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Mayor Cook of El Paso is trying to outlaw the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores, and is speaking out against the mills that breed them...he hopes that by doing so, it will reduce the number of unwanted animals in the overflowing shelters. A politician with a heart!!! Maybe this world really IS starting to wake up after all!
I'd rather respond in the El Paso forum and maybe you did cross post there...but, I don't see this happening. Many local animal advocates tried to keep Petland from even opening here and didn't succeed. They even went before City Council and the mayor, held protests, etc.
Petland is a horrible, horrible business, true, but they are powerful and know how to talk the talk. Believe me, even the pet store in Bassett Center succeeds in business for a reason and that's the same reason Petland does too...the mentality/mindset of the city's population. Our city will continue to euthanize 25000 animals each year as long as people fail to spay/neuter their pets and don't honor their commitment to responsible pet ownership.
I'd rather respond in the El Paso forum and maybe you did cross post there...but, I don't see this happening. Many local animal advocates tried to keep Petland from even opening here and didn't succeed. They even went before City Council and the mayor, held protests, etc.
Petland is a horrible, horrible business, true, but they are powerful and know how to talk the talk. Believe me, even the pet store in Bassett Center succeeds in business for a reason and that's the same reason Petland does too...the mentality/mindset of the city's population. Our city will continue to euthanize 25000 animals each year as long as people fail to spay/neuter their pets and don't honor their commitment to responsible pet ownership.
Is there also a pet store selling live animals at Bassett Center? I never go to that mall, and was unaware of this...BOO!
I agree, the mentality here has been less than favorable when it comes to animals, but I try to be an optimist...I try to project a positive attitude and have faith that with enough public awareness and with enough of us out there doing whatever we can to make a difference, things will change. It might take a long time, but I definitely see this whole thing as a step in the right direction. When we believe in the worst, the worst is what we get. Like energy attracts like...so with a positive attitude and some hard work, positive changes can happen. To say that it will never happen and to believe the mindset can never change is the same as giving up...if everyone had this attitude, change would be an alien concept. It starts with one voice and the belief that ANYTHING is possible.
The need puppy mills fit is that of income for the producer. And, the real way to reduce the number of puppy mills is education. When people adopt more animals from shelters than buy from pet stores there will be barely any market for these mills.
Cut demand, you cut the problem. Regulation/outlawing does not cut the demand. It only makes the process go underground, just like the war on illegal drugs.
I've been glad to see the ASPCA and other organizations go to a greater effort to educate consumers about the needs of shelter animals in their advertising.
Last edited by lifelongMOgal; 07-17-2010 at 09:25 AM..
Is there also a pet store selling live animals at Bassett Center? I never go to that mall, and was unaware of this...BOO!
I agree, the mentality here has been less than favorable when it comes to animals, but I try to be an optimist...I try to project a positive attitude and have faith that with enough public awareness and with enough of us out there doing whatever we can to make a difference, things will change. It might take a long time, but I definitely see this whole thing as a step in the right direction. When we believe in the worst, the worst is what we get. Like energy attracts like...so with a positive attitude and some hard work, positive changes can happen. To say that it will never happen and to believe the mindset can never change is the same as giving up...if everyone had this attitude, change would be an alien concept. It starts with one voice and the belief that ANYTHING is possible.
Yes, there has been a pet store in Bassett Center for 40 years. Believe me, I'm the eternal optimist and have dedicated my life to bettering the plight of unwanted, abandoned and neglected dogs. I financially support particular rescue orgs., do home visits for breed specific rescues, foster dogs in my home, and peruse the daily paper looking for an animal I might be able to help. I take advantage of every opportunity to educate people about responsible pet ownership for the lifetime of the pet, not until it's inconvenient, or kids come into the picture, or the old "I don't have time" or "we're moving."
While I believe Mayor Cook and City Council will not be able to shut Petland down, I am supportive of other measures he is considering...such as placing a tax/fee on anyone advertising in the paper and/or craigslist selling a pet - charging $75 per litter and limiting the number of litters per year. Will these measures be doable? I don't know but I have my doubts. Who is going to enforce these measures?
