San Francisco May Ban the Sale of Goldfish, Hamsters and Puppies?
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| Goldfish learn that San Francisco may be the promised land. |
It might soon be illegal to buy goldfish in San Francisco. The city's Animal Control and Welfare Commission is pushing for a ban calling the mass breeding of the fish is inhumane. The proposed bill would also outlaw the sale of tropical fish and renew a ban on hamsters, kittens, and puppies. The commission wants to discourage "impulse buys" of these pets, which sometimes end up abandoned in shelters. Reactions are all over Twitter, where one person has said, "San Fran finally found an 'impulse' they didn't like." Source
Is this really that ridiculous an idea? The answer is multi-layered. We cannot design our society to account for stupid peoples' behavior but on the other hand I have always felt that even goldfish know that when they are put up for sale they are essentially placed on death row. People have the tendency to neglect or forget to take care of them. I have personally known three goldfish that all met their demise at the hands of their owners:
RIP Susie (2008-2008) ~ Inexplicably decided to start breathing air and went belly up. I suspect Susie did this to escape my ex-girlfriend. I feel this way because many a time I myself considered jumping off a cliff or perhaps drowning myself rather than deal with her.
RIP Unknown (2010-2011) ~ Died of depression. The fish was left for two weeks with my girlfriend's best friend with instructions to feed it etc. She returned to find the formerly lively fish in the bottom corner of the fish tank, depressed, lifeless and antisocial before it checking into Davy Jones' Locker.
My point is simple: Not everybody should be able to acquire a fish!
Category: News
