Burbank Moves To Ban Dog, Cat Sales At Retail Shops
The city of Burbank appears to be joining the movement against retail pet sales.
_jennieMarie / Flickr
The local City Council gave its initial approval this week to a ban that would cover the retail sale of dogs and cats.
The aim, of course, is to prohibit ...
... retailers from selling "puppy mill" pets, which animal rights activists say are kept in small cages and raised in abusive conditions.
The bans also serve to encourage adoptions from shelters and rescue groups, thereby getting pets that were on the streets into homes instead of breeding more dogs while many suffer.
If the Burbank City Council gives the ordinance one final thumbs up in a few weeks it will become law and the San Fernando Valley town will join Los Angeles and West Hollywood in having enacted such bans.
Stores would be given a six-month grace period to phase out their dog-and-cat sales.
The group Best Friends Animal Society is taking credit for bringing the ban idea to Burbank officials.
Elizabeth Oreck, the organization's national manager:
The passage of this ordinance illustrates how well grassroots activism and democracy can work at the local level. The community came together and spoke out, and the council listened. As a result, Burbank is poised to become the 12th city in California to take a firm stand against puppy mills.
The Society says about 30 cities across North America have similar prohibitions.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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