Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM Tuesday, 15 January 2013 06:00
Animal care supporters want Vernon council to take a stand against puppy mills. Gina Son from Lumby told council, dogs, cats and rabbits are being bred solely for profit, without regard for their well-being, and then sold through pet stores. "We need to stop these puppy mills because they are absolutely criminal. They might be legal in a business sense but they are breaking every animal protection law on the planet," Son told Kiss FM. Son says if Vernon council supports a bylaw, other communities may follow suit. "It gives the impetus and courage to other communities all across North America. It would be a great and important step in the domino effect." Wendy McIntyre from the Okanagan Small Dog Rescue Society says the mills are "rampant" around the North Okanagan.
"People think it's just in the south and the States. It's not. It's here. The puppies that come out of there are abused. They're not socialized. They'rte terrified of life and of men, most often. It's just a horrible condition." McIntyre is urging people who know of breeding mills to report them to Revenue Canada who will investigate. "The way I feel you have to hit them is by money." She says one puppy mill operator she dealt with back in 2002 made $100,000. "That's not reported." Councillor Brian Quiring would support council passing a bylaw to ban the sale of breeding-mill animals at pet stores, which is what the delegates are seeking. "We have the ability to stop what I feel is an illegal industry. The quality of the animals they're putting out is atrocious. There's no regulations. It's just cruel and criminal," says Quiring. Mayor Rob Sawatzky says council will debate the issue at its next meeting. "Probably we will ask for a staff report so we have non-biased information." Richmond is the only BC city so far with a bylaw banning the sale of mill-bred puppies at pet stores.
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