Shopping Center Developer Initiates Puppy Mill Boycott
Published February 2, 2012
Flickr User ChrisGoldNY
Macerich, a well-known shopping center developer, has initiated a sort of puppy mill boycott by not allowing pet stores that sell puppies or kittens from mills in its locations.
According to a recent article on Global Animal Foundation, shopping center developer Macerich is banning pet sales through a sort of boycott in over 70 of its malls across the country. Macerich also announced they will not renew the leases of any pet stores that sell pets, and in their place they will open stores which offer rescued shelter animals for adoption. This nationwide humane policy took effect in December 2011, and hopefully will continue breaking the back of the puppy and kitten mill industry.
Included in the list of popular and busy shopping malls participating in the humane refusal to sell pets is the Scottsdale Arizona Fashion Square, The Richmond Virginia Towne Center, The California Santa Monica Place and the Los Angeles Westside Pavilion. Additionally, in association with the nonprofit Friends of LA Shelters, the Los Angeles Westside Pavilion recently opened a rescue store.
The Macerich pet sale ban took a year to come into fruition. Greatly contributing to its success was the work of Jennifer Peterson, an animal activist and film producer.
Peterson, a Los Angeles native and animal lover became dismayed when a friend bought a "designer" dog from BarkWorks, a pet store in the Westside Pavilion suspected of peddling puppy mill dogs. Shortly after the purchase, the puppy became ill, confirming the suspected puppy mill connection. It was then she became an animal activist.
Peterson learned a lot about how puppy mills operate, including the horrible conditions under which these animals live. Launching the Facebook page, "Boycott BarkWorks", she invited folks to share their experiences. Soon the page evolved into a place to protest puppy mills and the stores that sold puppy mill stock.
A friend of Peterson's, Randy Brant, Macerich's VP of leasing, and others working for the company were outraged when they learned the truth about puppy mills. As a result of that outrage and Peterson’s hard work, the company launched their nationwide pet sale ban policy in their malls.
This writer feels this heartening trend targeted at banning the sale of live animals in pet stores is gathering steam across the country, and fervently hopes that all pet stores will follow the humane example of the stores that only offer rescued and shelter pets for adoption.
Would you patronize a pet store that sells bred puppies or kittens? Share your thoughts in a comment.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
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Comments (10)
Reputable breeders aren't hard to find, you just have to do your homework. However, just because you're a 'human' doesn't give you the credentials to own a dog. Some people just shouldn't own dogs. They cause damage to them when they don't know how to train or care for them. Then the dog gets shipped off to a shelter or spca because it has 'problems' and the human can't cope with it, only to be 'adopted' by another human who is unaware of the previous damage done. If it's lucky, it'll get adopted by someone who respects the canine for what it is. Shelters, stores and agencies are not the best places to get a dog. An ethical/reputable breeder is where you should get your dog! One that is breeding to make the breed they love better. One who doesn't start breeding their dam before she turns two and is able to have the proper tests done on her to make sure her offspring will be healthy. The backyard breeder, mom&pop, neighbor or puppy factories should NOT be the place to go for a puppy because it is only about the money for them, not the excellence of the breed. We need to make it be against the law to breed animals, except for those who have gone through the rigorous training and certification and have paid for licenses to breed. People who breed only once or twice a year because they aim to produce beautiful puppies that best represent the breed and because it's NOT about the money! Just sayin'...
What else did you expect the breeder to do? If the animal has long term, genetically transmitted issues it can not be allowed to breed and the breeder has to make the ethical decision to either keep the animal (at a huge, and unsustainable expense) or put it down. Certainly, they could have termed it better, but those are the decisions breeders are forced to make every day.
The fee you pay to adopt a pet from a shelter is to help the shelter continue recueing pets... no to make the owner rich like pet shops! Most pet behaviour problems are caused by owners, you can rehabilitate any dog if you put your mind to it. Stop supporting puppy mills and adopt!
Hmmm...so, instead of buying puppies from a pet store, people are instructed to buy puppies and dogs from shelters...and this is an improvement? What is the difference between an unwanted dog with behavior problems and a dog "possibly" originating from a puppy mill? Is this shelter dog healthier than the pet store dog? Who knows. Not with street dogs being ILLEGALLY imported from Puerto Rico with rabies. Not with street dogs being brought into the country from around the world, without any guarantees that they don't carry diseases that are not present in the USA.
is an "adoption fee" different than a "sale".. do you give some sort of 'adoption " currency or do you give real money.. a sale is a sale.Parsing words does not make it any different. A person is paying money for an animal.. if you buy a 'shelter dog' you have no idea of where the dog came from or what its temperament is like.. When these stores are sued for selling aggressive and biting "shelter dogs" then maybe people will realize they should have bought and paid for a dog from a good breeder