the world to match his or her asshole mommy, sorry Fido or Tabby, I'm giving you up. Thanks for helping me through the hard years, when I couldn't find someone lousy enough to put up with my wretched self, but I've found that perfectly lowly match, and so now, I won't be needing you anymore. BOOM - leading cause.

It's a shame there was so much bullshit in your post, because your overall message that allowing an excess percentage of rentals to ban pets is societal malpractice, and if the justification for murdering so many homeless animals is that they pose a threat to the public health, well then, boom, you've just jeopardized the public health - these things are correct.

I don't have a problem with some percentage of rentals being pet-free. People have a right to have options. 10% of the market say is pet-free, fine. But when the percentage is too high, you are practicing cruelty on societal level. And when it's the case, it shows that we have failed the test of our humanity that is how we treat our animals.

But the rest of what you said, NO.

ADOPT - SPAY - NEUTER - AND BLOODY HELL TO ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU DIFFERENT

Couldn't agree more.

Many millions of puppies, pregnant dogs, newborns are gassed in southern shelters. So spay and neuter DOES count. Big time.

Their was a massive neighborhood fire... a few people died, it was around 79' when that happened. If it wasnt for that little doggie getting us booted, we would have lost everything.

"adoption industry"

LOL! Yes, that's the goal of spay and neuter. *snicker*

Love idiots, they'll make you feel better daily.

And I thought, "Louisiana? No way"

But congrats to Los Angeles City Council!

I don't like puppy mills

They only sell puppy mill animals. No reputable breeder would ever place a dog at a pet store. Rescue groups often have meet and greets at Petsmart and Petco, but they don't eave the dogs there. I don't believe either of those big chains sell dogs.

You'll never find a better dog than a mixed breed anyway. They are healthier, less susceptible to genetic diseases caused by breeding from a small pool, and generally have better temperaments. Nothing against anyone's pure bred dog, but the two Mutts I've had have been the best.

Those are the simple rules.

The unconditional love that animals give you - the trust they place in you when you agree to be their guardian -

I'm sorry, unless it is a situation where there is absolutely no other choice, you are a freaking monster if you don't stick by your animal for life.

Not only is there nothing on earth that would cause me to renege on the solemn vow I swore to my animal to protect and care for him for the rest of his life, but I'd also kill you dead if you wanted to try that vow out for size. And it would look like something out of Grimm did you in, trust me.

take them in if you can DAMN IT. Mr. smokey's mother had 2 cats when she died. His brother and his wife were going to bring them to a shelter if we didn't take them in. So they came to live with us, even though we had 5 other cats at the time. Two years later they took in a dog who belonged to one of her friends. It pissed me off when I found out.

Her mom is still in her own home, but really shouldn't be. She has an aid come in every day now and help with things, but she was at the point she kept forgetting to feed the cats and one has to take to take meds, so she asked my friend to take them.

My friend already had three cats, but of course she did it.

And is devoted to her furkids, and helping find forever homes for rescued animals.

(I was very close with my great-aunt).

I took him in when she passed away.

It's almost ten years later and it's hard to explain how close the two of us are.

and appreciate having a living connection to his mom.

I have many great friends, but everyone knows that he is my best friend.

And it does make you feel as though you have a connection to the person who is gone, indeed.

I would have a tough time living with two cats but have a found dog.

.. in principle, however, sometimes things happen to very good, committed people with pets they love and cherish, that are beyond their control, especially in the volatile economic times such as we are experiencing these days. What would you suggest people that had no way of foreseeing the radical dissent of their financial situation do with pets they adopted and care for with their whole heart and soul, but simply can't have in new living situations? Labeling them as "freaking monsters," to me, is just more kicking them while they are down. There aren't any easy answers that I can think of. In a larger sense, I'm left wondering how far this Nation has to fall in it's humanity before it turns around.

I certainly know how you feel regarding anyone that would do harm to your animal(s), I dread to think what my reaction might be.

See, this stuff is real for me. This is my life and I'm a part of the animal advocacy movement and the animal rescue movement.

I'm aware of a really full range of situations.

I'd answer you that it's a two part situation -

Part 1)

Do you view your animal like a son or a daughter? Not everyone does, and I wouldn't try to convince everyone to feel that way, but I'm just saying for me, my sacred commitments are my sacred commitments. The level of trust that has been put in me by another living creature and the closeness of our relationship is such that there is no such thing as "but remember, you're still just an animal."

