Montrealer calls on Kijiji to ban pet sales
A Montreal woman is calling on Kijiji Canada to ban all pet sales as part of a larger effort to put an end to puppy mills.
Barbara Lapointe wants the popular classified website to instead promote adoption from registered animal rescue groups and individual families.
Lapointe's online petition has collected nearly 50,000 signatures.
But Kijiji community manager, Shawn McIntyre, said the company has no plans to change its policy.
McIntyre said Kijiji has set up a system to catch suspicious posts and prevent those who operate puppy mills from using the site.
Craigslist, another classified site, no longer allows the sale of household pets.
Excerpt from petition:
"Internet classified sites are NOT the place to look for a pet because it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between a reputable breeder and a puppy mill … We urge Kijiji to prohibit the sale of household pets. Kijiji has the power to curb the distribution of puppy mills pets and to reduce pet overpopulation in Canada, and demonstrate its commitment to a popular cause."
With files from CBC News