In 2010, Richmond became the first city in Canada to ban sales of dogs and cats in pet stores. Since then, Toronto, Mississauga and, most recently, Kingston (which has also banned the sales of rabbits) have all followed suit. I propose that Oshawa be the next city to ban not only cats, dogs and rabbits but all animals (big and small) from pet stores.

By supporting your local shelters and rescues, not only will you save the lives of animals but you will also help to keep the pet population down and prevent cruelty to animals.

When purchasing an animal from a pet store, this is what you are supporting (excerpt taken from http://cfhs.ca/athome/puppy_mills/):

Many pet store puppies are born to suffering, malnourished dogs in puppy mills. The females used for breeding are bred every heat possible, resulting in two litters a year until they are six to eight years old when they are often killed because they are too worn out to produce anymore.

Puppy mill owners are intent on keeping costs down to increase the profits of their puppy sales. Dogs are, therefore, kept in unsanitary cages, often in cages or crates where they hardly have room to move. In some of the worst mills wire cages are often stacked on top of each other and excrement falls through from one cage to the next resulting in dogs with matted fur coated in feces and urine.

In other mills, dogs are kept in stalls thick with excrement or in crates hanging from the ceiling. They are fed just enough to keep them alive, and the food is the cheapest the owner can find. The dogs rarely get necessary veterinary treatment, so preventable diseases can run rampant through puppy mills. (Canadian Federation of Humane Societies)

Unfortunately, space is limited in shelters, and many animals are euthanized if they are not adopted within a certain amount of time. Rescuing a pet from a reputable shelter or pet rescue (this does not include Craigslist, Kijiji or a farm) and not buying your pet from a pet store will save the lives of thousands of animals a year. Statistics Canada and the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies state that in Canada approximately 220,000 cats and dogs enter shelters each year, and approximately 80,000 cats and dogs are euthanized by shelters annually. We can bring these numbers down by banning the sales of all pets in pet stores. Remember, shelters rescue more than just dogs or cats; birds, horses, guinea pigs, hamsters, reptiles, farm animals and all kinds of other animals are rescued and waiting to find their loving forever home.

Let's make a difference in the lives of animals. Please support me in working to ban the sales of all animals from pet stores in the City of Oshawa.