So in my world, think about what you would do for a son or a daughter and then that is what the situation is when you try to figure out how to get by. I'd be willing to suffer up to the point where I'd be compromising my ability to care for my animal so that I could care for my animal. He's my son.

Part 2)

Okay, you don't see things that way. You're, undoubtedly, in the majority. Here are the list of things to do, as I see it:

1) Reach out for help to see if anyone out there can help you ride out a hard time. We've seen it on DU. Let me give you the perspective from this rescue community person: if there's a situation where a person has a happy home for an animal, where they love their animals and are committed to caring for them, that's like 75% of the battle. So just like keeping the nuclear home together is the goal, keeping the animal-friendly home together is the goal, as I see it. It's been a successful placement. So the same $50 I can donate to a shelter, in hopes that somehow, someway there will be an adoption - well, think of all the associated costs that have been covered when a person has a working home for an animal (I could break down the economics for you).

So keeping a person able to care for their animals, there are resources that will try to help. You have to try to reach out. In the Jewish religion, see Maimonides (I've replaced "Jew" with "man," because that is how I see the world) on the highest form of tzedakah:



2) Make sure you've explored all your options, remembering that your obligation to your animal is not a casual one - it is a pact you've entered into

3) Search around for *anyone you know* who may be able to temporarily or permanently take your animal or animals - this gives your animals a 5 billion% better shot than reentering them in the shelter system

4) And this one is really important, and part of the contract when adopting from a responsible shelter - you must contact the shelter you adopted from and tell them of your situation and see if they can either help with a foster home until you are in different circumstances or if you have to surrender your animal back to a responsible and, God-willing, no-kill shelter.

Of course, from a shelter person's perspective we want you to do this responsible thing rather than abandon your animals which leads either to abject, miserable death or, if the animal is lucky, that animal finding its way to a shelter but in a compromised condition that makes it harder to restore to adoptability/strains the resources of the shelter by requiring emergency medical care.

No one who has worked in a shelter doesn't understand that situations occur like what you speak to above, and that's why we have a list of things responsible pet guardians need to do in those situations.

5) If you live in a different area from the shelter you adopted from, you do your damnedest to find the best shelter you can find and surrender your animal(s). Above all else, YOU DO NOT ABANDON. Because these animals are far too often not getting to the shelter immediately, if ever. And way too often, the same irresponsible owner who will abandon is the same irresponsible owner who didn't spay or neuter (and constantly operating clinics mean everyone can afford to spay/neuter) and, yep, abandoned companion animals are the breeders for the next generations of feral animals trying to fight their way through miserable existences.

I hope these are useful answers.

You will notice that you responded to something that had already been noted in my original post. But here, I hope that you have some evidence that this is a problem that we are not only aware of but have also thought about practically and thoughtfully.

There is no worse monster than one who will ABANDON his or her companion animal.

.. and effort to respond. Lots of good suggestions in it. I really do share much of your ideals, and to answer your first question:

Do you view your animal like a son or a daughter?

Yes and no, and I'm not trying to have it both ways. Even though I personally see my dogs through the eyes of someone that considers them almost like my kids, I also have to keep in mind that most of the rest of the world, sees them as dogs, lovable, friendly dogs, but dogs all the same. And that's the rub, how the rest of the world sees them. Doesn't mean I would ever abandon them, but what if things go sideways without warning? Sometimes (often these days) people are left with no options. Ever been there? Ever been suddenly destitute and homeless? It's VERY tough world when you have nothing and nowhere to go. I fully understand that rescue is your #1 priority, and bless you for that, I'm only trying to convey that to far too many as of late, just surviving has that place all taken up.

I'm on the same side as you, but perhaps a little less inclined to judge others is all. And no, I'm in no way excusing irresponsible and cruel treatment of any animal, neglect or abandonment. Actually I think those acts are symptomatic of just how lacking in compassion and even basic humanity our society has become. Maybe when we start treating all people like human beings again, it will follow that our furry friends will have better lives too.

Peace.

like I said, no one who actually works in the shelter system judges anyone who comes in and - inevitably, in great pain - has come to the realization that they cannot care for their companion. It's always really clear when that is the situation.

And when that is the situation, as I lay out above, they have actually done the more responsible thing by trying to give their animal the best possible chance at survival.

I will tell you that there is just about nothing that breaks my heart like a cat stuck in a shelter cage that used to be a pet. They can't figure out what the hell they did wrong and why their world is suddenly over. It sticks me right in the heart.