San Francisco considers banning the sale of all pets

While I do agree there is a lot of animal suffering in the world with puppy mills and things like that, and measures should be taken to stop it....

Banning the sale of pets is a bad idea.

A very good friend of mine is into pet rescue, and for a while I helped her out. We would rescue the animal, bring it back to health, then put it up for adoption.

We required PAYMENT for that animal. It had nothing to do with recouping the funds that we put up to make it an adoptable animal either. It has to do with the fact that PEOPLE are more likely to appreciate, and take care of something that cost them money. This was something she taught me, and provided examples (she learned the hard way, you don't want to hear them, I promise).

We also required they sign a contract that we were allowed to visit the animal to make sure it was properly cared for (with notice of course, not trying to put people out), and that if at any time they could no longer properly care for the animal, they could return it to us no questions asked, and we would find it a new home.

On a side note, we rescued a Chow at one point, beautiful dog - unfortunately, mean as anything - completely unadoptable. If this dog had ended up at the SPCA, it would've been euthanized. After some research we discovered a place called Friends of Animals in Los Angeles, which is a NO KILL shelter, that accepts unadoptable animals to stay for the rest of their life. They gladly agreed to take the dog, providing we pay for transportation. My friend volunteered and paid out of her own pocket to have the dog flown there from Pennsylvania. She still receives yearly pictures and updates on the dog.

I was on the fence with this. Then I got thinking about this being San Franciso, then I got thinking about the gerbils...

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


Yah just had to go there hey bud LMAO!
Gerbils indeed!
I think that this law may be totally unworkable anyways.
It is too broad and sweeping, as well as it is not within the authority of the council to make such a law i believe.....
Why not just go after the puppy mills?
Youll need a fair number of inspectors to enforce the proposed law, why not simply hire them and cut them loose on the culprits??
Why is it that everyone has to suffer for others criminal behavior?
This reasoning is flawed in the first place!!

reply to post by Erongaricuaro

I honestly do not know which is worse. The fact that you said that, or the fact that I think I know what you're talking about.

Originally posted by Forevever
A very good friend of mine is into pet rescue, and for a while I helped her out. We would rescue the animal, bring it back to health, then put it up for adoption.

Your comment reminded me of something that I read a few days ago.

"Unfortunately, people buy theses wild animals (and) they become too large, so they turn them loose put them in the garbage or do whatever," Hartzler said.
WLWT

Hamilton County sheriff’s officials are trying to figure out a 6-foot-long Burmese python – came to be in the back lot of a fast food restaurant off Beechmont Avenue Thursday.

A Rumpke driver spotted the snake on top of his truck just before 11 a.m. as he loaded the contents of a Dumpster into his vehicle at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Cincinnati

Can we declare Kalifornia its own country and deport all the hippies over to there? They'd have plenty to eat with all the animals running loose because of these moronic laws. Then when all the animals are gone they'll start on each other. Problem solved in about 20 years.

/TOA

As someone pointed out earlier about their rescue, shelters also ask for a fee when adopting out animals. Would this be considered selling, or a form of a donation?

This policy is just lazy politics. First of all, puppy mills are not illegal in all states. And, where they are legal they are not regulated. So, easy fix: can't sell animals. So, in the case of puppy mills, make them all illegal.

I know there are other types of "mills" out there, too, also unregulated. Once you make people pay for licenses, certifications, failed inspection fees, etc., you may have better care for the animals by weeding out the folks who set up a bunch of trailers with no fresh air that throw a bunch of animals in them and say they are a "breeder".

Exotic pet laws are also not the same in all states. Licensing is not the same, either. So, rather than fix all of this, they are just going to make a blanket statement and be done with it.

Originally posted by THE_PROFESSIONAL
But pets are tasty. If your dog bothers me too much I will cook him on a stick and add some BBQ sauce to it I just get hungry looking at any animal. MMMMM good. Kinda ridiculous to ban pets, next step kids.

edit on 27-6-2011 by THE_PROFESSIONAL because: (no reason given)

Soooooooo....I take it the above statement is your sense of humor? I hope you are not serious.

As I understand it...the purpose of the ban is so people will adopt more animals from the shelters...and give them good homes....however....some people that adopt pets are abusive...and that breaks my heart.....I think a very big problem is...screening the potential owners...how can we tell if they are good people or not...

reply to post by NuclearPaul


And of course the ironic thing is that snakes sense heat of living things, and many of them won't eat a dead mouse....though I've known some snake owners could kill the mice themselves, and as long as they threw it in the tank while the mouse was still warm with body heat, then the snake would eat it....Though I'm really not sure if trick works for all snakes, or just some. I do know that a lot of them are extremely picky....Forcing snake owners to feed dead mice that have been in the fridge to a snake, will only have the effect of starving a great many snake to death....which in and of itself seems to be exactly the sort of inhumane treatment this law is trying to prevent! (though the term 'trying to prevent' usually suggests an action that is rational with some chance of working...so perhaps it doesn't apply here!)

