Miami places moratorium on new puppy stores

[alp227]

Source: miami herald

Miami commissioners on Monday voted to establish a six-month moratorium on the retail sale of dogs in order to investigate whether pet shops in the city are getting their canines from puppy mills.

The moratorium and investigation could lead to a vote on an outright ban of the storefront sale of dogs and cats in Miami. Commissioner Francis Suarez, who brought the issue to the commission, stressed that the moratorium won’t affect any currently operating pet shops.

“This is something I think is the right thing to do,” said Suarez.

There are currently nine pet shops in the city, according to Suarez. He said code enforcement officers will visit pet shops in order to find the source of shopkeepers’ animals. A spokesman for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida said the dogs are coming from puppy mills, commercial breeding facilities accused of systematically abusing animals.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article2294530.html

[Omaha Steve]

1. WOW!

K&R!

[zonkers]

2. Good sign from a city that lets manatees get run over by jet ski's regularly.

Honestly, I have little faith in anything good happening in that town. Lived there. Amazingly as much as people continue to destroy it, it's still "beautiful".

[Sunlei]

12. Miami is beautiful. What I found scary about Florida is some of the outside counties,

have what I thought of as 'swamp people'.

Lots of kids, and lots of people living on 'hidden' acreage with all kinds of animals in horrid conditions. Even the police were scared to go into those places! I think that's the kind of 'puppy mill' Miami wants to prevent those 9 pet stores from selling for. 9 pet stores will have to buy their pups from all the thousands of "USDA approved puppy mills". The swamp people will have to sell their pups somewhere else.

[zonkers]

14. West Hollywood, CA did away with pet stores all together. Only rescues can be sold.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

8. Didn't you mean BOW WOW!

[seveneyes]

3. Ban all pet breeding until all animal shelters are empty

The suffering is inexcusable.

[roody]

6. +1

[Gemini Cat]

7. Completely agree. +1

[shenmue]

10. DUzy

[WorseBeforeBetter]

15. Agreed. (n/t)

[newfie11]

4. Good

Buy from a reputable breeder.
Reputable breeders will always take one of their pups back no matter how old. None end up in a pound.

[Sunlei]

13. yes, reputable breeders I have bought from- give a lifetime moneyback guarantee.

And even will take back the dog for life, for any reason. They even payback a rebate on the purchase price for every obedience title.

[shenmue]

5. Yay!

[JudyM]

9. Stunning that animal abuse is considered grounds to interfere with commercial interests.

What a great and hope-inspiring action by Suarez.

[Sunlei]

11. yes, but our USDA gives the 'stamp of approval' to hundreds of those 'puppy mills'

The USDA standards are not high to get the USDA permit. The USA approved puppy mills produce about 3 million pups a year. About the same number of dogs, 3 million or so- are 'put to sleep' each year in our dog pounds.