{"id":5497,"date":"2010-07-16T05:54:00","date_gmt":"2010-07-16T05:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/revetting-pet-stores-the-good-really-ugly-a-swell-idea\/"},"modified":"2010-07-16T05:54:00","modified_gmt":"2010-07-16T05:54:00","slug":"revetting-pet-stores-the-good-really-ugly-a-swell-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/revetting-pet-stores-the-good-really-ugly-a-swell-idea","title":{"rendered":"Revetting Pet Stores: The Good, Really Ugly & A Swell Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"6:00am |<\/strong> In mid-February, the West Hollywood city council passed legislation that bans the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, except for animals that have been legally brought in from shelters (click here<\/a> to download the document).<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our wildest dreams, what would we like?\u201d rhetorically asked Social Compassion in Legislation<\/a> board member Ed Buck, who lives in West Hollywood. \u201cWe’d like to outlaw the sale of dogs and cats from inhumane sources like puppy mills, allowing shelter and rescue dogs to be sold in pet stores. <\/span>People said it would never happen, and now I\u2019m getting calls all over the world saying, we\u2019ve wanted to do this, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck said that the kibosh on selling dogs in pet shops is a consumer issue as well as a humane one. Customers, he said, are being defrauded when they respond to an impulse buy of a puppy or kitten in a store. The pups\u2014and less often, kittens\u2014for which buyers are charged premium prices, have been inbred in puppy mills and shipped in trucks, sometimes for many miles, all over the country. There are genetic problems, housetraining problems and health issues. A sad number of these pets are turned over to shelters if the owners cannot or do not want to deal with the issues. No responsible breeder, Buck said, would ever sell dogs that have been bred as the ones for sale in pet stores are.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is not to punish [responsible] breeders,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve met some, and they\u2019re fastidious with their animals. This ordinance is to put puppy mills out of business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) maintains that a responsible breeder will meet a client directly and that the codes of ethics of registered breeding clubs state that their breeders refuse to sell their dogs to pet dealers or any other commercial sources of distribution. Jack Smith, president of the purebred-fancier Long Beach Kennel Club<\/a>, wouldn\u2019t comment on pet retail sources or what agreements they make but did say that any business owner has the right to conduct business if they follow local ordinances and conduct their business in a competent and professional manner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can only espouse, lead by example, and hope that our breeders\u2019 decisions in this regard reflect the ideals of responsible breeding and ownership, and that puppies are sold to pet shops that agree to treat the pups in a humane manner and provide homes that also reflect the ideals of responsible dog ownership,\u201d Smith said. \u201cOf course, American Kennel Club (AKC) registered pups that end up for sale in pet shops or elsewhere are subject to inspection by AKC personnel to help ensure that standards are maintained by our breeders.\u201d<\/p>\n

And therein lies the rub, and it\u2019s not a belly rub. As noted, dogs in pet stores don\u2019t come from AKC-registered breeders. They\u2019re born of mother dogs kept in filthy, crowded cages, receiving no exercise. The mothers are there until they\u2019re severely ill, dead from neglect or killed because they\u2019re no longer fertile (click here<\/a> or here<\/a> for more). If you have any doubts about this, we know you\u2019ll believe Oprah, so click here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s inhumane!\u201d said Eva Kuncewicki, owner and proprietor of Chewsy Dogs<\/a>. Kuncewicki chooses to not sell pets in her store, concentrating instead on providing quality products and education to pet owners and fostering an occasional adoption. She agrees that most pet stores buy from puppy mills.<\/p>\n

\u201cResponsible store owners and pet owners specifically need to work on rescue first before they look for profit,\u201d she said. \u201cThe time that it takes to care and love these animals is key. When owners of \u2018pet stores\u2019 leave for the evening, the animal is left as well, in cages that are normally too small for them. Pets are unkempt, unsocialized, with no one to give them the kind of attention and exercise that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Hatch and Doug Mayhew own and run the successful family-owned LaunderPet<\/a>. They, too, don\u2019t sell animals in their shops. Hatch said that when he and Mayhew took ownership of the Seal Beach and Bixby locations, they required the sellers to exit the purebred puppy\/kitten business prior to the close of escrow.<\/p>\n

