They are immediately “too cute” but then every year 100,000 end up behind bars in a kennel or cattery. We are talking about pets , especially cats and dogs, which are abandoned in France after being bought in a shop.

For this reason, the French government is discussing a law to put an end to the impulse buying of pets: from 2024 it will be forbidden to buy dogs and cats in pet shops.

Stop wild animals in circuses too

” They bring the animals to us as if they were returning a piece of furniture , a hi-fi system, a television. As if, once the consumption time has passed, they want to exchange them for another consumer good “: this is the story of the manager of an animal shelter in northern France, in Sarthe.

After senators and deputies have agreed on a law on animal abuse , the enactment of this law will be swift and will also contain the progressive ban on wild animals in circuses (within 7 years) and in the dolphinaria (within 5).

In addition, mink farms and animals of other species bred exclusively for the production of fur will be prohibited .

Dogs and cats no but yes to mice and parrots

If dogs and cats are effectively excluded from sales in stores , the same will not be true for mice and parrots : various animals will continue to be sold but in any case it will be forbidden to display them in the window .

Furthermore, it will still be possible to buy animals online , but animal welfare checks are increasing, for which a “certificate of knowledge” must be read and signed. The target? Countering illegal trafficking of species and impulse purchases.

Record abandonment of animals in France

Unfortunately in France it has become mandatory to intervene in terms of pets, as the European country holds the record of abandonment.

Each year between 100,000 and 200,000 pets are abandoned, 60% of cases occurring in the summer . Huge numbers that become clearer when compared, for example, with those of the United Kingdom where around 16 thousand animals are abandoned every year.

According to various experts, the purchase of a purebred dog or cat follows the fashion of the moment : like a smartphone, when it goes out of fashion it is abandoned to buy the new model.

In reality, the reasons can be the most disparate: there are animals that comegiven by parents to their children and then when the children leave the house, the animals become a hindrance to get rid of. Or, young people who decide to change their lives, move and for this return the animal .

But so many animals that are abandoned when they start to get old or sick , so for a matter of costs.

In Italy 50 thousand dogs are abandoned a year

And in Italy? In our country, the abandonment of animals is a serious problem. According to the estimates of the LAV association , on average, 80 thousand cats and 50 thousand dogs are abandoned a year , more than 80% of which are at risk of dying in accidents, hardship or mistreatment.

The maximum peaks of abandoned animals are recorded in the summer period (25-30%), when the departure for the holidays poses the problem of the presence of a four-legged friend.