San Francisco Passes Law Enforcing All Pet Shops To Only Sell Rescue Dogs And Cats

February 18, 2017

Most animal lovers are horrified at the thought of keeping their beloved family pet in a cage for a second — let alone a week, month or even years.

That's why San Francisco officials have voted to ban the sale of non-rescue dogs and cats at pet shops.

The amendment aims to tackle the prevalence of large-scale puppy mills, while helping to facilitate the adoption of thousands of animals already occupying the city's shelters.

The proposed ordinance does not prevent responsible breeders from doing business in the city. People can still adopt from local shelters or find a specific breed from any number of breed-specific rescues serving the area. Instead, the ordinance is designed to bring attention to and halt the inhumane and deceptive practices of large-scale breeding operations that supply animals to pet stores and directly to consumers online.

"Pet shops' greed fuels the cruel commercial breeding industry that keeps female dogs and cats prisoner inside filthy wire cages – whose only purpose is to churn out litters of inbred puppies and kittens who are then taken away from them, transported hundreds of miles, and sold," PETA's Mimi Bekhechi told The Independent.

"The city has recognized that animals are not commodities and that there's a direct link between the industry and the millions of dogs and cats in shelters around the world who are euthanised each year because there aren't enough good homes for them all."