S.F. Considers Banning Sale of Pets Except Fish

[Geee]

San Francisco Chronicle:

S.F. considers banning sale of pets except fish
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, July 8, 2010

Sell a guinea pig, go to jail.

That's the law under consideration by San Francisco's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. If the commission approves the ordinance at its meeting tonight, San Francisco could soon have what is believed to be the country's first ban on the sale of all pets except fish.

That includes dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs, birds, snakes, lizards and nearly every other critter, or, as the commission calls them, companion animals.

"People buy small animals all the time as an impulse buy, don't know what they're getting into, and the animals end up at the shelter and often are euthanized," said commission Chairwoman Sally Stephens. "That's what we'd like to stop."

San Francisco residents who want a pet would have to go to another city, adopt one from a shelter or rescue group, or find one through the classifieds.

The Board of Supervisors would have final say on the matter. But not before pet store owners unleash a cacophony of howling, squeaking and squawking.

"It's terrible. A pet store that can't sell pets? It's ridiculous," said John Chan, manager of Pet Central on Broadway, which has been in business 30 years. "We'd have to close."

'Terrible for our business'

Joe Taylor, bird manager of Animal Connection on Judah Street, called the proposal "ludicrous."

"What difference does it make if you get a parrot at the SPCA or a pet store? If it doesn't work out, in either case, you just bring it back," Taylor said. "This would be terrible for our business."

The idea originated about two years ago, when the commission began looking into a ban on dog and cat sales as a way to discourage puppy and kitten mills. But the city's animal control staff said that excess puppies and kittens are not the problem at the city shelter, thanks to the plethora of rescue groups. In any case, only one or two pet stores in San Francisco sell dogs and cats. The rest stick to small animals.

The hamster problem

The real problem, staff said, is hamsters.

People buy the high-strung, nocturnal rodents because they're under the temporary impression that hamsters are cute and cuddly. But the new owners quickly learn that hamsters are, in fact, prone to biting, gnawing through expensive wiring and maniacally racing on their exercise wheels at 2 a.m.

So the animals end up at the shelter. Just about every species has its own rescue group in San Francisco, but no one seems to want hamsters. Hamsters are the No. 1 animal euthanized at the city's shelter, said San Francisco Animal Care and Control director Rebecca Katz.

"It's definitely a concern," she said. "They're an impulse buy, and we do sometimes get tons of them, especially babies."

Committed owners

On Wednesday, the shelter, which is on 15th Street in the Mission District, had six hamsters, nine rabbits, nine mice, nine rats, two guinea pigs, a bowl of goldfish, two birds, a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon and a hermit crab named Charlie.

But those shelter hamsters almost certainly did not originate at a pet store, said Michael Maddox, general counsel for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council in Washington, D.C.

Studies by UC Davis and the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy have shown that only a small fraction of shelter animals were purchased at pet stores, he said. People who buy animals at pet stores are just as committed, emotionally and financially, to caring for their pets as people who procure pets elsewhere, he said.

"This is an anti-pet proposal from people who oppose the keeping of pets," he said. "If their goal is to ban the ownership of pets entirely, then this is a good first step."

The commission plans to listen to testimony from pet store owners, among others, before voting. Among the items it will consider is the impact on small businesses, whether to allow the sale of feeder rodents for snakes and other reptiles, the sale of fish, owner education, penalties and rescue groups that host adoptions at pet stores.

"We're still in the information-gathering phase," said Commissioner Philip Gerrie, who is sponsoring the proposal. "We're trying to get at the problem of people buying these creatures with the best intentions, but then the reality turns out quite different."

Meeting tonight

San Francisco's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare meets at 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall, Room 408, to consider an ordinance banning the sale of pets, except for fish, in San Francisco.

-- For more information, go to sfgate.com/ZJYO.

Euthanized pets in S.F.

13% Percentage of dogs and cats at the San Francisco animal shelter that are euthanized, including aggressive, injured and sick animals.

35% Percentage of dogs and cats in shelters nationwide that are euthanized.

30% Percentage of hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and other small animals at the San Francisco shelter that are euthanized.

