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L.A. County On The Path To Becoming A Puppy-Mill-Free Community

March 04, 2009, 12:46PM MT

By Cheri Moon

Board of Supervisors Voted Unanimously To Review Regulations To Keep Unethical Breeders At Bay

Board of Supervisors Voted Unanimously To Review Regulations To Keep Unethical Breeders At Bay

By Cheri Moon, Best Friends Staff

On Tuesday March 3, 2009, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to review county regulations that govern dog breeding and existing ordinances that allow puppy millers to operate under the current kennel provisions.

This will mean stronger and more effective enforcement of the laws and improvements in the quality of care for animals. The Board expects a report recommending amendments to existing ordinances within 45 days.

Motion Provides Opportunity to Make Sweeping Changes
Says Elizabeth Oreck, Los Angeles Programs Manager for Best Friends Animal Society, “We are absolutely thrilled. This motion provides the opportunity to implement sweeping changes that can be a model for California and the nation.”

In the last few years there has been an increase in the number of “puppy mills” operating within Los Angeles County, currently totaling around 10. Supervisor Michael Antonovich, introduced the motion to create the opportunity to strengthen county regulations governing breeding facilities.

Connecting Pet Stores With Puppy Mills
Speaking at the Board of Supervisors' meeting, Oreck commented that through its A Puppy-Store-Free L.A. campaign, Best Friends has been “addressing L.A.’s puppy mill problem via pet stores that sell puppies and keep mills in business.”

A Puppy-Store-Free L.A. campaign is a community-minded program intended to roll out nationally to end the sale of puppies through pet stores. Since its commencement, it has been able to raise awareness in the greater Los Angeles area about the connection between puppy mills and pet stores.

The campaign has also helped pet stores move to a humane business model by offering rescued dogs for adoption, rather than selling puppy mill dogs. Woof Worx, which opened in February 2009, is dedicated to “selling” only animals from shelters and 501(c)3 rescue organizations. It replaces Pets of Bel Air, which closed in December 2008 when it was heavily protested after the store was exposed for selling dogs it received from puppy mills.

Speaking Up For Those Who Cannot
Also speaking in support of Antonovich’s motion were Mark Goff, Director of Investigations for Last Chance for Animals; a volunteer with Harbor Animal Shelter in San Pedro, CA; and a citizen of Los Angeles County.

The Harbor Animal Shelter volunteer stated, “If you could spend one week volunteering in a city shelter, I guarantee that you would support an ordinance to eliminate the productivity of puppy mills.” Citing that breeding-females from puppy mills arrive at shelters exhausted, malnourished, and terrified of humans, she added, “The exploitation of dogs for profit is a practice that should be relegated to past.”

In closing, while addressing the Board Supervisors, Oreck stated, “The ball is now in your court. I urge you to support Antonovich’s recommendation. Do the right thing for the county, for its animals and its taxpayers.”

Best Friends will continue to work closely with LA County staff to draft legislation that will improve the quality of care for the animals and ensure responsible and safe dog breeding.

How You Can Help
• Donate to the Puppy-Store-Free LA Campaign to help put cruelty out of business

For More Information:
• Read the press release about Antonovich’s plan to regulate irresponsible dog breeders in LA County.

• Visit a Puppy-Store-Free LA campaign.

• Read the article LA County: Help Regulate Unethical Breeders!.

Photograph by Clay Myers, Best Friends Staff

Comments

Posted March 04, 2009, 4:41PM by southerndogmom

My greatest hope is that as this campaign extends to other areas, and with the diligent work of the anti-mill groups doing the rescuing and educating, mills will become a thing of the past because the general public will not longer tolerate them. The ripple effects could change the lives of so many. And save the lives of so many.

Posted March 06, 2009, 9:17AM by southerndogmom

Ruthy raises a great point. Most people have no idea that the AKC pretty much promotes the farming operations due to the millions of dollars that change hands. I wish I knew how the connection could be exposed on a large scale. I guess, rationally, that I think that will only happen when the HSUS and APSCA get on board with BF to help expose the AKC for what it really is.

Posted March 05, 2009, 7:29PM by Kelly4cats

Keep speaking up about the AKC most people don't have the slightest clue about their ties to puppy mills.

Posted March 04, 2009, 5:26PM by ruthy92

I just hope that everyone is aware that the AKC and it pro-puppy mill lobbyists and business partners will do everything they can to fend off changes to the ordinance, or keep changes as weak and unenforceable as they can

The AKC needs those puppy mill registration dollars!

They will fabricate anything to keep ordinances as weak as possible so the puppy mills can keep producing and AKC can keep getting the registration money.

Posted March 21, 2009, 9:21AM by Tammy_CT

Remember that you can run your own puppy-mill-free campaign. Best Friends has provided action kits with downloadable brochures, signs and information. They are located above under the "Resources" tab. Click "documents" and then "action kits".

Posted March 07, 2009, 9:45AM by msdramateacherlady

Yay for Woof Worx! There is also a puppy store on Melrose in L.A. that has stopped selling puppy mill dogs, Orangebone Puppy Store. The owner decided to do this after meeting with protesters from Last Chance for Animals in front of his store.

We are definitely making steps in the right direction.