Banning pets stores from selling pets

San Francisco considers banning sale of pets except fish reported the San Francisco Chronicle last July. Other cities across the nation have banned pet stores from selling dogs because many of them come from puppy mills.  However, the proposed San Francisco ban would include all animals except fish.  It’s not that San Francisco doesn’t like pets or doesn’t want their citizens to have them.  Rather, it’s to protect the pets. Hamsters rank #1 as the most euthanized pet in the city.  Indeed, this is also the fate of a large percentage of small furry or feathered creatures, not to mention dogs and cats.  Fish are, well, another kettle of fish. They’re not usually taken to shelters, and statistics aren’t kept on how many are flushed down toilets. 

Unfortunately, some people put more thought into buying an I-Pod than into buying a pet.  According to The Friends of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, “(They) often tire of them and may consider them as disposable as an unwanted gift. They'll dump their small animals (at the shelter) or release them outside, where they often die.”  

I’m interested in all of your opinions on this issue, so please post a  comment and/or answer the poll above: