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Proposed ban on furry pets bred in large facilities only start of effort to protect animals in Boston, officials say
By adamg on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 2:45pm
MSPCA staffer testifies with aid of adorably cute - but also ill - little puppy dog.
The Boston City Council could vote as early as Wednesday on a proposed and now fast-tracked measure that would ban pet stores from selling puppies, kittens and rabbits raised by large commercial breeders - and ban everybody from selling pets by the side of the road.
At a hearing this morning, ISD Commissioner William Christopher praised City Councilor Matt O'Malley's proposal, which would make Boston the first Massachusetts community to ban such sales, but said he is already looking at taking the regulations even further, by trying to regulate people who breed animals for sale in their homes in Boston.
Meanwhile, City Councilor Mark Ciommo of Allston/Brighton vowed to vote against the measure unless a way is found to grandfather the Pet Store on Harvard Avenue in Allston, whose owner, Jim Gentile, sells rabbits he breeds himself. The Pet Store is currently the only store in the entire city that would be immediately affected by the proposed "puppy mill bill."
"I just can't support it when it's targeting one person," especially not a person who he said has been a valued member of the Allston business community for 40 years, he said.
Ciommo added he feels the measure as written would only encourage a black market in pet sales and that he would object to any vote on Wednesday because councilors have not had a chance to study the measure in depth and comment on it - O'Malley introduced the proposal only last week.
Officials from both the MSPCA and the Animal Rescue League of Boston, however, both strongly supported the measure, which they said would be another step towards protecting consumers who may not realize the pets they're buying from pet stores are sick or traumatized - and would especially help protect animals by reducing demands for pets bred in inhumane factories in the Midwest, in particular in Missouri.
Pet stores would still be free to sell puppies, kittens and rabbits obtained from local animal shelters. Mary Nee, Animal Rescue League president, says her group now works with Petcos in Norwood and Dedham to offer such pets to customers.
One staffer at the MSPCA's Angell Animal Medical Center testified with the help of Hope, a sick puppy whose initial owners bought her for $500 in the parking lot of an area Wal-Mart - and who soon gave her up to the MSPCA, which she said has now spent $1,000 trying to diagnose, so far unsuccessfully, what is wrong with her.
O'Malley said he could no longer simply ignore the "large factories that breed animals as if they were cogs on an assembly line."
Amanda Kennedy, Boston's director of animal care and control, said equally important would be to give city inspectors and police a way to punish people found selling pets out of the backs of trucks - or, as in one recent case, out of a duffel bag in Downtown Crossing.
Chistopher, her boss, added that he wants to see a phase 2 to the proposal - in which his inspectors could gain the right to ensure that pets actually bred in Boston are humanely treated. He did agree with Ciommo that any such ordinance would face the same issue as the city's current ban on more than four students living together - what to do if a property owner refuses to let an inspector onto his or her property.
Christopher said that at present, his inspectors have no authority to inspect pet stores or breeders.
He added he would also like to see regulation of some sort of dog walkers, who currently do not have to show any evidence of ability to handle several dogs at once.
O'Malley's proposal calls for fines for anybody found selling puppy-mill animals.
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Comments
So it's currently not illegal
So it's currently not illegal to sell puppies out of a duffel bag on the street, and there's nothing the city can do about it?
Does that mean it's legal to sell anything at all on the street, without any sort of license? (Excepting, of course, things with specific restrictions or licensing, like food, alcohol, or weapons.)
Once again the City Council
Once again the City Council is set to act hastily to pass a regulation that has little practical effect (1 business) but makes everybody feel good.
Along the way perhaps they can describe the process they would use to ensure that any puppies that are sold do not come from "puppy mills". Who will inspect the breeders, how often, what are the standards?
The same applies to breeders who live in Boston.
There are many issues facing the city. This one is so low on the list of priorities as to be laughable.
