Do you want to help those who irresponsibly breed animals for profit or do you want to help pets? It’s a movement right now, a wave of change. Over one hundred pet stores across Canada have shown leadership and set an example by pledging not to sell animals. More cities are banning the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores, and Craigslist and the classified site BuySellTrade.ca have joined the ban. This is great, as it cuts off a major source of income for puppy mills who used to sell their puppies and kittens in pet stores, and at the same time boosts animal adoptions in shelters and rescue groups, and reduces euthanasia of animals across Canada. There are too many healthy and friendly animals waiting to be adopted. On the other hand, there are too many animals sold on your site with health problems, often because of the conditions under which they are raised and bred. There are too many Kijiji users being cheated by irresponsible animal breeders. There are too many people who bought their beloved pet on Kijiji only to discover, to their great distress, that it was sick, and then discover that the seller had disappeared. Buyers risk a great deal of heartache, frustration, and expense when buying a pet from Kijiji. But if you want, you can change all that. Take for instance the Town of Mount Royal in Quebec. Last week, Mount Royal Town Council presented a notice of motion stipulating that businesses in Mount Royal specializing in the sale of pets will no longer be able to sell cats, dogs and rabbits that have not been spayed or neutered. In addition, pet shops will be required to source the dogs, cats and rabbits they sell only from shelters and animal rescue organizations, and to exclude commercial breeders from their suppliers – a first in Quebec! “These new rules are part of the worldwide movement to protect animals and recognize their rights,” said Mount Royal Mayor Philippe Roy. “They are an acknowledgement of the responsibility shared by all – government, cities and animal owners – to adopt a regulatory framework that favours the welfare of pets.” Mayor Philippe Roy also signed this petition. He’s adding his voice to the 6 public figures and 31 organizations who support this campaign, to the 6 companies who pulled their ads from Kijiji’s pet sales pages, and to the 103,800 individuals who signed this petition. So Kijiji, answer this simple question: Do you want to help those who irresponsibly breed animals for profit or do you want to help pets? Barbara Lapointe PS: I invite you to ask this question to Kijiji via Facebook, Twitter or email: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kijiji.ca Twitter: @Kijiji Twitter: @RichelleParham (Chief Marketing Officer for eBay North America (eBay owns Kijiji) Email: mtitus@environicspr.com (public relations for Kijiji) Email: vmigliacci@capital-image.com (public relations for Kijiji) Email: vbeauchamp@capital-image.com (public relations for Kijiji) Send me Kijiji’s answer at barbara@petfoster.org and I'll post your news as an update on the petition page.