Source: San Francisco Animal Care and Control

[NCTexan]

an impulse buy, don't know what they're getting into

 

I'd have to agree with this law... for San Franciscans that is!

 

Those folks have consistently demonstrated their inability to make good decisions and choices.

 

[Geee]

So you show us a picture of 2 dogs????

[nickydog]

This is all about control. What we drive, what we eat, our health care, and now whether or not we are allowed to have pets.

[NCTexan]

This is all about control. What we drive, what we eat, our health care, and now whether or not we are allowed to have pets.

Nickydog! We all need to face up to the hard facts of life.

 

We are but helpless individuals and incapable of making decisions for ourselves.

 

It's obvious that we need the wizards of government (who have gained their vast world experience in the hallowed halls of elite academia) to make even our most basic life choices.

 

Thank you "Oh Beneficent Ones"... we depend on you. BTW, do I need to go potty yet?

[Valin]

So you show us a picture of 2 dogs????

 

 

No but......I have a recent photo of my new pet

 

 

We're moving the SF.

[nickydog]

Well, good Valin. You'll fit right in since people there will still be allowed to have fish for pets.

[pollyannaish]

Ok, sue me....but with all the people suffering in this world I just can't get my knickers twisted over Hamster euthanasia. They may be cute, fun and and easy to bond with rodents....but they are still rodents. And there are more where those came from.

 

 

Does this make me old-hearted and inhumane?

[nickydog]

I'm sure my 12-year old grandchildren would think so, pollyannaish. They have been enjoying hamsters for a few years now and actually love them.

 

However, they know their grandma has no interest in holding them. (A rodent is a rodent is a rodent......)

 

Edited to add: Plus you have far, far more important things on your mind right now so it's no wonder you can't get your mind wrapped around this silly topic.

[pollyannaish]

I'm sure my 12-year old grandchildren would think so, pollyannaish. They have been enjoying hamsters for a few years now and really enjoy them.

 

However, they know their grandma has no interest in holding them. (A rodent is a rodent is a rodent......)

 

True. I will retract my spoken opinion and institute don't ask, don't tell policy so I can maintain my popularity with 'tweens!

 

Actually, I had one or two hamsters as a kid, but had a bit of a love/hate relationship with them because they were always escaping and making a mess. That said, they beat my brother's snakes and spiders by a mile, especially when they got out!

[SrWoodchuck]

On Wednesday, the shelter, which is on 15th Street in the Mission District, had six hamsters, nine rabbits, nine mice, nine rats, two guinea pigs, a bowl of goldfish, two birds, a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon and a hermit crab named Charlie.

Geee! Thanks for the post!

 

I'm thinking you could move a few of these critters on down to the snake cages & maybe even earn a carbon credit green stamp!

[Argyle58]

All kidding aside, how many pet shop owners are going to be put out of business? As liberal as San Fransisco is, will even the leftist populous go along with this?

 

Insantiy reigns on the left coast, I guess.

[Guest AnneV]

So they want to ban the sale of kittens and puppies in pet shops...in San Francisco, and elsewhere...OK, GOOD. Most of those kittens and puppies come from ruthless and evil mills anyway, and if they all closed down, I for one, would not lose any sleep over that.

But they want to ban ownership of cats and dogs, unless those animals come from a rescue or shelter...really? Why?

Is having purebred cats and dogs against the law now?

If I were a young mom wanting to get a dog for my family/kids, I'd want to have a breed I knew about...a suitable dog to suit my family/needs and wants, not some hand-me-down mutt of a half-breed whose ancestry/parentage was unknown.

As a long time volunteer at animals shelters over the years, I have seen too many dogs returned because they turned out to be the less than perfect animal the adopters thought they were getting.

 

Want to control the pet population in San Francisco...put in place a comprehensive spay and neuter program, make it reasonable so reasonable people can get their animals fixed.

 

What's next San Francisco...are you going to tell people they can only adopt children? I mean, why not?!?!? There are 100s of children waiting to be adopted too!

[Geee]

AnneV--Couldn't stay away could You? :lol:

[Guest AnneV]

AnneV--Couldn't stay away could You? :lol:

Nope!