The City Council this week set the stage for an all-out ban on the retail sale of dogs and cats, mirroring similar initiatives in the cities of West Hollywood, Hermosa Beach and South Lake Tahoe.
It is unclear whether the Glendale ordinance would affect any current businesses since many pet shops say they transitioned long ago from selling dogs and cats to adopting them out in conjunction with shelters.
“Nowadays you either switch over or you get such a bad rep,” said Pedro Meraz, an employee at Anderson’s Pet Shop in Montrose, which stopped selling dogs and cats more than a decade ago. “There are so many animals that need to be adopted.”
Prohibiting the retail sale of household pets has in recent years gained steam as animal rights activists draw attention to so-called puppy mills and kitty factories — farms where dogs and cats are mass-bred with little consideration of health or comfort.