HomeMy WebLinkAboutElizabeth Oreck 12.14.21
14 December 2021
Renton, WA Planning Commission
Sent Via Email
Re: Support for a humane pet sales ordinance for Renton
Dear Chair Matson, Vice-Chair Seil and Commission members,
On behalf of Best Friends Animal Society and our Washington members, supporters, partners and staff, I
am writing to encourage you to enact an ordinance to prohibit the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in
Renton pet stores. We urge you to join Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Gig Harbor, Kitsap County, Lacey,
Olympia, Poulsbo, Tumwater and more than 400 other cities, counties and states that prevent pet stores
from selling commercially bred pets, and instead allow for the adoption of pets sourced from shelters and
rescue groups. The state did enact a bill this year (HB 1424), but it only applies to future pet stores, giving
localities the opportunity to enact something stronger and more impactful to stop the puppy mill pipeline
from coming into their communities.
Pet mills, particularly puppy mills, are a serious problem in the U.S. These facilities, which supply nearly
100% of commercial puppy stores, are cruel and inhumane breeding factories in which profit takes
priority over the health, comfort and welfare of the animals.
Although the USDA regulates most commercial breeders, the minimum federal standards do not ensure a
safe or healthy life for pets. These types of kennels can legally have more than a thousand dogs in one
facility, and these dogs are allowed to be confined to cages only six inches larger than their bodies for their
entire lives, breeding continuously in order to produce as many puppies as possible for the pet trade. And
USDA inspection reports show that many USDA-licensed breeders continue to sell animals to pet stores
even after being cited for serious violations at their facilities. In other words, having a USDA license does
not guarantee humane or responsible breeding.
Because the focus is solely on profit, commercial breeding operations typically cut all possible corners to
keep their overhead low, at the expense of the health and well-being of their animals. For the
unsuspecting consumer, this frequently results in the purchase of a pet facing an array of immediate
veterinary problems or harboring genetic diseases that surface down the line. This creates a financial
burden on the consumer and can result in pets being surrendered to overcrowded, taxpayer-subsidized
shelters. Thus, this is not just an animal welfare issue but a consumer protection concern that has a direct
impact on local taxpayers.
It makes little sense to continue manufacturing dogs and cats while so many are being killed for lack of
space. Public education has been effective, but until communities take the initiative to halt the supply of
pets imported from substandard commercial facilities, there can be no hope of preventing these
unnecessary deaths.
Pet stores rely on commercial pet mills and their distributors to supply their pets because reputable
breeders won’t sell to pet stores for two simple reasons: it’s not financially viable and they don’t sell to
third parties. And this pledge never to sell a puppy to a pet store can be found in every reputable breeder's
code of ethics, including virtually all of the parent breed clubs of the American Kennel Club (see attached
document).
On the contrary, responsible breeders encourage potential buyers to visit the home where the animals
were bred, they conduct an interview to be sure the match is the best one for both the buyer and the
animal, and they require a contract that requires the buyer to provide good care, to spay and neuter the
animal, and to return him/her to the breeder if things don’t work out. These sensible provisions cannot
apply when animals are sold through pet stores.
Also concerning is the fact that 21 states have been hit by an outbreak of a strain of bacteria
(Campylobacter) that is linked to puppies sold through puppy stores. Campylobacter is resistant to
antibiotics and contagious to humans. Renton residents should not be exposed to this serious public health
threat — particularly now, when public health is so vulnerable.
Those who benefit most from companion animal sales in pet stores are the retailers themselves. While
they may profit from the practice of buying these pets at a low price from commercial brokers and then
selling them at a high price (typically without first spaying or neutering them), it is the taxpaying public
who pays for animal control to house and kill unwanted animals in the community.
Further, many pet stores are frequently accused of predatory lending by offering financing upwards of
160%, creating a serious and unexpected financial strain on the consumer, sometimes resulting in an
obligation for ongoing payments for a pet that is deceased.
Pet stores that sell commercially bred pets can choose to be part of the solution rather than the problem
by phasing out the sale of animals in favor of other common revenue streams such as pet product sales,
grooming and day care, and by offering space for animal rescue organizations to adopt out animals from
those stores, as hundreds of pet stores across the country already do with great success.
Pet stores that have transitioned from selling companion animals to offering rescued pets for adoption
have found this animal-friendly model to be both viable and embraced by the communities in which the
stores are located. Therefore, a humane pet sales ordinance would not prevent any current or future pet
stores from doing business, and would alleviate a significant burden on local shelters and rescue groups by
increasing pet adoptions. Further, it would not prevent anyone from purchasing a pet directly from a
private breeder.
Best Friends and our Washington members thank you in advance for taking a reasonable and effective
measure to protect consumers, pets and taxpayers in Renton. We have been proud to work with cities
throughout Washington and across the country to enact humane pet sales legislation, and I hope you will
not hesitate to contact me if there is anything we can do to help realize this important effort.
Respectfully,
Elizabeth Oreck
National Manager, Puppy Mill Initiatives
Best Friends Animal Society
bestfriends.org/puppymills
elizabetho@bestfriends.org