If they are concerned about the city residents perhaps they could address: the inability of inspectors to gain access to houses and apartments that are overcrowded, the continual expansion of tax free property in the city, the increasing lack of affordable housing in the city, the colleges that admit more students than they can house, or any of a number of other real issues that impact every citizen every day.
Perhaps if they address important issues in a meaningful manner they will actually become relevant
I'm a city resident and 100%
I'm a city resident and 100% support this measure. The Council should look out for the well-being of its animals and also its shelters that bear the financial brunt of these practices, nevermind the moral implications of telling these puppy mill shops that they are not welcome here.
It's a good start, but this
It's a good start, but this really needs to include parrots as well. A pet shop environment isn't any better for them than it is for dogs. And, unlike puppies, it's still quite common to find parrots being sold in pet shops. (The Petco in Allston and the Petsmart near Alewife both sell parrots.)
I know I'm going to make someone angry.
BUT, I'm going to write to my councilor and the at-large councilors asking them to support this effort.
Why would someone get angry?
Why would someone get angry? Oh, the guy that breeds rabbits? I wonder if anyone has inspected his facility where he keeps his rabbits.
He'd be first on my list.
Yes, this hopefully will pass
Yes, this hopefully will pass.
Humans can be so awful.
Didn't know pets are allowed
Didn't know pets are allowed at city hall. Neat.
For $10, you can buy a "service dog" vest and take them anywhere
For $10, you can buy a "service dog" vest and take your dog anywhere. Who in their right mind would ever question it, knowing the media and perhaps City Council shaming they'd face if by chance the dog owner has a doctor's note. A man I know bought a vest for his dog and brings it into high end bars and restaurants, relishing his celebrity status as the dog (no training) eats off of human dinnerware.
no subject
Price of Tea in China
Can our neoPuritan council
Can our neoPuritan council ban chewing gum, comic books, nips, dancing, and premarital sex already and be done with it?
It irritates me they have time for hearings on thks nonsense but can't be bothered looking into predatory rental centers, check cashing establishments, and payday loan providers. You know the real shady businesses ruining lives in the city.
Guess they need another pay raise to get focused on serious business.
Epizootic
You know what that means?
There is one going on right now, in Massachusetts, and it is being spread by "informal" sales of animals.
If you're worried about Parvo
If you're worried about Parvo, don't let your dog eat shit.
How ignorant
I don't have a dog.
You clearly don't understand the vectors if that's all you have to say: http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_26359686/vaccinate-your-dog-15-...
ew
that shirt is disgusting
What are you 12 years old?
Is that really necessary?
well, the shirt is gross
no more or less necessary than your reply, or any remark on this blog ever
And yet after a non sequitur
And yet after a non sequitur on this woman's appearance, some people still wonder why feminism is necessary
actually
i thought that was a man until you said anything
No, It's Not Gross
It's a perfectly nice, clean-looking, well-fitting, respectable shirt by all objective standards. You don't like the color so you get all insulting to a young woman, who is simply doing her job as an advocate for animals — because you feel entitled to make snide remarks about women based on your superior taste. Who are you? Karl Lagerfeld? What are your fashion and stylist credentials?
Or perhaps you're jealous that she has a soft, silky, goldenrod-colored shirt and you don't. Could be that.
I don't know what your problem is, but it's clear you have one. And, ew, it's gross.
Her name is Alyssa
I have volunteered at MSPCA-Angell for the past 3 years, and sometimes interact with Alyssa, the shelter manager who is the woman in this photo. She comes to work at 6/6:30am most days and works 12 hours days. She feeds the animals, walks dogs and changes litter boxes, meets with those who want to adopt and counsels them to make sure it's a good fit, monitors the animals' medical needs, analyzes cats and dogs behavioral needs and identifies what needs to happen to make them adoptable, coordinates with local shelters/rescues to take animals when we're over flowing and vice versa, and organizes fosters placements for animals who are unhappy in the shelter and need a quiet space. On top of that she manages the center's supplies, oversees staff, handles volunteer concerns, attends MSPCA-Angell fundraisers and promotes adoptable pets on the MSPCA social media channels.
