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| S.F. considers banning sale of pets except fish |
| 2010-07-09 |
| Sell a guinea pig, go to jail. That's the law under consideration by San Francisco's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. If the commission approves the ordinance at its meeting tonight, San Francisco could soon have what is believed to be the country's first ban on the sale of all pets except fish. That includes dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs, birds, snakes, lizards and nearly every other critter, or, as the commission calls them, companion animals. "People buy small animals all the time as an impulse buy, don't know what they're getting into, and the animals end up at the shelter and often are euthanized," said commission Chairwoman Sally Stephens. "That's what we'd like to stop." San Francisco residents who want a pet would have to go to another city, adopt one from a shelter or rescue group, or find one through the classifieds. The Board of Supervisors would have final say on the matter. But not before pet store owners unleash a cacophony of howling, squeaking and squawking. "It's terrible. A pet store that can't sell pets? It's ridiculous," said John Chan, manager of Pet Central on Broadway, which has been in business 30 years. "We'd have to close." Joe Taylor, bird manager of Animal Connection on Judah Street, called the proposal "ludicrous." "What difference does it make if you get a parrot at the SPCA or a pet store? If it doesn't work out, in either case, you just bring it back," Taylor said. "This would be terrible for our business." The idea originated about two years ago, when the commission began looking into a ban on dog and cat sales as a way to discourage puppy and kitten mills. But the city's animal control staff said that excess puppies and kittens are not the problem at the city shelter, thanks to the plethora of rescue groups. In any case, only one or two pet stores in San Francisco sell dogs and cats. The rest stick to small animals. The real problem, staff said, is hamsters. People buy the high-strung, nocturnal rodents because they're under the temporary impression that hamsters are cute and cuddly. But the new owners quickly learn that hamsters are, in fact, prone to biting, gnawing through expensive wiring and maniacally racing on their exercise wheels at 2 a.m. So the animals end up at the shelter. Just about every species has its own rescue group in San Francisco, but no one seems to want hamsters. Hamsters are the No. 1 animal euthanized at the city's shelter, said San Francisco Animal Care and Control director Rebecca Katz. "It's definitely a concern," she said. "They're an impulse buy, and we do sometimes get tons of them, especially babies." On Wednesday, the shelter, which is on 15th Street in the Mission District, had six hamsters, nine rabbits, nine mice, nine rats, two guinea pigs, a bowl of goldfish, two birds, a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon and a hermit crab named Charlie. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 San Fan banning sales of pets? But I thought owning a gerbil there was required.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-07-09 16:37 |
| #8 Can't single out hamsters, or the SF-based senior senator would cry discrimination. |
| Posted by: lex 2010-07-09 14:05 |
| #7 I am so relieved that the Government will now decide for me what living things I can purchase. The burden was affecting my health and my ability to commit to progressive causes. Big Brother is such a friend! |
| Posted by: Highlander 2010-07-09 13:20 |
| #6 Freedom? In San Francisco? Surely you jest. The only thing you'll find in that benighted tourist trap is hedonism. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2010-07-09 13:06 |
| #5 One more freedom being chipped away. |
| Posted by: Clyde Ulamp8999 2010-07-09 12:06 |
| #4 If you find you don't like your hamsters (or other small rodents), try a snake. No noisy wheels at 2 am and they'll eliminate your unwanted hamsters. If your wife can't deal with your snake, maybe a mongoose would work? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-07-09 09:21 |
| #3 "The real problem, staff said, is hamsters." I would think it would be gerbils. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-07-09 04:17 |
| #2 Only the Nazis loved animals more than the SF Community. The latter would welcome Ernst Roehm, but his dog would have to go... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2010-07-09 03:32 |
| #1 I can see it now: Free dog with purchase of $200 leash! |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-09 01:59 |