Within four days, one animal advocate’s social media quest to choke off supply of puppy mill pups to local pet shops has picked up a head of steam.
Emiley Sheppard, who runs Sheppard’s Dog Daycare with husband Chad in Queensville, said she was “infuriated” to discover that a Yonge Street and Mulock Drive pet shop is housing puppies and dogs for sale in “glass cages”.
Her husband visited the pet shop when at the plaza for another errand and "found 25 puppies and dogs in glass cages, 2-5 per 'cage' for sale," her Facebook page states.
A store employee told her husband that the dogs are not provided with outdoor exercise, she added.
"I called Newmarket animal control and Newmarket By Laws. This. Is. Legal," her Facebook page states.
Because the Canadian Kennel Club forbids its member breeders to sell dogs to pet stores, they can only be coming from unregistered breeders, backyard breeders and puppy mills, Sheppard said.
The CKC code of practice states: No breeder shall sell or donate dogs for the purpose of their being auctioned, raffled or to pet stores.
Puppy mills, also known as puppy farms, are a multi-million dollar business in Canada that finds commercial breeders mass-producing puppies in substandard conditions for sale to pet stores, at flea markets, and online. Humane Canada says that puppy mills are "horrendous places that churn out as many puppies as possible, in the shortest amount of time and at the lowest expense. That means terrible, filthy, crowded housing, minimal human contact, no veterinary care and unspeakable suffering."
Councillor Kelly Broome said that while community concerns prompted the Town of Newmarket’s animal control services to visit the store in question, no charges have been laid.
The Town does not have a bylaw regulating the sale of animals at pet stores, deputy town clerk Kiran Saini said. However, a workshop planned for February 2019 will address a number of regulatory items, Saini added, including discussion of new pet store regulations.
Reviews are conducted regularly on the Town’s enforcement efforts and regulatory bylaws to ensure they continue to reflect the desired standards of the community and council, she added.
In May, Broome said she requested that pet store regulations be added to the regulatory review.
“I am hopeful to work with the new council to come up with a recommendation for a bylaw that will help chip away at the problem of pet overpopulation, puppy mills and breeders who raise and sell animals in unethical, unhealthy conditions by restricting stores rules and the source of their animals,” Broome said.
In the meantime, Animal Control conducts routine inspections to ensure things are up to code, she said.
There are at least two pet shops in Newmarket that sell puppies and kittens, Pet Paradise and Pet's Friend.
A woman who answered the phone at Pet’s Friend would not identify herself and refused comment on behalf of owner Arman Parnian. The family-run pet shop relocated to Newmarket from Richmond Hill in 2016 when that municipality banned the sale of animals from large-scale commercial breeders following protests and petitions from the community.
When asked for comment about possible new pet store regulations in the coming new year, the woman sighed, and said, “We’ll wait to hear from the Town.”
During Richmond Hill’s debate about the issue, Parnian expressed to council that such a ban would harm his business.
Reviews on the Pet’s Friend Facebook page range from, “I love this store! The owner is well informed and very helpful,” and “Great dogs, all look healthy and happy,” to “Terrible!! No one should shop and buy commercially bred puppies while shelter dogs and puppies are killed weekly. What a disgusting business,” and, “A front for the puppy mill industry and backyard breeders. Time to put a stop to selling puppies and kittens in pet stores.”
Meanwhile, waves of support have met Sheppard’s push to draft a petition that will ask the Ontario government to outright ban the sale of animals in pet stores.
At the York Region Animal Advocates Facebook group, which Sheppard started and serves as administrator, hundreds of members say they will sign the petition.
On Tuesday, Sheppard launched the first of two petitions to stop the sale of animals at local pet stores, aimed at the Town of Newmarket. The Change.org petition can be found here
Sheppard said she spoke with two local veterinarians who said many puppy mill dogs are sick. "Parvovirus infection and kennel cough are the two main issues they see with these puppies, and it spreads like wildfire due to the living conditions, including lack of air flow."
“The fact these pet stores are OK with supporting a puppy mill is infuriating,” Sheppard said. “We support rescues and reputable breeders.”
Councillor Broome agrees the sale of animals at pet shops may need to go further than the municipal level. Pet store animal sales regulations vary across the province.
“It’s much like the door-to-door sales concerns,” she said. “This past April, the province issued a ban on door-to-door sales. I am hopeful they will support municipalities on the issue of pet stores, as well.”
To report a concern to Animal Control, call 1-855-898-8605. If you suspect animal abuse, call the Ontario SPCA at 310-SPCA (7722), 1-888-668-7722, ext. 327, or email [email protected], or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
To join York Region Animal Advocates, visit here*This article was edited to include updated information regarding the petition to stop the sale of animals at pet stores in Newmarket. Councillor Kelly Broome represents Newmarket's Ward 6, not Ward 5, in which Pet's Friend pet store is located.