I'd like to see a law that everyone dumping a pet be made to watch a pet being euthanized - I'd like one of our TV stations to not be afraid to do a special on puppy mills and the truth about them being FDA approved - that's a joke. The truth is the truth and the FDA does not care about the conditions of puppy mills. Licenses are freely handed out, without recourse.
So, you're questioning me and my hope for change? What are you doing to help this happen? Were you holding a placard in protest of Petland opening? Did you approach City Council and the Mayor with the ones who did? Do you volunteer with any rescues or our local Humane Society? Foster? Transport?
I'm not trying to be mean and I DO think the rhetoric is good. My question is why now? I hear our Mayor would like the statute changed so he can run for another term and this "push" for animal rights may help him accomplish this. But, in the end I'm doubtful it will do anything in favor of the animals and that's all I care about - the animals.
So, you're questioning me and my hope for change? What are you doing to help this happen? Were you holding a placard in protest of Petland opening? Did you approach City Council and the Mayor with the ones who did? Do you volunteer with any rescues or our local Humane Society? Foster? Transport?
I'm not trying to be mean and I DO think the rhetoric is good. My question is why now? I hear our Mayor would like the statute changed so he can run for another term and this "push" for animal rights may help him accomplish this. But, in the end I'm doubtful it will do anything in favor of the animals and that's all I care about - the animals.
It seems you mistook my stance on things as some kind of attack...!
I was not trying to imply that you don't do anything to help, because I know from previous posts that you foster, and you should also know from previous posts that I foster, that I have worked in emergency animal care, and that I have rescued/re-homed many abandoned cats and dogs in addition to speaking out, writing letters, calling the cops, and getting in peoples' faces when I deem it necessary.... What I was trying to convey is that mind over matter is something I believe in, and if enough of us intend, believe in, and work toward change, it will happen a lot faster than if we sit in doubt and emanate hopelessness. Yes, I've been accused of being a "New Age Hippie" more times than I care to recount, LOL...call me crazy, but I completely believe thoughts manifest themselves physically...! Sorry to get a little off-topic here, but I believe we are the architects of our own existence...we create and construct our lives based on our thoughts, and collectively-speaking, we can create massive change if we are all on the same page. Hard work can not be avoided, of course, we need to take personal action through things like rescue, donations, and educating others whenever we can about what we have learned, but having the solid belief and positivity behind these actions makes them stronger!
Why now? I don't think it matters...the important thing is that it's on the table and those who might not have been aware of this issue before are being exposed to it now. If the Mayor is only doing this to get more votes, that would imply that the mindset of this community is more inclined toward the well-being of animals than you suggested in your earlier post when you stated that the mindset of this place is what will prevent this law from becoming a reality. I do believe this law would help animals. If puppymills don't have pet stores as venues anymore, their profits will plummet, and many will end up shutting down. I doubt the sales they'd get from the internet and word-of-mouth would be significant enough for them to maintain a profit that keeps them in business for very long, let alone keeps the profit margin anywhere close to what it was prior to the venue being unavailable.
Not everyone that helps to make a difference is holding a placard or approaching city council...some people are better at and more comfortable with certain ways of help than others. Some have more time, motivation, and inclination than others. But any effort, however large or small, should not be discounted. We should encourage people to feel good about doing whatever they can, not make them feel like they're not doing enough just because they're not holding up a sign and yelling or volunteering at the local Humane Society. Every penny, every kibble, and every act of kindness is a step toward a better life for animals in this world. And every action is propelled by the thought behind it...consciousness always comes first.
Ok...and?
The mills will still exist even after a pet store ban.
If they shut down,wouldn't they just dispose of the animals themselves?
Or just dump them at the nearest shelter?
So a pet store ban will accomplish ,what,exactly?
if all the puppy mills shut down tomorrow, yes, their current "stock" would end up in shelters or worse.
but countless future generations would never be bred from these sources. and what do you think happens now to animals bred in these places who aren't sold while they're still babies? i'll tell you - they're killed or at best given to shelters. the number of animals that would happen to if all puppy mills closed today is nothing compared to the number it would happen to if puppy mills indefinitely continued to operate as they currently do.
and big lol at the concept that puppy mills are the ones that keep animals from being bred in a "disorganized and haphazard" way. you do realize that there are other (and better) sources for purebred animals, right? a mass breeder breeding numerous breeds and mixes in a way designed to maximize profit (rather than to better the breed and produce healthy animals, which cannot be done on that scale), hundreds of litters a year, is about as haphazard as you can get.