She is incredibly overworked and probably underpaid, and yet she is always very kind to me when I have to ask her a question, even though she no doubt has 100 other things to do.
Both Alyssa, and the shirt, are lovely. And even though your post is mean spirited, I'm glad I have the opportunity to sing the praises of a caring, hard-working woman.
Awww
If you want to persuade people bring a puppy.
Irresistable bundle of cuteness
Why, yes, I did take way too many photos (although, to be honest, was just trying to get one with the puppy's face showing).
Street Dogs From Mexico Sold by Animal Rescue "Shelters"
Remember the vans of dogs driven up to be sold in Massachusetts? Dogs without vaccinations picked up in Mexico and brought to the US to be sold as "rescue" dogs?
The puppy at the CIty Council Meeting is cute, but let's hear how "puppy mill" is defined. Where are these "factories" of which Matt O'Malley speaks?
I am a dog owner and my wonderful dog was born on a commercial breeding (family-run) farm. Healthy and fully up to date on vaccinations when sold.
Consider the "rescue dog" industry.
well you know
multiple sources can contribute to a problem lol
Doesn't take much to google it
There has been an outbreak of Parvo in dogs coming from central Massachusetts. One such Parvo factory belongs to the wife of the Pepperell animal officer.
https://www.google.com/search?q=massachusetts+parvo+outbreak+puppy+mills...
You don't have to look far or much beyond Craigslist. Puppy mills are everywhere. We aren't talking Daisy Hill Puppy Farm here, either - we are talking crowded conditions and failure to get vet health certificates as required by Massachusetts law.
You can go back to covering your eyes and saying "lalalalalalalalala" now. At least rescue dogs are vetted and fixed! I'd be VERY interested to see your sources on "dogs driven up from Mexico". I wouldn't be too surprised if you didn't have any to offer.
Where do pet shops get their puppies?
http://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/33002-4-SF.pdf
you're full of it
Most rescue dog operations are volunteer efforts.It's not an "industry" if one is not attempting to turn a profit. My wife and I volunteer at a shelter and have two rescue dogs. One spent seven YEARS on a chain outside, 24/7/365. Her legs are deformed from her inability to even walk due to the chain. Ever seen a dog limp? The other was used as a breeder. These dogs are inbred to the point of horrible deformities and genetic defects, cleft palates, no teeth, on and on. When they reach the pet stores, there is rarely any vet care to them, that reduces the net income. For some reason, the Amish have decided that dogs should be livestock and not family pets. Lancaster County, PA alone has over 240 farms set up as mills with dogs subject to unspeakable cruelty before they are shipped all over the East Coast. The Midwest and Missouri are loaded with these places.Some meth labs have actually discovered that they can make nearly as much money breeding dogs and not risk arrest.(Pet shop pays a hundred bucks and charges thousands.Dog ends up costing thousands from heartbroken owner for vet bills.) Spend some time on Google.Some of the deformed puppies are used as bait dogs to turn otherwise docile dogs into bloodthirsty beasts in a process that confounds the imagination in its savagery. This bill is a no brainer.
Seriously!
I also work at a shelter - and let me tell you, it's SO much better to adopt than to get from a breeder. Yes, growing up my family was guilty of getting dogs from breeders (a "champion" black lab one, and a farm Bernese mountain dog), but we have since gotten all rescues. It's amazing what people don't see when they get from breeders. My dad and stepmom have a dog that was used as a puppy mill breeding dog, who had only stood on chicken wire before they adopted her. She had no idea what grass was. Dogs that aren't given these chances to live are just thrown away. This bill is amazing.
Also, like aging cynic said, there's SO many places like that in PA. I grew up there, and it's crazy what people will do.
Why is it always a Shelter Vs Breeder thing?
First up... Adopting or Rescue is, and will always be the most humane thing you can do. No one in their right mind would ever argue this.
But I always take issue with the notion that dog breeding (obviously, responsible dog breeding) is ALWAYS the wrong choice over adoption. This line of dialogue usually extends to the false notion that all dog breeders are basically puppy mills, which is simply not true.
[Responsible] dog breeding is still incredibly important for a variety of reasons, including the maintenance of breeds (though, I will say for the record that I do take issue with breeders who propagate aesthetic traits at the cost of dog's health. Pugs and Dalmatians come to mind), providing suitable and temperament tested dogs for the right home, and (and this is a big one) providing working dogs for those who need it. A great example would be service dogs... which... yes, you can in theory train a shelter dog for service dog work, but typically, service dogs come from a breeder... because as you well know, hereditary traits play a big role in a dog's temperament. And unfortunately, those traits in shelter dogs are rarely known, making the proposition of acquiring and training for service dog work (eg: seeing eye, balance/stability, alert dogs, etc) is dicey, at best. Additionally, responsible breeders contracts always come with a clause that stipulates that if the owner where to ever have to give up the dog, it goes right back to the breeder to either live with them, or be re-homed, therefore, not to be a burden on the overpopulated shelters.
The reason I take issue with the villainization all dog breeders is because acquiring a dog from a responsible breeder can be an incredibly involved and confusing process. A lot of this is the fault of the breeders themselves, as I find that they tend to exist in a bubble, and can be difficult to contact - where puppy mills are ridiculously easy to find (just google "puppies for sale!"). A lot of people don't know what to look for in a breeder, what the signs of a poor breeder are, which is - I feel - probably a big reason for those dogs ending up in your shelter in the first place. I'm pretty involved in a local breeding community (Mayflower club of NE), and we're actively working on trying to make this information more widely available, but by basically saying that breeding is a poor option does a disservice to dogs as a whole.
Like I said, for a vast majority of would-be dog owners out there, yes... adoption is the right choice. BUT, I don't believe responsible dog breeders is really the enemy here, nor should it be cast as such. I think we can all agree that any breeding facility that breeds at the cost of dog's health (ie: puppy mills) IS the real enemy, and rather than saying "BUYING DOGS IS BAD," that being able to actually educate people on the pros and cons of both would be far better for everyone involved.
There are many legitimate
There are many legitimate rescue organizations doing great work. There are also legitimate and responsible small-scale breeders. Neither of these two entities are the problem. The problem is large-scale puppy mills and the pet shops that almost exclusively source their animals from them. This issue is beyond well-documented and a factual reality for everyone except those with a financial incentive to obfuscate. Rescues and small-scale breeders are not affected by this proposed ordinance for that reason. Nor are the pet shops that do not sell live animals and do very well.
And water is wet!
Oh yeah, that was never in question. My point didn't really have anything to do with the proposed ban, which I obviously wholly support.
I think the issue is that you
I think the issue is that you responded to a comment thread that started with the headline 'Street Dogs From Mexico Sold by Animal Rescue "Shelters",' which implied that all rescues are a sham. So this particular thread is very much about rescue vs breeding, while the rest of the comments might not be.
Do you know how many people
Do you know how many people just think that they'll breed their dog, not having a clue what is involved? I hear it so many times.
Yes, I do plan on getting another purebred from a breeder - so I do believe it can be done right. The problem is, they breeders you and I are talking about are rarer than the dope that has a dog and thinks a.) it's cute so we should breed it and get more!, or b.) here's a way for a quick buck.
Neither of these people are breeders, they are irresponsible people and that is why we need these laws
Allow for responsible breeders to do their thing. If they are in it for love of the breed, then they will have no qualms about inspections, filings, etc. The breeders I know would applaud this if it leads to the final national ban on puppy mills, etc...
Believe you/me, I am well aware
If I had a nickel each time someone asks me if I am planning on breeding my dogs, I could buy two large pepperonis and a coke (man, that doesn't sound impressive at all). And each time I'm asked, I have to resist the urge to facepalm myself so hard, the city block shatters.