Long Beach has had a pawful of pet stores: three of them have gone belly-up, so to speak. The third, Circle Pets, claimed to have taken in rescue pets; they closed soon after our interview, and we have no idea what happened to the animals. The few stores that remain are so unremarkable that they don\u2019t even merit Yelp reviews (one of them sells doves, which did give us pause). Pet Partners on Broadway, which sells cats and dogs, apparently does not import their animals; there were no purebreds we could see, and the owners said that they accepted the pets from people who found them abandoned. The manager named a couple of rescue groups that accept any pets they couldn\u2019t sell, but neither got back to us, so we couldn\u2019t confirm it. The store is cramped and crowded with merchandise and the air inside is redolent of animal presence, but the cats and dogs we saw looked healthy. However, the management leaves it up to the new owner to spay or neuter the animals and get the shots as well as take care of any medical problems. \u201cAs is\u201d is fine for furniture but not for pets.<\/p>\n

There are a number of good ways to get a pet. We promote adoption from shelters or rescues, whether it\u2019s a purebred or a special blend of Heaven only knows what. If you specifically want a purebred, click here<\/a> and start searching. They even have rescued Portuguese water dogs. If you insist on a dog with a legitimate pedigree and you\u2019ve done your homework on the breed, don\u2019t hit the pet store. Instead, research breeders registered with the AKC. For information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And, here\u2019s the swell idea: Maybe pet-related stores in Long Beach could be convinced to sell shelter and rescue animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always encourage adopting animals from the Long Beach Shelter,\u201d said Animal Care Services (ACS) manager John Keisler. \u201cThere are a number of benefits\u2014practical, social and financial\u2014to adopting rather than buying from a breeder. However, there are cities in the region that have worked with pet store owners to get their buy-in to sell only animals that come from shelters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Businesses of this type are starting to pop up around the country. The closest to us is Woof Worx<\/a>, run by Jamie Katz in Beverly Hills. Woof Worx is a pet boutique that features for adoption  some deserving recipients of a sparkling life. If modom doesn\u2019t want the chauffeur to drive her to the shelter, then, by Gromit, Katz will bring the dogs. She pays the adoption fee from the shelter and then houses and cares for the pets until they are taken home. The dogs have all been spayed and neutered, and Katz says that if any animal doesn\u2019t work out, she\u2019ll take it back within a reasonable time period.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a moneymaker,\u201d Katz said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to mix your heart with your wallet, but it\u2019s something you do because you love dogs and you want to change the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Prospective momcat looks over a kitten from Long Beach Felines at Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies<\/em><\/p>\n

Some of the large pet chains and smaller shops sponsor in-store pet sales and adoptions and welcome rescue groups with their animals. Petco in the Marina Shores Shopping Center at Second Street and Westminster has Sunday adoptions from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PetSmart\u2019s Signal Hill store at 2500 Cherry Ave. houses cats from Forever Home<\/a> and Kitty Catchers<\/a>; the Long Beach Towne Center store off the 605 Cats in Need<\/a>. Veterinary service available. Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies welcomes two cat adoptions: Pet Assistance Foundation<\/a> (PFA) and Long Beach Felines<\/a> (LBF). LBF\u2019s founder, Pam Leslie, has visited Woof Worx and said she loves both the store and the concept.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s the way to go, given the state of excess animals in the country,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cStores who do this are doing the right thing. I like the idea of pet stores getting all their animals from shelters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leslie added that adoption sites like Petfinders.com<\/em> have been great helps in the past, but because of the growing pet overpopulation problem, the Web has been inundated with rescue sites. Spending real time with a cat or a dog in a store would be ideal, and the owner would be assured of the pet being altered, vaccinated and microchipped. Leslie and other animal rescuers would love to see this at work in Long Beach. Of course, as Ed Buck told us, it wouldn\u2019t come with the speed of a rescued greyhound.<\/p>\n

