I just read your piece regarding the protest in the mall on Dec. 18 (“‘Puppy Mill’ protest erupts at Santa Maria Town Center Mall”). Your story has many inaccuracies which I would like to address.
The protest was legal and we were not kicked out by police due to handing out fliers without permission by the mall. The city attorney, Mr. Trujillo, was informed about our legal right to hold a protest and pass out fliers prior to our event and agreed with us. Shopping malls are considered de facto public meeting places.
Both the police and mall security were aware at the start of our peaceful protest and it ended at 2 p.m., as planned. Many fliers were passed out regarding the reasons not to buy puppies and kittens at pet stores and educational materials about the realities of commercial breeding facilities and puppy mills. One flier did depict a picture of a breeding pen with several dogs, one of which was lying dead in the kennel.
An investigation by Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) in 2015 found evidence that Animal Kingdom in Santa Maria was getting dogs from USDA licensed commercial breeding facilities in the Midwest that had several health violations. By law pet stores are supposed to provide you information upon request where the animals come from. When a pet is purchased, a Pet Dealer Disclosure Form is provided that by law must state who the breeder or broker is and where the animal comes from. I have copies of several of these forms from Animal Kingdom and the only information provided is a first name and street address, which is incomplete information.
I have traced several of these addresses to rural areas in the Fresno area. One address is an empty field. The ban to prohibit pet stores from selling commercially bred dogs, cats, and rabbits and instead work with local shelters and 501c3 rescues if they still want to sell pets in their stores is a separate issue from the mall protest. Many people from both sides spoke at the City Council meeting in November and the request to get the item on the agenda was put off until 2017 after the new council as been seated. Ms. Wade of the Central Coast SPCA was only one of many speakers, and you seem to have misquoted her and blown her statements out of proportion.
More than 30 cities in California alone have passed such bans and many statewide. To see a list, go to the Best Friends Animal Society webpage. My group, No More Pet Store Puppies 805, is an animal advocate group, we are not activists, so please refrain from referring to us as such. You state that Mr. Tipton only buys from respected and licensed commercial breeders. Commercial breeders whether licensed or not are mass breeding facilities that have very few regulations and the breeding animals get very little if any vet care and are kept in crowded unsanitary kennels their entire lives and bred continually. If you would like my side of the story or any factual information please feel free to contact me. It would have been nice to see a more balanced and unbiased story.
This article appears in Jan 5-12, 2017.
