Huntington Beach to look again at pet sales ban

Huntington Beach to look again at pet sales ban City Council members to take into account options for banning retail pet sales. City Attorney Jennifer McGrath wrote in her report that the city worked with owners of Pets, Pets, Pets and Animal Kingdom as well as various animal rights groups to draft up the proposed ordinance. Coming up with a possible two-year transitional period seemed a good compromise, some council members said. City Council members at their meeting on Monday will be provided with two options: an all-out ban that would go into effect after a two-year transitional period or allowing the sale of pets obtained from shelters or rescues after the two-year transition. Irvine City Council members passed a ban in October and Lake Forest officials are required to take up the issue this summer. Pet stores that get their animals from puppy mills or other facilities which are considered inhumane have been controversial for several years as federal regulators have uncovered the poor conditions in which many of these animals are kept. "This is a win-win situation to me," Joe Shaw said at the April meeting. Often the animals are scrunched in cages that are not cleaned. Huntington Beach is the fourth Orange County city to take up a discussion on the possible ban in recent months. "Although the animal rights activists will be seeking additional regulation in the years to come, all parties agreed that (the second option) met two goals: prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats from puppy or kitten mills; encouraging the adoption/sale of rescued and/or sheltered animals," McGrath wrote in the report. Animal rights groups have been aggressively encouraging pet adoption in Orange County, which is considered the most proactive county in the state for taking a stand against puppy mills, according to an Orange County Register article. Huntington Beach to look again at pet sales ban Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 05/05/2012