Lauren Dalsanto
Mrs. Straub
Economics B1
12 May 2014
Are
Animal Rights Extremists Taking Things too Far?
Whether
it be cats, dogs or even bunnies, we all drool over adorable and furry
household pets. When a Family makes a choice to bring a furry addition into
their household, they are more than likely going to fall in love with the sweet
little two month old puppy at the pet store; a sweet new pet who has never been
with a previous owner. While this gives people a sense of independence and
responsibility to raise an animal from its baby years, there are others that
think completely different.
In
Milwaukee, animal rights extremists are trying to pass a law to prohibit pet
stores from selling commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits, unless they are
from a shelter or rescue. If this law were to go into effect, that would mean
people would not be able to purchase one of their ideal designer puppies bred
to their liking around the Milwaukee area. While this doesn’t seem very
problematic seeing that it is only in Milwaukee County, this law would truly
hurt many businesses and would even trickle all around the country to the
breeders who sell to these Milwaukee pet stores. While yes, some pet stores are
illegal and purchase dogs from puppy mills (which should be shut down), this
bill would also hurt the truly pet loving people who follow the strict and
correct guidelines for breeding their dogs.
If you are
looking for more information on the bill that is trying to be passed, visit
this website below, click on the ‘currently available puppies’ tab and scroll
down:
Over
this past weekend, my family and I had decided that we would start searching
for the perfect dog for our family. We had started our search at he humane
societies but had quickly found out that none of these designer dogs (bred from
great pet stores) were sent there. This means that these reputable ‘designer
dog breeders’ puppies indeed stay with their families and are not given up for
adoption later in life. Seeing that most reputable dog breeders/pet stores are
around the Milwaukee area, we were drawn there. It was at these stores where we
were taught about this new and upcoming ordinance. According to the owners of
these pet stores, all/most of their dogs are bred down south from over a select
50 different breeders (per store) who then sell them their puppies. Not only
that, but each puppy is sold for about $500-$1,000; not to mention that they
are all sold within a week or two. Now what exactly would happen if all of
these designer dog pet stores were to shut down?
Below are some
pictures of designer puppies from reputable breeders in the Milwaukee area:
As
I had witnessed myself, these cute and precious designer puppies are in high
demand at all times and continue to constantly fly out of the stores at rapid
speeds. If even just these Milwaukee located stores were to shut down, it
would affect all of Wisconsin and even the states around us. For example,
since the supply of these puppies would be close to 100% cut of out Milwaukee,
naturally the demand for them would rise and people would buy them elsewhere.
If the people who once bought from Milwaukee are now going elsewhere for
puppies, those new places will not have a big enough supply to satisfy their
local as well as the new incoming customers. With that being said, the
people who once bought their puppies at their local store will now have to
search elsewhere and this entire domino effect will continue to enlarge
itself to create a puppy shortage in the Wisconsin area. Not to mention
that if the demand of these dogs increase, so will the price. Essentially, this
boils down to a rise of demand for designer puppies and a decrease in supply of
them.
Not
only will this affect the animal lovers of Wisconsin, but also the dominant
breeders in the south. For example, if there are 10 reputable pet stores in
Milwaukee who purchase puppies from a combined 50 breeders each, that would be
a total of 500 breeders in the South who have now lost a big part of their
business. After taking a closer look at these scenarios, it is
completely evident that just this small law in Milwaukee could end up hurting
the economy and causing a shortage of designer bred dogs which are already in
high demand currently.
Looking
from the opposite end of things, animal rights extremists argue that this will
allow more rescued and homeless dogs to have a future; which is the entire
thought process behind passing this bill. These extremists believe that by
passing this bill, more dogs will be rescued from humane societies. They
believe that it is very unnecessary to continue breeding these designer puppies
while there are plenty of stray mutts roaming around. But also, you must
think about supply and demand, what people want is to be able to chose a pet
that is exactly to their liking and know exactly where that animal came from.
