LA MESA COUNCIL TO CONSIDER PUPPY MILL BILL DEC. 14
Printer-friendly version Store targeted by measure reveals today that it is going out of business December 1, 2010 (La Mesa) – On December 14 at 4 p.m., La Mesa’s City Council will consider an ordinance proposed by San Diego Stop Puppy Mills. The proposed law would prohibit pet stores from buying dogs from puppy mills and other breeders. Since February 2009, the group has been protesting against Pet Works in Grossmont Center, alleging that the store sells dogs raised in puppy mills with inhumane conditions. Today, East County Magazine contacted Pet Works and learned that the store plans to shut down. “We are going out of business. The signs will be going up later today,” salesperson Ryann Woodward revealed, adding that all items will be sold off at discounts. San Diego Stop Puppy Mills organizer Sydney Cicourel expressed shock at the news. “I consider this a success. I believe that we had an impact,” she said. “It paid to hang in there and stand in front of that store every Saturday and try to raise awareness.” Woodward denied that protests impacted the store’s decision to close its doors. “We had dogs that used to sell for $1,295,” she said. “Now we’re selling them for $499. These are luxury items that people just can’t afford.” Cicourel said her organization will still ask La Mesa to pass the legislation. “Absolutely we will go forward. This prevents anybody else from opening and doing the same thing,” she said. According to the U.S. Humane Society, 9,000 puppies raised in puppy mills in Missouri (dubbed the “puppy mill capitol” in the nation) were sold in California last year, including 763 in San Diego County. Of those, 257 were sold by Pet Works in La Mesa, the group alleges. Pet Works has denied buying puppies from puppy mills, the San Diego Union-Tribune has reported. Puppy mills raise animals in over-crowded conditions and have been accused of inbreeding animals with serious hereditary conditions. Dogs from puppy mills often have serious illnesses or congenital defects such as hip dysplasia. Cicourel believes the proposed ordinance, which was drafted by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a “win-win” for the City of La Mesa, consumers and animals. Nationwide, ten cities have passed similar measures, but this will be the first effort to enact such an ordinance n San Diego County, Cicourel said. “We’re hoping that consumers who have had a bad experience at Pet Works will come to the City Council to tell their story,” she added. The proposed bill would prohibit pet stores from selling dogs and puppies except those acquired from municipal shelters or nonprofit organizations devoted to the rescue, care and adoption of stray, abandoned or surrendered animals and which do not breed animals. “Responsible breeders don’t sell to pet stores,” Cicourel said, adding that pet stores deceive customers who ask if dogs are acquired from puppy mills. She said reputable breeders can sell their animals for much higher prices than those paid by pet stores. “Pet stores go to a broker. The broker goes to a puppy mill and pays $100, then charges the pet store around $200. Breeders charge a thousand dollars,” she said. The problem isn’t limited to pet stores. Ciciourel also warned consumers against buying dogs online. “There is no regulation of dogs over the Internet,” she said, adding that her family purchased a “very sick dog” online from a breeder after assuming the breeder was reputable because it had supplied a dog to a movie star. But after researching the breeder, she learned, “It turned out to be a puppy mill in Texas.” California currently has a “Puppy Lemon Law” on the books designed to discourage the selling of unhealthy dogs in the state, though many consumers are unaware of the law and fail to seek redress under its provisions. The law applies to pet stores and larger breeding facilities. Buyers have 15 days to document contagious or infectious disease and one year to document congenital or hereditary defects. If the dog is proven to be ill or to have hereditary defects, the buyer is entitled to a replacement plus reimbursement for veterinary expenses related to certifying the dog’s illness, up to the price of the dog including sales tax. The buyer may also choose a refund plus reimbursement for veterinary expenses related to certifying the dog’s illness, up to the price of the dog. If the buyer elects to have the dog treated, such as undergoing surgery to correct a hip problem, the seller is required to cover up to one and a half times (150%) of the dog’s purchase price to cover veterinary expenses. Learn more about puppy mills from the Humane Society at http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/. Read more about California’s puppy lemon law at: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/lemon_ca.html#ixzz16tHvvN31 and http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/lemon_ca.html. Printer-friendly version
EL CAJON SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN-UP DEC. 11
Printer-friendly version December 1, 2010 (El Cajon)–You’re invited to join downtown El Cajon businesses in a special neighborhood clean up day scheduled for Saturday, December 11th from 9:00 to11:00 am at Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon. Businesses, property owners, volunteers and residents of all ages will come together to enhance public spaces in downtown El Cajon by removing trash and identifying graffiti to promote a clean, safe, and vibrant community. Local businesses are encouraged to participate by identifying clean-up hot spots and / or volunteering. Organized by the non-profit El Cajon Community Development Corporation, the even includes cleaning tools and supplies provided by the organization, while volunteers provide the elbow grease. The El Cajon CDC will accept gently-used house wares, furniture, clothing, toys and working electronics for the San Diego Rescue Mission. Electronic waste will not be accepted at this event. Come show your support for El Cajon by sprucing up the local community alongside neighbors in downtown El Cajon. Contact Erica Nagy, Community and Economic Development Assistant, at Erica@downtownelcajon.com, or (619) 401-8858 to participate. To learn more about El Cajon CDC projects and volunteer opportunities in Downtown El Cajon, visit the Lend A Hand web page at www.downtownelcajon.com. Printer-friendly version
COUNTY SEEKS ADOPTIVE FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN
Printer-friendly version December 1, 2010 (San Diego)–On any given day, 50 to 75 foster children are waiting for permanent adoptive homes in San Diego County. A court ceremony in November celebrated the successful adoption of many foster children locally. Those are the lucky ones. Many more children remain in need of a permanent home this holiday season. San Diego Health and Human Services Agency’s Foster and Adoptive Resource Family Services seeks committed individuals or couples to adopt the most difficult to place children. Children over age 5, minorities, siblings, and youngsters with special medical/behavioral needs continue to wait the longest for loving homes. Costs to adopt older children are often paid for by the state. Stories of San Diego foster children in need of permanent adoptive homes are posted online at http://www.iadoptu.org/sdc/default.aspx and at the Rivers of Hope Foundation’s “heart gallery” at www.riversofhopefoundation.com. Children such as Chauncey and Kehala, a brother and sister who grew up in a rural area and need an adoptive home together. Kehala loves riding horses, wants to be a horse trainer someday and hopes to be adopted by a family with lots of animals. Chauncey loves drawing and dreams of having a parent who is a writer and “someone to draw with me.” Or Salvador, an athletically gifted 8-year-old who has known a lot of rejection in his life. What he wants most in a parent is “love, so they care for me.” Irene, a teen who loves music, wants a family who will help her fulfill her dreams of going to college and becoming a singer. But in the 14-17-year-old category, her odds of being adopted are not as high as younger children’s. Jeremiah, Tyler, Regianae & Reginald are African-American siblings ages 10, 9, 8 and 4. They love music, dancing, sports and video games. Their answers to a questionnaire posted at River of Hope’s website hints at troubled pasts, but also reveal generosity of spirits. Jeremiah says he wants to be a doctor so he can help people. If he could change one thing in the world, he would eliminate drugs because, he reflects, “people can die.” His sister, Regianae, wishes she could “Fix homelessness and have everyone in a home.” Reginald most wants “a parent who will give us something to eat and let us do something that we ask.” Tyler, whose favorite holiday memory is of Christmas, wants to wants “to help kids” when he grows up. For more information on adopting these or other children in San Diego County, please visit http://www.iadoptu.org/sdc/default.aspx. Printer-friendly version