But, again, that's not my point here (and exactly what have I said above that suggests I'm opposed to this bill?). My point is that basically villainizing what is very much the cornerstone of dog development is extremely irresponsible. It's the equivalent of proclaiming "Fire is bad." I'm a big proponent of actually educating would-be owners, because... as you pointed out, the average person thinks getting puppies is as easy as putting two dogs in a room together. And, cuz that's important knowledge for any prospective dog owner to have.
Do you know how many people
double post
So little knowledge
I am yet another person that volunteers at a rescue organization and it's pretty clear you have no idea how all this works.
When a rescue org takes in a dog from outside of MA, first it has to be quarantined for a period of time (2 weeks? not sure). All dogs are checked by a vet, given shots, and possibly neutered. Sometimes we'll spend a lot of money to help out a dog's issues. For example, a dog may need surgery to fix a leg, or an eye, or any other body part. Yes, it's crazy, but we do it.
We regularly take dogs from the midwest and have recently taken in a lot of dogs from Jamaica. They all go thru the same process. Are you guaranteed a perfect dog? Of course not, mostly because there is no such thing, whether the dog comes from an AKC breeder or from the streets of Jamaica. The bottom line is that the dog was in a bad situation and we can help the dog find a home.
Thank you to you and all who
Thank you to you and all who work with rescues for I don't have the emotional strength for it.
I will be forever grateful to those who do this hard work. Most of my dogs have been rescues, my current is from the south. I believe a lot of these Satos come from P.R. and I believe mine is a product of that. I'm seeing more and more around here.
I am a very strong person. I've lived through much in my lifetime that others would never have to deal with. But in a rescue situation I would fall apart first glimpse of neglect and abuse. Those that can deal with this are amazing people that I will always be thankful for.
If you ever change your mind
If you ever change your mind on this, there are local organizations where you can go play with dogs, feed them, walk them, and not have to deal with the heartbreaking side of the rescue world. My wife and I used to work with an organization that dealt exclusively with PR Satos, and now we work with a different group whose dogs mostly come from Tennessee and Arkansas. When we worked with the Puerto Rican dogs there were occasional scars and other signs of abuse that could be hard to deal with, while now we just get dogs that need love and attention. The hard part happens in the source shelters down south where these dogs come from, but as a local volunteer, you wouldn't be exposed to that.
The Pet Store is currently
The Pet Store is currently the only store in the entire city that would be immediately affected by the proposed "puppy mill bill."
Good. That store is disgusting - dark and cramped and dirty. How is that a healthy environment for animals? Why should he be allowed to keep doing it? Because he's done it for 40 years? 40 years ago it was okay to leave your dog outside on a rope 24/7 and dump it off in the woods when you didn't want it anymore - hopefully nowadays we have a slightly more compassionate view towards animals who depend on us for their welfare.
There are tons of rabbits in rescues and shelters right now, needing homes. People should be directed towards them. I've always gotten my pets from rescues, or shelters, or when my asshole neighbors decided they didn't want to deal with an animal anymore and kicked it out of their house.... but I've noticed there's a lot of stigma against shelter animals up here in the Northeast. A coworker of mine spent 700$ on a puppy that probably came in from PA or MO and had a ton of health issues, when she could've gotten one from a rescue that'd been vetted and checked out and came with a personal history from the fosterer. Blew my mind.
Adam, one detail -- when Petco, Petsmart, etc, allows rescues to come in, they are not "selling" the animals... they usually grant the rescue some space in the store for free, for the rescue to seek adoptions (which may or may not have a fee from the rescue agency). The stores make no profit except on the pet stuff they sell to adopters. It's a great win-win, actually, the rescue gets their animals in front of crowds and when Little Billy and Suzie pick out a brand new kitten, they're already in the store to get all the stuff Mittens needs.
Needs a stop!
There is a huge number of animal cruelty all around. In Hyde Park someone has numerous rabbits that tends to come out mainly in warmer temperatures. They have a lack of attention the back yards looks like a junk yard full of lettuce. These people should have license in this situation. I feel sorry for these rabbits.