This is in regard to the proposal to ban the retail sale of dogs and cats in Burbank. Best Friends Animal Society wholeheartedly supports this proposal.
Pet mills supply nearly 100% of U.S. pet stores. In these factory-like facilities, profit and maximum productivity take priority over the health and welfare of the animals. Pet stores that obtain their animals from mills are not an asset to the community. There are frequent reports of these animals having congenital or communicable diseases that cause heartache for unsuspecting customers who believe they are buying a pet from the best source possible.
Those who benefit most from pet sales in pet stores are the retailers themselves. While they may profit from buying inexpensive puppies from out-of-state brokers and then selling them at a high price, typically without first spaying or neutering them, it is the taxpaying public who pays for animal control to house and euthanize unwanted animals in the community.