West Hollywood Bans Pet Store Sales of Dogs and Cats

The West Hollywood City Council passed legislation that would ban
the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores within the West Hollywood area. The law allows for shelter and rescue animals to be adopted from stores, however (and that is good). On the surface, this is a good thing since about dogs and cats sold at pet stores come from commercial breeders and puppy mills. Still, these laws can be tricky – depends on how they are written. In Chicago, I tried some years ago but was told about free trade laws for businesses, so I’m not sure how West Hollywood was able to even do this…

The article says West Hollywood has been on the forefront of animal issues, banning cat declaw and calling animals ‘companions’ not pets.

As for declaw as much as I am AGAINST declaw, and know you can teach nearly all cats to scratch appropriately. Still, a declaw law in a not so well-heeled community as West Hollywood could mean more homeless cats, having the opposite of the intended impact. Besides, the medical decisions should be between the veterinarian and the client, not government.

About calling our pets ‘companions’ …as they say in California, ‘whatever.’

Advocates hope that this West Hollyweird legislation will spread to other cities
including Los Angeles and surrounding areas even to other cities (like Chicago?), which still allow sale of
animals in pet stores.