With guinea pigs reportedly being surrendered more than ever, the Boston City Council is looking to do all it can to ensure the small critters are receiving the best care possible.
That’s the focus behind a proposed ordinance in front of council that looks to ban the sale of guinea pigs in pet shops across the city.
The council’s Committee on Government Operations is set to hear feedback from animal welfare leaders and advocates on Monday regarding the proposal, filed by Councilor Liz Breadon this past March.
City officials enacted a “pet shop” ordinance in 2016, prohibiting the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits, except in cooperation with an animal shelter or rescue organization. It left out guinea pigs, a “significant share” of which come from large-scale, out-of-state commercial breeding facilities and brokers,” according to the proposed ordinance.
A dozen other cities and towns followed Boston’s initial ordinance, including Cambridge and Attleboro, cities that went further by including a ban on the sale of guinea pigs from pet shops.
“Pet shelters across the country have seen an influx of guinea pigs being surrendered since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Animal Care Centers of New York City reporting that guinea pig surrenders have doubled since 2019,” the proposed ordinance states.
The increase is being felt in Boston, Breadon highlights in the ordinance, with the city’s Animal Care and Control reporting significant increases in intakes year over year from 2020 through 2022.
Boston 311 data reveals a growth in cases the past two years, and MSPCA-Angell reported in July 2022 that “it received more than 210 guinea pigs and rabbits over a three month span.”
“Amending the City of Boston Code, Ordinances, for the inclusion of guinea pigs in prohibited pet shop sales would improve animal welfare by helping to address the rising scale of small pet surrenders,” Breadon wrote.
