Blog « Victoria City Kennel Club

Miracle Beagle Survives Gas Chamber

Hundreds of people all over the US are clamouring to adopt “Daniel,” the stray Beagle that survived euthanasia by carbon monoxide in Florence, Alabama.

This article has a number of things that are red flags for many of us. The fact that 7-8 dogs are euthanized at the same time is awful. As is the practice of having a “drop box,” where you can just drop an animal off anonymously.

The US Humane Society estimates say 56 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. In fact, just in 2008, they say approximately 3.7 million animals were put down.

It is long past time to stop believing that pets are disposable. Education is the only long term answer.

Toronto Has Banned the Sale of Dogs in Pet Stores

Toronto is the second city in the country to ban the sale of dogs (and cats) in pet stores. The council there recognizes that many of these dogs come from puppy mills. Richmond, BC is the other city which banned dog and cat sales last year.

Opponents of the bylaw say that people will merely go to adjacent municipalities to purchase pets if they are determined to do it. However that is no reason not to stand firm.

Perhaps we should be lobbying Victoria and Greater Victoria to pass a similar resolution after the election is over. If you are at an All Candidates meeting, that would be a good question to ask: “Given that many dogs sold in pet stores are from puppy mills, not from reputable breeders, are you willing to ban the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores?”