Please help Vernon residents secure a ban on the sale of live animals in pet stores

Many dogs sold in Canadian pet stores are brought into Canada through dog brokers in the United States.  Dogs bred and acquired through these brokers often suffer terrible neglect.  The same conditions can be found in many Canadian puppy mills.

 

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

 

Three municipalities in Canada have banned, or severely restricted, the sale of puppies  in pet stores: first was Richmond, BC; then Toronto (which also banned cat sales), followed by Mississauga, ON.

 

So the City of Vernon, BC, would be in good company should Council decide to restrict pet stores to adoptions through rescue groups and shelters.

 

Gina, a resident of Vernon made a presentation to Council last week, asking Council to consider a similar ban.

Vernon City Council is meeting again on January 28, 2013 to examine the impact such a decision would have on the City’s existing bylaws.

Your voice would be much appreciated.  Please phone or send a polite letter or email to Council (an example is below), urging them to take this important step forward – a complete ban on the sale of all live animals.  Let them know that you believe animals should be adopted only through rescue groups and shelters, not purchased in a store like a widget.

 

If you’d like to see Gina’s submission to Council, check out page 39 – 48 via this link: http://www.vernon.ca/images/uploads/council/agendas/packages/130114_1.pdf

 

Thank you for speaking out for the animals!

 

Lia and the AAC crew

 

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Contact Info for the City of Vernon

City Hall: 8:30 am – 4:30pm, Monday to Friday
3400 30th Street
Vernon, BC
V1T 5E6

 

250-545-1361
Fax: 250-545-7876

 

Mayor Robert Sawatzky
250-550-3508
mayor@vernon.ca

 

Patrick Nicol:
Cell: 250-550-6823
pnicol@vernon.ca

 

Juliette Cunningham:
Cell: 250-309-2432
jcunningham@vernon.ca

 

Catherine Lord:
Cell: 250-309-1685
clord@vernon.ca

 

Bob Spiers :
250-549-2819
bspiers@vernon.ca

 

Brian Quiring:
Cell: 250-309-2861
bquiring@vernon.ca

 

Mary-Jo O’Keefe :
Cell: 250-540-0634
mokeefe@vernon.ca

 

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Sample letter

 

Dear Mayor and Members of Council,

I write to express my support for the creation of a bylaw in the City of Vernon that will ban the retail sale of live animals on all commercial and public properties.  I strongly urge you take steps to make this issue a priority and make this bylaw a reality.

Why?

- To remove an outlet of puppy mill (or kitten factory) sales and curb impulse pet purchases, both of which play significant roles in pet overpopulation; after all, hundreds of pets are euthanized each year in our city alone simply because they are “unwanted”.

- To combat the perception that companion animals are commodities, promoting the responsible procurement and ownership of pets.

- Vernon would not be the first: Richmond, BC’s ban took effect April 2011, and in September 2011 Toronto’s bylaw passed unanimously.  In the United States, more than a dozen cities already have retail pet sale bans in place, including Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Austin, Texas.  In April 2012, the city of Los Angeles passed a ban on the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits. Laguna Beach, CA followed on May 2, 2012 with a ban on the retail sale of dogs and cats.

Benefits

Retail pet sale bans have been shown to contribute to an increase in pet adoptions and a decrease in the euthanization of unwanted pets – two improvements that will directly financially benefit our city’s Animal & Bylaw Services, as well as help ease the burden of the several local rescue agencies that routinely find themselves at capacity.

Retail Pet Sales

The commercial sale of pets is not permitted by breeding organizations such as the Canadian Kennel Club, which explicitly prohibits their members from providing puppies to stores, auctions, or other retail outlets.  Therefore, the question remains: if not from members of established breeding clubs, where do retail stores get their animals? 

Consumers

The point of the bylaw is not to limit one’s ability to obtain a pet, nor to handicap retailers (several pet retailers have been very successful not selling pets), but rather to improve the way residents think and act with respect to pet ownership and care.  Greater visibility of adoptable pets, together with education, benefits both Vernon pets and their owners.  Even with a ban there will still be no shortage of available dogs and cats.

I thank you very much for your consideration of this issue and I look forward to seeing it discussed formally by City Council in the near future.

Best regards,

Name: _____________________________________

Street Address:  ______________________________

Toronto Animal Services takes pet microchipping on the road

News Release
September 20, 2012 


Toronto Animal Services takes pet microchipping on the road

Identifying pets is one of the most important ways a pet owner can ensure a pet is returned home if it ever strays from sight. Toronto Animal Services wants to ensure that as many pets as possible get identified.

To promote pet identification, Toronto Animal Services presents The Chip Truck - A mobile licence and microchip clinic for your pet.

Toronto residents can visit the Chip Truck to purchase a City of Toronto licence and a microchip for only $20 for cats and $30 for dogs. If a pet already has a City of Toronto license, it can be microchipped for only $5 (with proof of a current City of Toronto pet licence).

The Chip Truck will be at the following locations on these dates, and it's open for everyone:
 
Saturday, September 22: Trinity Bellwoods Park (Queen Street West and Strachan Avenue) at the Canadian Kennel Club's Responsible Dog Ownership event from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, September 29: Allan Gardens Park (Carlton Street and Homewood Avenue) from 1 to 4 p.m.
 
Sunday, September 30: Jane/Finch Mall parking lot (Jane Street and Finch Avenue) from 1 to 4 p.m.

No appointment is necessary. All dogs must be on a leash and all cats must be properly contained in a carrier. Pet owners are asked to bring a piece of photo identification with address.

A microchip is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog or cat, usually on the back of the neck between the shoulder blades. The chip is about the size of a large grain of rice, and uses passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.

Animal shelters, animal care and control officers and veterinarians routinely look for microchips to return lost pets quickly to their owners. Toronto Animal Services places chips in all animals adopted through its shelters.

Animals being microchipped at the Chip Truck will be microchipped by a Toronto Animal Services veterinarian. After checking that the animal does not already have a chip, the vet will inject the chip with a syringe and record the chip's unique identification. No anaesthetic is required, and a test scan will ensure the chip is operating correctly.

Toronto Animal Services will register all microchips with 24 Pet Watch. Pet owners are responsible for maintaining up to date contact information with 24 Pet Watch throughout the life of the pet, including owner contact information, pet name and description, veterinarian contact information, and an alternate emergency contact. 24 Pet Watch provides 24-hour, toll-free telephone and online service for the life of the pet.

The owner receives a registration certificate directly from 24 Pet Watch with the chip identification and recovery service contact information. The certificate serves as proof of ownership and is transferred with the animal if and when the animal goes to a new owner.

Authorities and shelters examine strays for chips, providing the recovery service with the identification number, description and location so they may notify the owner or contact. An owner can also report a missing pet to the recovery service, as vets look for chips in new animals and check with the recovery service to see if it has been reported lost or stolen.

Information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/animalservices.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.7 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Media contact: Bruce Hawkins, Senior Communications Coordinator, 416-392-3496, bhawkin@toronto.ca