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


Well that would really suck if you owned or worked in a Petco or Veterinary office in San Fran. I would imagine in a city that size with all the pet stores and vets you'd be talking thousands of lost jobs.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro

San Francisco is the perfect example of progressives gone wild. Given the high cost of living, sactuary status, circumcision-ban, pet owning ban, . . . . what's next?
I say let then legislate themselves into non-existance. Let them ban people next. Small children, people with short hair, deoderant, who cares.

I wouldn't go there at gun point.

Isn't that what freedom is all about?

reply to post by BrokenCircles


I do agree people should not own wild animals. Not only is it unfair to the animal, but too often they turn on their owners and you become lunch :X

We only rescued cats and dogs.

I kept one of the dogs myself. We rescued her from some kids who were beating her with a stick in an alley. Beautiful collie puppy, about a year old, I can't imagine why any adult would allow that to happen. Anyway when the mom found out we took the dog she came looking for it. When we told her what was going on and refused to return the dog to her, she started screaming about how she had just that day paid $200.00 for the dog. Not that I believed her for a second, but it was easier just to give her the $200.00 (which she gladly took and went away).

My guess is the kid cried so bad she had to come looking, and that kind of money would make it a lot easier to listen to a whining kid.

We immediately took Zelda (thats what I named her) to the vet who said aside from the abuse, based on her malnourishment, the dog could easily have died within 24 hours.

Best $200 I ever spent. (Can't remember what the vet bills were, but also totally worth it)

reply to post by Forevever

We had a poodle before this, but I think the poodle was older than me, and I just never got attached to her. She was kinda just there. I don't actually remember much about her.

Aside from that↑, the only dog I've ever had, had been previously abused. I don't know the full extent of it. I just know that she was kept chained up to her dog house, with a very short chain. She lived in my grandparents' neighbors yard. I have no idea how long they had her. Grandparents didn't live real close to us. I just remember seeing her there, in that rotting dog house, with that short chain.

Then I remember my dad bringing her home one day. I don't know how old she was, but she was full grown. 1/2 Husky and 1/2 German Sheppard......Beautiful. She was great. I was probably around 8 or 9. I always had the feeling that she was actually extra nice to us/me, because of the drastic change that she went thru, by moving in with us. My dad tied a wire up to a couple trees, and then she had a long chain on that, so she basically had the whole back yard, even before we eventually got the fence, but she hung out inside with me, most of the time anyways. I loved her, still do. I think I was around 20 when the arthritis had become way too much for her.

Before we got her, I don't think I had ever tried to approach her. She barked alot and she looked mean. That is not the same 'Wolf' that I knew. The 'Wolf' that I knew was nothing but loving, caring, and friendly.

It's been awhile since I have thought about her this much.
I miss her.

reply to post by BrokenCircles


Your post really made me smile
Its amazing your "wolf" lived that long! I wish I had more time with Zelda, but she was the first dog I had experience with as an adult and I made the mistake of not getting her fixed. I figured at the time there was no reason to do so because there were no male dogs around... no one told me she could get cancer in her uterus from not breeding or being fixed.... unfortunately we caught it too late.... We had her for 9 years, but I would've given anything for another few. And I love and miss her to this day ♥

So this is a good time to mention to people get your animals Spayed and Nuetered!!!
Save yourself the heartache.

Kind of surprising they would ban ALL of the pet trade. I can understand the issues of exotic pets escaping and becoming an invasive nuisance in the wild... Just look at the pythons in Florida everglades, or in the case of California, a breed of parrot.

I can't help but think of all the pet businesses that will be put out by this... Or can they still sell to others who reside outside the city?

(If my quick scan of the article, this only applies to San Fran?)

They are Trying to do good.
but they have lost the plot.
So I can have a puppy.
as long as I make chow maine food out of it?

they should do some thing about unfit mothers who have babies.
can we eat them to?

reply to post by Arbitrageur

So let's say I buy a turtle in San Francisco. I can eat it if I want, but if I change my mind and decide to keep it as a pet, can I do that? Or do I have to eat it?

You tell them you are going to eat it, and then you don't. You lie.

I wish they would 'consider' balancing their state budget. How about that for once?

These people are insane out there. Literally. They sit around and see who can come up with the most ridiculous bill and then see if they can get it passed.

That is about the dumbest thing I ever heard. No wonder they lead the nation in losing jobs to other states.
They have lost all concept of reality out there. It's a real shame.

Originally posted by THE_PROFESSIONAL
But pets are tasty. If your dog bothers me too much I will cook him on a stick and add some BBQ sauce to it I just get hungry looking at any animal. MMMMM good. Kinda ridiculous to ban pets, next step kids.

edit on 27-6-2011 by THE_PROFESSIONAL because: (no reason given)

You sir are amazing.