Mayor Cook of El Paso is trying to outlaw the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores, and is speaking out against the mills that breed them...he hopes that by doing so, it will reduce the number of unwanted animals in the overflowing shelters. A politician with a heart!!! Maybe this world really IS starting to wake up after all!
I personally think this is absolutely wonderful news! Yet, let's face it. Change takes a frustratingly long time to occur, especially when there is outright greed and outright blatant cruelty to animals involved. What needs to happen is a change in the people's hearts who are behind the mills, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Green is a whole lot more powerful than walking away from big profit.
And who is to say what is truly Mayor Cook's motivation in trying to outlaw the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores? Maybe, just maybe, the attention this movement is getting will be enough to spur enough people in the right places to start making a difference by no longer tolerating this degradation of animals.
But, then again, where there is a virus, and mills are a type of virus, where it is snuffed out in one place only leads it to spew out in another place.
This fight against shutting down mills is an ongoing process and will take many years before there is probably even a noticeable difference. But, we have to begin somewhere, don't we, to try to make this earth a better place for our animals? Hope is what burns in people's hearts who love and respect animals, hoping that one day paradise can be possible once more. A place where humans no longer abuse animals, a place where animals are looked up to, a place where humans actually flow peacefully with animals.
Am I just a "romantic" or a "dreamer"? So what if I am? I can still hope and I can still dream, and like Luv pointed out, I will think positive, and I will intend my thoughts to create a world, one in which animals are truly loved. What is important is how YOU treat your own animals. That is what is important, for your actions will teach others who are not treating their animals well, the true way of love for our animals. It all begins with you and with me.
Change starts as a ripple with you as the center point.
i agree completely, garden of eden - i think a lot of people who buy pets at pet stores just don't know that there's a problem with it. if the practice becomes illegal, many people are going to ask why and find out. that alone will open many, many eyes.
puppy mills are in no way comparable to the drug trade - yeah, there probably will be a black market to some extent serving people who want cheaper purebreds, but there will still be purebred, papered puppies available from reputable breeders and dogs of all sorts available from shelters, so it's not like the full on prohibition of illegal drugs. that kind of "black market" already exists to some extent for puppies (bybs and shady internet breeders), and i doubt it will change much with this kind of legislation.
Not to change the route of this post, I just wish on the other hand shelters did not make it so difficult for people to adopt.
I totally understand they have to check if the person will really care for the pet, but just bc one does not have a fenced-in yard or does not stay home 24/7 in my opinion, at least, it is not an excuse for denying someone who is looking to genuinely save and share a life with a furry friend.
I have seen many people discouraged by impossible applications. It is disheartening to see someone who first tries and gets denied at a shelter and buys from a puppy mill or a store.
I am not saying all store buyers do that, but some shelters should encourage serious people to adopt, not shun them...
I agree. That's why all my dogs are adopted from Southern shelters. I refuse to have random visits to my house from well meaning rescue groups.
Possibly a dumb question - but if all the convientent sources of live animals dry up, Were are people supposed to go to get pets? I'm all for rescue and plan to get our dog from the pound. But this whole banning pet store live animal sales sounds like used car folks trying to ban the production of new cars. Over time, The used car market can't exist w/o the new, right? What about turtles, and smal companion animals? Where would people go to get them. It all sounds a bit drastic.
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. What I was trying to convey is that mind over matter is something I believe in, and if enough of us intend, believe in, and work toward change, it will happen a lot faster than if we sit in doubt and emanate hopelessness. Yes, I've been accused of being a "New Age Hippie" more times than I care to recount, LOL...call me crazy, but I completely believe thoughts manifest themselves physically...! Sorry to get a little off-topic here, but I believe we are the architects of our own existence...we create and construct our lives based on our thoughts, and collectively-speaking, we can create massive change if we are all on the same page. Hard work can not be avoided, of course, we need to take personal action through things like rescue, donations, and educating others whenever we can about what we have learned, but having the solid belief and positivity behind these actions makes them stronger!