It is quite possible that this may not even increase the amount of rescue dogs
that get adopted due to the fact that people are still going to want their
designer puppies. Another point to bring up is thinking about the mass
amount of underground puppy selling that would arise from this which also is
not good for our economy seeing that it is basically ‘secret’ money where
people would not be paying tax on. Also, people who love to adopt dogs will
continue adopt just as people who love their purebred and distinct mixes will
continue to buy. One more idea is that once Milwaukee passes this it will
most likely lead to many other places following their lead and this will
greatly affect the entire country with a shortage of designer puppies and
negative impact on the economy. While yes, saving an animal’s life and
giving it a great future is truly an amazing thing, the question arises of, are
these animal rights extremists are going too far by completely cutting out the
selling of designer dogs in Milwaukee?
Watch this
short, sweet and right to the point video to help form your own opinion on this
matter:
Some
may say ‘yes’ while some may say ‘no’ but in my opinion, passing this law will
add (even if it is slight) more issues than we already need. Like I had said
earlier, people want to be able to raise their pet from the beginning when they
are only babies. It is obvious that this is what people truly want due to the
constant flow of puppies out of the stores (even when the price is ridiculously
high). Not only that, but families with young children may not want to adopt a
rescued dog due to the suspicion and research that the animal may become
violent due to its rough past. Another reason why this law should not be passed
is because of how selling puppies (even slightly) impacts our economy. Since
so many people are buying these adorable little animals which are by no means
cheap, their spending is in return stimulating the economy which helps play a
part in encouraging economic growth.
So
the question arises again; are these animal rights extremists going too far?
That is up to you to answer but when thinking about the positive effect that
selling designer puppies have on our economy and the complete joy they
bring to people, it makes their ideas seem quite irrational. It comes down to
the decision of (trying) to help animals with the chance of negatively
effecting the economy or leaving things how they are where selling designer
puppies most definitely adds to the revenue of not only our state but our
country.
Works Cited
"About Us." Preppy
Pups. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
<http://www.preppypups.net/available_puppies.html>.
"Animal Mobsters
Collaborate to Eradicate Purebreds and Take Over the Pet Marketplace." Disparage
– Regulate – Prohibit – Monopolize | National Animal Interest Alliance.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
<http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/article/disparage-regulate-prohibit-monopolize>.
"Getting
Started." Why Adopt Rather Than Buy?. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May
2014.
<http://bestfriends.org/Resources/Pet-Care/General-Pet-Care/Getting-Started/Why-Adopt-Rather-Than-Buy-/>.
"Home." Tiny
Tykes Puppies. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
<http://www.tinytykespuppies.net/>.
I think these people are going too far. Dogs cost so much and pretty much everyone loves them. Which means they are good for our economy because people spend money on them. Yeah some people want perfect designer puppies but I personally got a mutt from the humane society and she was the cutest and nicest thing ever despite being abandoned at 4 months old. All kinds of animals help the economy no matter what. If people want an animal, they will do whatever they need to to get it. Even spend thousands of dollars and drive to Texas if needed. Although it'd be great to keep them right here in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteI am sort of 50/50 on this one. On one perspective I see that this can cause a problem for supply and demand. I think that it is not worth it if you are going to put that many people out of a job for the people in the south AND milwaukee. But personally i do understand why people care what breed it is unless it happens to affect you physically, like an allergy. But to pick a dog on it's breed is like being racist. It's like saying you can only be white or only be Mexican, but if you are mixed you won't be accepted into social norms. But this isn't a big deal because they are 'just pets' right? Well aren't' you saying that it does matter? And to those who think that this is not going to far I also agree with because no one knows how this will turn out. I think that maybe you should give it a chance but I also don't think that it should be a law. Maybe they should try it out like a year plan or two. And if it doesn't work, then they can decide their next move.
ReplyDeletedo not undrestand*
DeleteI agree that pets are a huge contributor to our economy- yes they are expensive, but they are one of those things that most people are willing to shovel up thousands of dollars for. I think its wrong to discriminate against certain breeds or places in which they would be available to be purchased. Yes, it is JUST Milwaukee, but that could turn into so much more and affect so many businesses. Not to mention, there are so many dogs out there that need a home and the worst thing we could do is take away places where they are sold. With dogs being bred out of control in certain areas we need to keep the business of finding them a home going.
