Michael Mooney published an article in D Magazine titled, “Dallas’ Puppy Problem, Last year, the city killed 14,732 dogs. Until that number drops, it should be illegal to sell them.” My friends on the left think the quickest way to solve things like illegal drug use, gun crimes and puppy massacres is to ban them. Simply pass a law and people will stop taking drugs, killing each other and abandoning their dogs, right? In fact if Michael gets his way we will have more unwanted dogs and even more puppy mills.
Interestingly, Michael explains my point in his article when he explains, “Meanwhile, plenty of people in Dallas are willing to spend hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars on commercially bred puppies. Whether operating from a temporary setup in a parking lot or through the dozens of classifieds each week advertising designer puppies for sale, sellers rarely collect sales taxes or report earnings.”
Dog breeders who violate State and Federal tax laws at the risk of real jail time aren’t going to worry about a municipal regulation requiring they NOT to sell a puppy. How is a citywide ban going to solve the underlying population of unwanted dogs? Will the ban make people want to buy fewer puppies? Michael knows that it won’t. Ironically, such a ban would likely make the underlying problem worse. The good breeders – i.e. high quality breeders who screen for genetic problems, good owners and pay their sales and use taxes – are going to STOP selling puppies. The demand side – i.e. people that want puppies – won’t decrease simply because the city passes an ordinance, instead the BAD breeders (the ones who don’t pay their taxes) are going to get a boost in demand and sell even more. Many of these ‘defective’ dogs will be abandoned by their owners because they are, frankly, defective.
The answer likely lies with technology and taxation. Technology used to register/title dogs much as we register/title cars (RFID style tags implanted before sale). Taxation at the original sale and in the event of an abandonment. Banning something doesn’t stop it. Drugs and guns are just like puppies – you can’t stop them unless you can stop demand (and good luck with that).
