Palomacy’s Co-Director recently sent a letter to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, urging them to outlaw the sale of retail animals in San Francisco.

Dear San Francisco Board of Supervisors,

My name is Cynthia Bardouka-Large and I’m the co-director of Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions.

I’m grateful to you for considering this ban on the retail sale of animals in San Francisco. I hope it’s approved and that San Francisco can lead the way for other parts of California and eventually to other cities, counties, and states across the country.

My knowledge is mostly about birds, and I can tell you that the horrors of breeding mills, along with the crisis of birds kidnapped from the wild for the pet trade, are reasons enough to cut off the supply of trafficked animals in this deadly commerce.

Rescues like Palomacy are overflowing with surplus, unwanted, and dumped birds, and those of us doing rescue work are outnumbered (by a factor of many thousands) by those who continue to breed, sell, and treat as disposable these sensitive, social beings.

And when you purchase a poorly bred or trafficked bird from a store like Petco, they will also sell you a heartbreakingly small cage that no sentient creature should be confined to. Their pamphlets on animal husbandry are often flatly wrong. I have seen them distribute a pamphlet on keeping doves, with a picture of a white pigeon on the front. (“pigeons” and “doves” are not interchangeable when it comes to the species commonly found in the pet trade and the care needed). I alerted them to the issue and they doubled down on their incorrect information and said that it didn’t matter since the care advice was the same for both (so very wrong!). With bad advice like that, it’s clear that the point of sale at the pet shop is not an end to the animal’s trouble. Birds are one of the most frequently re-homed and discarded pets, as customers walk away from the store with their bird and their little cage, and no real information about the commitment of sharing a life with a species so different from our own.

And that’s just birds! Please spare a thought for the inbred “naked” guinea pigs, unable even to stay warm by themselves, the reptiles confined to tiny aquariums, the goldfish drowning in the ammonia of their own urine, the beta “fighting fish” kept in 8 oz cups, listlessly floating and staring at nothing all day on account of their beautifully colored scales.

Chains such as Pet Food Express, along with many small independently owned pet supply shops, have demonstrated a robust business model where no live animals are bought or sold, and rescue is at the forefront of the conversation about where to find companion animals. These ethical pet supply shops are the majority in the city of San Francisco, and they prove every day that it can be done.

When the retail sales of dogs and cats were banned, Petco readily partnered with local rescues to feature adoptable kittens in their stores. They know how to do this. They were allowed to keep selling birds, reptiles, and fish, and I ask you to consider how those animals have fared — inbred for novel effects and sold as merchandise to anyone willing to pay.

I expect you will soon hear from breeders around California — and out of state — who will protest that we are trying to “outlaw pets” and that breeding will be driven into the black market. Please don’t listen to them. Listen to those of us who are left to pick up the pieces and repair the harm caused by those breeders and retailers, every day. This ban will absolutely prevent a great deal of suffering.

In gratitude,
Cynthia Bardouka-Large