The city of Rock Island recently passed an ordinance to ban the sale of dogs and cats within city limits.  The goal of this petition is to bring attention to Moline’s city council in order to pass a similar ordinance.

Between 2 million and 4 million dogs are born in U.S. puppy mills every year, according to the Humane Society of the United States, and many of those dogs end up in pet stores.  The aim of an ordinance would be to increase the adoption of animals from shelters, thereby reducing the number of shelter animals from being euthanized, while diminishing the market for animals from substandard breeding facilities that supply some pet stores.

After the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico banned sales of "companion animals," including cats and dogs, in 2006, the city saw an increase of animal adoptions by 23 percent and euthanasia at city shelters decreased by 35 percent.  By stopping pet shops from selling dogs and cats, you reduce the demand for puppy-mill puppies and kitty-mill kittens.

Moline is a humane city and its policies toward animals should reflect that.  The city of Moline should follow the lead of many other cities throughout the country to promote the adoption of rescued animals thereby reducing the demand for inhumane puppy and kitten mills.