ReplyDeleteRight now I own two dogs, and one is actually still just a puppy. My family didn't get either of them at the humane society, but we got one at a breeder and one at a pet store. I think that these animal rights extremists are taking this situation a little too far. I understand that they want people to buy more pets from the humane society, but for most people they don't want that. It's hard to take in an older dog and try to make it become a good part of the family. The certain dogs could have old habits that would be hard to break in a new home. Some people love to adopt from the humane society, so that's good for them. But they shouldn't penalize the others who want to buy puppies or kittens so that they're able to train them while they're young to get them into the habits that the owner wants. Overall, this would be a bad economic decision since the demand for younger animals is so high and taking the luxury of pet stores that sell them would have more of a negative effect than if they just left things the way they are. People who want to buy from the humane society will and they just need to let the other people buy their animals where they want.
ReplyDeleteI think that is is crazy that they would do this. Yes there are people who only want pure-breed dogs but the majority of the time they most likely want them for a good reason. My sister will only get a pure-breed lab but that is only because her husband hunts and they want this kind of dog so that they can know how to train it and know that it will be a good hunting dog. There is many times when people want pure-breed dogs but the majority of the time they have a legitimate reason. I know many people who don't care if they are getting a pure-breed. They may want one kind of dog but they don't care if they are pure-breed. So I think that this is stupid that they would think about doing this.
ReplyDeleteAt what point does someone become an extremist? Sometimes it seems like that word is just tossed around to propagandize an argument. I mean, they aren't killing anyone. I think it's completely valid that these people are working for humane breeding environments. Even though those designer puppies are unbearably beautiful, I think if a family demands a dog that urgently, a humane society dog could be as rewarding as it is practical. In reality, the reduced supply of dogs wouldn't be as devastating as you put it. I think the humane society would provide a valid means of substitution effect because abandoned dogs are in excess and are put down frequently. I also find it humorous to think that one day a corgi black market could open up in southeast Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was six and after our first dog died, my mother didn't buy us a puppy to raise. She bought us a Beagle-German Shepard mix who was already trained. Part of the reason was because my mom was going to school and my brother's were going off to college, so we didn't have time to raise a puppy. I really don't feel like many people would go underground and try to sell designer puppies illegally. I feel like that might even be going to far for people, however, I wouldn't know. I think you'd be surprised by the amount of dogs that aren't puppies that get sold too. Some people want the challenge of raising a puppy, and in retrospect, it's good for them, but other people do want trained dogs. Either way, there will be a major shift and the passing of the bill is going to be affecting the lives of many dogs.
ReplyDeleteThis was such an interesting topic to research because I never took into consideration what a large impact our pets have on the economy. These designer dogs are very expensive and because they are continually in demand, are a continuous source of revenue. Like Liam said Humane Societies will probably be able to keep up with the demand for dogs but the variety of dogs available will dramatically decrease. If this is effective in Milwaukee it could very easily spread to other cities and have a huge impact on businesses across the country.
ReplyDeleteHaving two dogs myself, I usually do not think of what kind of impact that has with how much money that needs to be spent to take care of them. There are humane societies all around here. It gives us the chance to adopt or rescue a pet and have for our own at a smaller fee, compared to if we choose to adopt the animal from an expertise and or specialist. I can concur, because I have one from each. My dog that my family had adopted from a humane society was cheaper than my other dog which we had bought from breeders. There is a significant difference, and it's crazy to think how much these pets can have so a long-lasting effect on the economy.
ReplyDeleteI would of never expected that animals have that big of an impact on the economy. But I did know that dogs from breeders are usually more expensive than dogs from a shelter. The demand for dogs is increasing and I'm sure the commercial dogs will decrease. Personally I believe that any dog should be able to be sold, not just the ones that need a home.
ReplyDelete