The disease and the cure

Disease:

Cure:

From NBC Los Angeles, "Let This Be a Lesson to Shady Pet Stores".

A $4.8 million default judgment awarded to former customers of a now-closed Bel Air pet store should help deter similar businesses from selling sick animals from puppy mills, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said Tuesday.

This is the type of lawyering we need here. It's time for large scale commercial dog breeders (in Canada it's politically incorrect and pretty damn near illegal to use the term "puppy mill" in case someone's feelings get hurt) to be thinking hard about what they're doing.

Now I'd like to think that this is some kind of knock out victory but we all know that's not the case. There are still lots and lots of commercial dog breeders out there pushing their product through pet stores, private home breeder fronts and direct sales. And there's still lots and lots of them getting away with it too, even with passing grades from our esteemed Canadian justices (check this one out - just make sure you're near a bucket in case your last meal wants to make a quick exit).

No, this Bel Air lawsuit is a good step in the right direction but it's just a step. Some people have got their hearts in the right place and enough bulk in their wallets to push this lawsuit through. Oh yeah, it's still all about the money flow only this time it's flowing straight and true.