Dear Editor:
Re: New Westminster to ban sale of cats and dogs, The Record, Oct. 17.
What I find particularly distressing when reading Councillors Puchmayr's and McEvoy's comments is their obvious lack of knowledge regarding puppy mills and the associated issues of abuse and neglect.
For example, Puchmayr stated that "... he has some difficulty banning sales of dogs and cats in pet stores as it's part of our culture." Seriously? I'm not sure just what he means by "culture" (or whose "culture," for that matter), but he really should be more clear. However, if he means the "culture" of making a tidy profit by keeping and breeding these neglected animals in deplorable, concentration camp-like conditions to sell to pet stores and others, then clearly this is a "culture" that is better left by the wayside.
For Puchmayr's benefit - as well as McEvoy's, as he does not appear to understand the connection between puppy mills and pet stores (that the pet stores obtain their "products" from puppy mills and backyard breeders), here is a link explaining the differences between a reputable breeder and a "backyard breeder": www. boxermap.com/reputablebreeder.html.
While this refers to the Boxer breed, the information given provides a clear understanding of the two types of breeders. Some of the points here can be readily transferred to the puppy mills.
Puppy mills exist for one purpose only - to generate a profit with the least amount of cost and as quickly as possible.
A Google search on puppy mills will yield considerable information, as will a search on YouTube. Similarly, a search on CBC.ca (as well as other news sources) will provide further information.
If uninformed people wouldn't buy from pet stores, there would be no financial incentive for the store owners nor the puppy mills and backyard breeders to continue this deplorable trade. I'm sure that Puchmayr and McEvoy voted with their hearts at this recent council meeting, and voted as they thought best - but it certainly would have been far better had they voted with some background knowledge - and compassion on this issue.
B. Kendall, New Westminster
