WHAT IS BURBANK C.R.O.P.S. AND WHAT is c.r.o.p.s. TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?

C.R.O.P.S. stands for "Citizens for Rescue-Only Pet Stores."

We are a dedicated group of Burbank residents, volunteering our time in an effort to add our city of Burbank to an ever-growing list of cities in the Greater-L.A.-area who are banning the retail sale of pets.

C.R.O.P.S. works with local animal welfare organizations, adoption centers and rescue groups to facilitate and promote adoption/rescue pets through events, word of mouth and social media. We help set up events at retail establishments within our community as to provide additional venues for homeless pets to be showcased, so that our community has an easy alternative to adopt rather than purchasing online, from a pet store (puppy mill supplier) or irresponsible breeder.

A "paradigm shift" is occurring, replacing the former way of thinking and doing business. People generally want to be part of a solution and businesses such as pet stores are embracing the opportunity to help animal shelters and rescue groups by hosting adoption events, or adopting out homeless animals from shelters rather than obtaining them from commercial breeders (a.k.a. puppy mills).

WHY DOES C.R.O.P.S. EXIST?

To educate the public about puppy mills and therefore end the demand for mass-manufactured, commercially bred puppy mill dogs.

To end the unfathomable suffering of puppy mill dogs. The PARENTS of the puppy mill puppy live their entire lives in cramped, stacked cages, walking on wire, bred every heat cycle to a point where their bones break and teeth fall out.

To help end the overpopulation epidemic. Our society euthanizes nearly 5 million healthy animals each year while puppy mills “mass-produce” an additional 4 million each year.

DOES C.R.O.P.S WANT TO SHUT DOWN BUSINESSES?

No. Quite the contrary! We are simply encouraging these pet stores to take on a humane model. This may mean that they have to revise their business model a bit, or focus their attention on ancillary products and/or services like pet products, grooming, and/or boarding. Most business owners would agree that any business is subject to changing with the times and see it as an opportunity to embrace this and move forward, meeting customer's needs and new trends in the marketplace.

DID YOU KNOW?

Up to 30% of dogs in shelters are purebred. Yet, over 6,000 U.S.D.A. licensed commercial breeders (i.e. puppy mills) continue to produce more puppies – only adding to our pet overpopulation problem.

Sadly, in 2011, 19,000 (nineteen thousand) pets were euthanized (right here in our own backyard) at the six L.A. City Shelters. L.A. County euthanasia numbers were even more devastating -- 46,600 (forty-six thousand six hundred) cats & dogs were killed at the 7 county shelters.

WHY NOT JUST ASK THE STORES THAT SELL MILL DOGS & CATS TO STOP?

While we’d prefer this, we have personally asked the two remaining pet stores in Burbank to stop selling commercially bred pets and to work with rescue groups/shelters instead.
One of the C.R.O.P.S. founders personally drove the owner of Peggy Woods Pet Emporium to Best Friends Animal Society L.A. Pet Adoption Center where he got a personal tour of the beautiful No Kill facility in Mission Hills. Still, he had no interest in changing his ways. Although originally resisting, C.R.O.P.S volunteers visited Millennium Pet Store in October where they were told by the owners that they "would no longer be selling commercially bred pups." When asked why they said that "This is what the community wants." We asked them where their commercially-bred pups usually come from & we were told that they typically work with Hunte Corp (the largest distributor/broker of puppy mill-bred dogs in the country).

what is your ultimate goal?

While working directly with the pet store owners & management is our preferred choice, they are not always amenable. As a result, we ask that pet stores in the city of Burbank be prohibited from selling dogs & cats that come from commercial breeders (i.e. puppy/kitten mills).

We encourage these pet stores to be part of the solution; and work with local shelters & rescue groups instead!