# Ban sale of pets at flea markets



## testmg80 (Jul 28, 2008)

By CHAU NGUYEN TODD 
Oct. 10, 2009, 6:03PM

What gets me up every morning is nursing a sweet and timid dog we named Daisy back to health. Six months ago, someone tied her to the front of an animal clinic in Longview. An English bulldog, doctors guess she is 5 years old and was likely a puppy-mill dog, born purely to breed and probably kenneled her entire life. Daisy was undernourished, overbred and covered in open, bloodied sores. Whoever abandoned her had no use for her anymore, and she was probably more work than she was worth. When Daisy came home to us, she was a mess. 

In the world of animal rescues, Daisy's story is one of thousands. Dogs and cats are brought into shelters every day, many abused, neglected or simply abandoned by their owners. Some are adopted. Others are not and are euthanized to make space for more animals. In Daisy's case, a local English bulldog rescue group picked her up, even though veterinarians were not sure at the time she would survive, given her condition.

Even though it's against the law to abuse and neglect animals, enforcement of Texas' animal cruelty statutes is a dubious proposition. A major reason is manpower. At the SPCA, there are only nine investigators to handle its nearly 12,000 cases each year. Head to BARC, Houston's animal pound, and you'll find further evidence of shortages. The shelter is grossly overcrowded and perpetually understaffed. The dogs and cats kenneled on any given day far outnumber the people who come forward to adopt. 

The recent seizure of more than 1,000 animals living in cramped, filthy conditions at a northwest Harris County property shed light on another problem, and that's the sale of pets at flea markets. In this case, the commodities were mostly birds, ducks and chickens. Even though such sales are illegal in Houston, get out of the city limits and flea-market pets are big business. 

Anyone who has been to flea markets like Traders Village in West Harris County has seen the rows of cute puppies waiting to be sold. What you don't see is what animal investigators suspect are the puppy mills where these dogs originate. Reputable breeders don't sell their animals at flea markets.

This is an easy fix for Harris County commissioners. Ban animal sales at flea markets. This would cut down on the irresponsible profiting off pets and reduce the proliferation of puppy mills.

Hats off to city leaders for finally moving forward with renovations at BARC. Adding kennels and cat facilities are long overdue. Adding staffing must come next.

Houston City Council Member Jolanda Jones recently described BARC as a place that emanates death and morbidity. Perhaps people who mistreat animals should also be required to take a tour of the facility, as Jones did.

Finally, state lawmakers can deliver a stern message to those who violate animal cruelty laws by increasing fines and punishments, which are currently up to $10,000 and two years jail time. If animal cruelty convictions can be considered a felony, then shouldn't the punishment fit the crime?

As for Daisy, with each day comes improvement. I have to feed her a handful of medications and apply ointment to her wounds every day, but the love and attention she's getting seems to be lifting her spirits. Her limp has turned into a skip, especially when it's time for her daily walk. I think for the first time, Daisy is getting a shot at being a real family dog. I wonder what her former owners would say if they saw her now. 

Todd is a former reporter and anchor for KHOU-TV and is currently pursuing her master's degree in social work at the University of Houston.

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