No pet store puppies.
Stop the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores. Thousands of dogs and cats are killed every year in King County while a few pet stores continue to create a monetary incentive for breeders to keep churning out puppies and kittens. The American Kennel Club recommends that if you want to buy a purebred dog, you should go to the breeders home, inspect the facilities, ask questions, and verify all the paperwork. Pet stores don't allow you to do this. At best, pet stores are contributing to the overpopulation of pets when thousands are still ending up in shelters for want of a good home. At worst, they are supporting puppy mills and their inhumane conditions. Pet stores that sell cats and dogs offer no way for you to verify that their puppies and kittens were produced humanely. Further, this practice is not necessary for a pet supply store to do a profitable business. Most pet stores have already agreed that selling puppies and kittens is the wrong thing to do. If you need a new companion animal, visit your local shelter. Send a message to the Burien City Council that we should stop the practice of selling puppies and kittens in pet stores. The City of West Hollywood has recently passed an ordinance banning such sales. Let's follow their lead in helping our furry friends.
Mayor McGilton and Council Members, please follow the lead of West Hollywood, and ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores. When King County is facing a crisis in Animal Control, we don't need some pet stores adding to the population of pets in our town. Most pet stores make a profit without having to resort to the exploitation of puppies and kittens. The Humane Society and the American Kennel Club agree that buying puppies in pet stores is not the best way to go. Let Burien take the lead in animal welfare in Washington State by banning the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores, based on the West Hollywood model.
