City Council of Cambridge, MA, May Halt Sales of Pets for Profit - National Humane Education Society

Paws Up!

To the city council of Cambridge, Massachusetts, for considering an ordinance to stop the sale of animals in pet stores.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, most famous for being the home of the prestigious Harvard University, is a city of more than 107,000 people situated just across the Charles River from Boston.  The city council of Cambridge is now is considering an  ordinance aimed at cutting the cash flow  from out-of-state pet breeding operations that supply a vast diversity of animals to Cambridge pet store chains. While no pet store in Cambridge sells puppies, there is concern that breeding operations supplying iguanas, rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, parrots, and other animals to these shops are operating with the same disregard for animal welfare as  puppy mills. (Boston has already outlawed the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits at pet stores for this reason).

Once an animal bred for retail sale arrives at a pet shop, the animal can be sold to any customer regardless of his or her ability to care for the animal. The store reaps the profit – but the animal may suffer. Exotic pets in particular, are easy to buy, but after the novelty wears off, they may be neglected or abandoned. Other times, owners may think they are caring for their exotic animal properly, but in actuality the animal is suffering due to insufficient food, water, temperature, socialization or vet care. Take for example, a monk parakeet. This small green and grey bird can typically be purchased in a pet store for around $200. However, these highly intelligent birds are intensely social. They desire interaction, opportunities to learn new songs and words, and enjoy playing games. Much like a human child, without daily enrichment, the birds can become intensely bored and agitated.

 Unlike corporate pet stores, many animal rescues vet potential adopters and can require that adopters be informed, experienced, and otherwise appropriate owners for a given animal.

Take action: Residents of Cambridge, Massachusetts, contact your city council and urge them to pass an ordinance stopping the sale of animals at pet stores.