On August 6th, at the Montréal courthouse, the honorable judge Johanne Mainville rendered her decision in the lawsuit opposing a group of pet stores and the City of Montréal concerning the by-law requiring these stores to sell dogs, cats and rabbits exclusively sourced from shelters or veterinary clinics.

Agreeing with the City, judge Mainville refused the pet store owners’ request to suspend certain provisions of the by-law. This means that until a hearing is held on the merits, pet stores must obtain their dogs, cats and rabbits exclusively from shelters or veterinary clinics. The case is far from over, but the SPCA is reassured by the City’s first victory and supports its by-law. Indeed, it will help curb the intensive breeding of dogs, cats and rabbits. We are confident in the validity of such a measure that has been adopted successfully in many North American cities, including Toronto and Chicago.

The Montreal SPCA is open to working with pet stores. We will, however, assess each partnership request individually to make sure the store owner will respect our adoption criteria and process to make the best matches in order to avoid impulse “purchases” and to reduce the number of abandoned animals.