Saturday, April 14, 2012

Outlawing the Sellers to Reduce Pet Abandonment


According to this article, there are so many pets getting abandoned in Louisiana that the state is making the commonplace selling of pets along roadsides, in parks and other public areas illegal. It is felt that these vendors make impulse-buying too easy, which all too frequently results in the eventual abandonment of the animal after the realities of pet ownership sink in. The aim is to ensure that buying a pet is always a considered decision.

My experience of Thailand suggests that this is also a major problem here (and presumably elsewhere as well). Many markets have adorable fluffed up puppies for sale with vendors only interested in making a sale not in the animal’s long-term welfare. Then an estimated 30,000 pet dogs get abandoned to the streets of Bangkok every year. I am convinced there is a very strong link here.

It is perhaps a shame to have to be restrictive in this way but the general public has shown that it can’t be trusted so well done Louisiana for setting an example.

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