\u201cA voluntary partnership between the shelters and local business owners might be an interesting approach and may be beneficial to both parties,\u201d Keisler said. \u201cAny policy recommendations or decisions would come from the City Council, particularly in the areas of restricting business practices in the city. If directed by the City Council, the city manager would ask ACS to do outreach on the topic and work with business licenses, the community of store owners, breeders and residents and provide feedback to the City Council about our options. Perhaps a voluntary or pilot program would be a place to start to see if there is interest or mutual benefit!\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone willing to fly with this?<\/p>\n

Virtually Pets<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve made the point in this article and countless others of how unaltered pets, lack of forethought, the economy and plain irresponsibility and heartlessness leads to unwanted litters and animal dumping, whether in shelters or on the road. Check out these great pets (cats today) available from a few of the rescues mentioned in the article. If you have room in your hearts and homes, please offer them both to one or more of these guys.<\/p>\n

Long Beach Felines<\/strong> lbfelines@yahoo.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\" 
Charlie Freeway<\/strong> came to Kitty Catchers in May and landed in the kitten room. He now weights 15 pounds. He used up several of his lives when he was dumped onto a freeway island, where rescuers trapped him when traffic was light. His \u201cforever\u201d will be shorter than most cats, due to Feline Leukemia (FeLV), but could live a good long while\u2014years for sure. He has been quarantined from other animals, but could use a home with no other cats or with an FeLV pet. For information about FelV, visit this site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Long Beach Felines<\/strong> (562) 453-7377<\/p>\n

\"\" 
Marcia<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Happy and Sarafina<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pet Projects<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley Moore, 1959\u20132010<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are saddened by the sudden passing of former Long Beach Animal Control (now renamed Long Beach Animal Care Services) manager Wesley Moore. Wesley was an unpretentious, kind man with a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his boyish face each time he spoke. His love for shelter animals is how we became acquainted with Wesley and we are grateful to have known him. He leaves behind a family, friends and neighbors who greatly miss him. Donations in his name may be sent to Long Beach Cares, c\/o The Wesley Moore Memorial Fund, 2525 Grand Ave., Long Beach, CA 90815.<\/p>\n

Sunday, July 18<\/strong>: <\/p>\n

Get out your hankies: Friends of Long Beach Animals<\/a> fund-raiser to take place at the Art Theatre
. Hachi<\/em>: A Dog\u2019s Tale, will play at the Art Theatre, 2025 E. 4th St., at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday,  July 18. The screening will be a fund-raiser for Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA). Hachi<\/em> stars Richard Gere and is a heartwarming and inspiring true story of an Akita who accompanied his master to the train station every day as he left for work and met him there each evening when he returned. The film embodies the strong loyalty, love and respect bonds that form between human and canine.
<\/p>\n

The suggested donation is $10. Tickets will be available at the Art Theatre, online at arttheatre.com<\/a> or at the locations below. All proceeds will go toward FOLBA\u2019s Spay\/Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP) and all the organizations other efforts toward humane education and treatment of animals.<\/p>\n

Belmont Pets and LaunderPet, 3429 E. Broadway   
(562) 433-3605

Bixby Animal Clinic, 3938 Atlantic Avenue       
(562) 426-4066

Bixby Knolls LaunderPet, 4102 Orange Avenue   
(562) 427-2551
Chewsy Dog, 4107 N. Viking Way           
(562) 354-6040
Chuck & Toby, 191 Park Avenue           
(562) 434-8085

Go Dogs Go, 3440 N. Los Coyotes Diagonal       
(562) 421-9797

Or call Friends of Long Beach Animals       
(562) 988-7647<\/p>\n

Photos from Belmont Shore Pet Health Fair<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Fair-goers? Or just another day on Second Street in the Shore?<\/p>\n

\"\"
Bodie, Beezer and Nona know how to shake the heat of the Dog Days when they come early!<\/p>\n

\"\" 
Ani wonders if the Gooby boots (available at Chuck and Toby\u2019s) will accessorize her coat and collar.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Judy & Kate take a look at a new type of pet store, remember the life of a local legend, preview some animal-related events and host some adoption listings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-5497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pets","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5497\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5497"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=5497"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}