Pet peddlers prohibited

On Sept. 24, East Baton Rouge became the first parish in the state to make it illegal for anyone to sell, barter or give away live animals—puppies, kittens, chicks, bunnies, dogs, cats and even snakes and lizards—on any public street or in commercial or retail areas. Council administrator Brian Mayers says the amendment to Title 14 went into effect the next day. Violators are now subject to up to $500 in fines and/or 180 days of imprisonment.

Enforcement falls first to East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control during regular business hours and then to the Sheriff’s Office and Baton Rouge Police at night, on the weekends and holidays. When the agencies receive a complaint, they will dispatch an officer.
“We will not come in like the Gestapo initially,” says Animal Control Director Hilton Cole, “because a lot of people are unaware of the law. All officers will receive training in diplomacy, enforcement and strong, firm public relations.” For the first few months, Animal Control will issue warnings and ask the vendors to move on. However, if a vendor is willfully violating the law, an officer may issue a summons, and if there is bona fide cruelty, seize the animals as evidence.

Ecstatic over the Metro Council’s decision to approve the ordinance she crafted with Councilman Mike Walker’s staff, animal rescue volunteer Mari Presedo is already mounting an urgent public relations campaign to educate the vendors and pre-empt the next breeding cycle.

“We need press releases to other parishes. Most peddlers come in from Lafayette, Walker and Denham Springs,” Presedo says. “These backyard breeders need to know they’re not legal anymore in East Baton Rouge Parish. They need to stop breeding animals now. Their market’s been cut by a lot.”

Even though the ordinance does not outlaw all sales of animals, it discourages individuals from breeding small animals for big profits by making the transaction transparent. “This is going to force it,” Presedo says. “These guys don’t want people going to their homes. They don’t want you to see what’s there: The parents and the living conditions, which are an indicator of how your puppy (or other animal) will turn out.”

In the long run, Cole projects the new ordinance will minimize cruelty and decrease the demand for Animal Control services. “Any time people sell or give away animals that are fertile with unknown veterinary histories to people who buy spontaneously, there is a certain percentage that Animal Control will be called out on as a complaint or an impoundment. The ordinance will prevent a lot of suffering, exploitation and irresponsible pet ownership.”

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Besides her 20 years of experience as an editor and writer, Adrian E. Hirsch is a charter board member of Spay Baton Rouge, a nonprofit that spays/neuters feral cats and the pets of low-income residents to stem overpopulation; the Baton Rouge coordinator of Gulf South Golden Retriever Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues golden retrievers from shelters and owners, fosters and finds permanent homes for the dogs; and (along with her twin daughters) a member of Tiger HATS, an LSU Veterinary School service organization that offers animal-assisted therapy.