L.A. to ban the sale of "mill-bred" pets

Los Angeles

— Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously in favor of banning the sale of pets bred in “puppy mills” or “kitten mills” June 8.

The motion, which had been introduced May 6 by City Council member Paul Koretz, directs the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, the city attorney and the Los Angeles Police Department to work together on presenting the Department of Animal Services with recommendations for new policies on animal bred on “factory farms.”

The policies should include a ban on the sales of “commercial animal mill-bred dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits within city limits,” and the prohibition of any mill-type operations within Los Angeles. Additionally, a program should be created so Los Angeles Animal Service can work with licensed pet stores to make shelter animals available for adoption on occasion, and another where pet stores exhibiting rigorous humane standards are visibly identified.

In the legislation, Koretz writes that an L.A. Animal Services survey in 2010 found that many of the 100 retail stores identified to be selling live animals obtained them from puppy and kitten mills.