Editorial: Pet store ban needs neutering



Everyone is against cruelty to animals, but San Francisco is barking up the wrong tree with its proposal to ban the sale of pets in that city.



Proposed legislation would prohibit the sale of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish in a bid to prevent cruelty to the menagerie of animals on offer in the city’s pet stores. But such thin logic is the same kind of thinking that would call for the removal of cars from the roads because of rising numbers of speeders.



The law would allow residents to own pets — they just couldn’t buy them within the boundaries of the city. And so we’re left to wonder: How does the law prevent abuse? Presumably, folks looking for a pet could simply drive outside the city and make their purchase.



Promoters of the measure say it would cut down on impulse buying, where shoppers walk away with a pet without thinking of the long-term commitments. They also say it would send a strong message to the puppy and cat mills often accused of moving their animals through pet shops.



It’s a noble sentiment, but advocates are insulting pet buyers by assuming they can’t be counted on to live up to their obligations. Perhaps more troubling still, they’re condemning every pet store in the city as a front for breeders who mistreat their animals.



We suggest education and better enforcement of existing laws as a wiser way of putting abusers on a short leash.

www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/Editorial+store+needs+neutering/5025801/story.html?cid=megadrop_story

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