Los Angeles Bans Commercially-Bred Dog Sales

Los Angeles City Council has just made it illegal for pet shops to sell dogs and cats from commercial breeders (report here). The shops will now be reliant on selling stray animals from shelters.

This is very good news. In terms of the local problem it may be a small step and the trade in commercially-bred dogs can easily move just outside the city boundaries but this is the first time anywhere in the world that I have heard of any real move against the industry that fuels the stray dog problem.

At present, the aim of the commercial breeders seems to be to produce as many fluffed-up, adorable puppies as they can without considering the animal’s upbringing in terms of good preparation for being a pet, and then to encourage as many impulse buys as possible with no consideration given to the suitability of the buyer. Worldwide this is a major cause of pet dog abandonment with the owner ill-prepared for the responsibility and the dog ill-prepared for the lifestyle. Then there is the question of what happens to the unsold puppies, which in some cases are known to be simply abandoned at a very young age.

So, well done Los Angeles. Let’s hope other places follow their lead unless the pet dog trade makes serious efforts to improve itself. 

Learn more about the lives and issue of unowned dogs in my e-book ”A Stray View” available from Bangkok Books (readable as .pdf on any computer)