When looking to bring a new fury friend into your home there's always the debate, should you buy or adopt?
The City of Montreal looked to help with that decision when it introduced its animal control bylaw earlier this year. Part of the legislation would require pet stores to only stock dogs, cats and rabbits from shelters.
The change, set to come into effect July 1, 2019, was applauded by many but is seeing opposition from some pet stores and breeders.
The groups have teamed up and now sent legal notice to the city advising it of their intent to oppose the bylaw.
"The dogs and cats you find in pet shops are usually not the ones that you'll find in shelters, especially for dogs," Yves Pepin, the attorney representing the group told CTV Montreal.
"There's only huge dogs or dogs that are 10 years old [in shelters]," Pepin said. "That doesn't go with children. If you have young children, you won't buy a 15-year-old dog that's going to die in one year. The children will cry for decades. Usually, they want a puppy. You don't get that in a shelter. They do go in pet shops to get puppies, or to breeders."
According to Pepin the city is trying to make it impossible to sell dogs, a move that will ultimately kill his clients' business.
"Right now, for dogs, they only have the SPCA, which is a shelter and the SPCA doesn't want to make business with pet shops. There would only be about four or five dogs for 20 pet shops in Montreal" he said.
The group also contents that by forcing shelter animals into pet stores; those looking for other options will turn to other sellers, which could send them to puppy mills where the animal's health is not a guarantee.
"If you buy a dog or cat in a pet shop, it's going to be vaccinated," Pepin said. "You'll make sure every animal sold in a pet shop has seen a vet at least once. You don't have that on the Internet. If you like animals, make sure they're being sold in a pet shop."