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Would you move to another state where your pets are legal if they became illegal?

  • Yes

    Votes: 106 78.5%
  • No

    Votes: 29 21.5%
43K views 98 replies 56 participants last post by  Arwen10 
#1 ·
I have sent this letter I created to some exotic vets, and info@aemv.org. Please reply to this post with any emails concerning the matter of banning exotic pets. This is not right, and cannot happen any longer as it is in the U.S. and Canada...Please write a letter yourself also...My letter can be cross-posted as long as my name and such is included... Well here it is:

"
Hello,

My name is Corina Van Camp. I am living in New York State. I own chinchillas and plan on getting hedgehogs, both of them being exotic animals. I hear of the government banning exotic animals in many locations, recently in both the United States and Canada. These animals are not only our pets, but our babies! They are part of the family. We love them very much, and take care of them, and their needs. I do not support this act. We should not be punished for the acts of irresponsible animal owners that neglect or abuse their pets. Our pets should not be punished either. I also know that if you were to ban exotic animals in this state, I would be moving to another state, and bringing my animals with me. Not all animals carry diseases and such, and eventually we are going to have no pets at all, not even dogs or cats. Animals are the ones who comfort people and listen to you when humans don't. They are the ones with opening ears and hearts. There are many people that are worried about this matter, and do not want this happening. Just of my friends, close ones at that; they own:

Chinchillas

Hedgehogs

Prairie Dogs

Sugar Gliders

Flying Squirrels

etc. All being exotics.

I also plan on being a vet in the next years to come, if you ban exotic pets how many people will be out of jobs? Maybe not many, but they do need to support their family, and themselves. They love their jobs too, and some of them owning exotic animals themselves. I am not only being a vet, but specializing in exotic animals. Also there are many pet stores that sell chinchillas, and hedgehogs, not that this is always a good thing, but they will be having less, and less animals to support their business'. Some exotic animals are also used in educational ways. You do not want to take away children's education...do you? Also animals possibly able to catch and carry the disease monkey pox besides prairie dogs that aren't exotics, are rabbits, rats, etc. Your not trying to ban these animals, or caring to. You shouldn't need to either, but you shouldn't be trying to ban exotics. All of these animals are very important to many.

Thank you for listening, and I am looking forward to your reply concerning this matter. I am not just representing myself, and my animals, but many other people too, and all the people that think about writing a letter, but never do.

-Corina"

 
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#28 ·
Yes, if I could afford to. But, then again, both of us dislike the state we live in now and want to move, so that probably affects my answer.
 
#29 ·
My kids and I live in Ontario, canada. I am the very proud Mother of 2 female red-nosed Pit-bulls and they were banned here in Early march. I have until Aug 29th to have them UTD on shots (they are)
spayed, which one is not, registered with the City & muzzled WHENEVER in public, also never allowed off-leash again, not even to dog parks. I will never be able to own my breed of choice again while living here. I'd much rather not even start to think what will happen to all the ones here who do not have homes by then.
At this time, my B/F and I are looking to moving to Montreal A.S.A.P. where our daughters can walk unmuzzled, with their heads high. Where I don't have to worry about someone harrassing them or trying to hurt them. Breed Bans do not work. SO, I had to vote "YES"
I'm not much for exotics, but, to each his own, and no one has the right to be told what they can and can not own or care for.

Laura!!
 
#32 ·
I don't want to make light of an issue of great importance to many people, but seriously...some of the animals on that list, wow! My boyfriend and I are ROFL picturing a hippo in some manhattan studio apt.
 
#33 ·
I am not the type to pick up and run when something goes wrong. If I had a pet that all of a sudden became illegal, I would make sure the lawmakers, lawenforcers and EVERYONE knew that I had them before they became dangerous. It is called "grandfathering". I hate it when someone draws a line in the sand and I have to step back to accommodate it. If you draw a line, I will make every effort to stand on the line or cross it in your direction. How dare you make an immoral law. You Cannot Legislate Morality

Stepping down from soap box now.
 
#34 ·
I voted yes actually as I am a Prairie Dog owner and have been dealing with the ban since 2003. The ban is very outdated and unfounded at this point in time and the CDC and the FDA continue to just banter it back and forth with no intentions of revising it. There are 100's of PD owners who are scared to even let people know they own them due to some states entirely ban ownership such as Georgia and California of many. Fortunately I am in a PD friendly state but am limited to taking them to the vet and back and for rescue purposes only regarding transport. Animal control has brought me most of my rescues and they end up with a permanent home with me and I would move in a minute if I had to give them up. Also due to much misinformation regarding the ban it can be very difficult to find vets to treat PD's even in an emergency. Even wildlife rehabbers here wont deal with them most of the time (a few will but not many). They ban due to a disease such as monkeypox that isnt even native to this country yet the same disease is capable of being transmitted to many other species other than just PD's. Of those animals that are natural to this country I believe PD's are the only ones. The rest are exotic imports. Then the poisoning and even the paid for hunts that used to be sold on even ebay seeking $1000.00 just to take a shot at them as they come up from thier burrows!!! (not sure if they still are as hate to even see it). They dont consider how important some of these animals are to our overall ecosystem. Those that depend on the pd are a few such as the black footed ferret, burrowing owl, numerous breeds of snakes, etc. Well enough of my tangent but when owners fear of loosing thier beloved pets due to stupidity just burns me up.
 
#36 ·
My fiance recently discovered a breed of dog called Tamaskan. A mix of husky, malamute and german shepherd. Basically, an attempt to get dogs to look even more wolf-like than huskies, and at the same time try and breed out some of the huskies "worst" qualities (such as the fact that alot of them are escape artists, and the dominance level).

He was interested, but wondered whether or not they'd be legal in the state we live in, and the states we are considering moving to. After all, many states have outlawed wolf-dogs, and how do you prove that your Tamaskan is not a wolf- hybrid.

We discovered that many states, including NY, have "any dog that looks like a wolf" on their list of outlawed animals. Even if it is not a wolf hybrid. The breeder that I spoke to about the cost of a Tamaskan (almost $1500 in US dollars plus overseas shipping!) mentioned that she sells quite a few to people in the US and was about to ship one to someone in NY. I'm assuming that person didn't know that NY has this ridiculous law.

I can understand wanting to protect your citizens from animals that may be dangerous, such as wolves and venomous snakes. But chinchillas, degus, etc, are not dangerous, and should not be persecuted.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Be very afraid of the dangerous, muderous... ARMIDILLO!!!!I am sorry but somethings on that list is just dumb.I can understand the hippo and the bears and elephants, but come one have you ever seen a wild raccoon?They are the most doscile creatures.My aunts house is surrounded by them, the babies run over to her when she dose the laundry.

If i had a praire dog orsomething eles on that list I would move.Its like saying "well billy california dose like little boys anymore and making them illegal, so run free!"
 
#38 ·
I think a lot of the newer bans are due to more and more people wanting exotic animals that aren't domesticated. Many of these animals may not be too dangerous, but just the fact that they are wild and really should be left in their natural environment. Granted, where I live, people take in abandoned baby raccoons, squirrels, etc. and raise them as pets with much success. But to go to the extreme of pulling animals out of jungles from accross the world is a little much in my opinion and these animals are usually better off in their natural homes, thus the bans come into play. The novelty of such animals seems to be their selling point.

I don't want to offend anyone; this is only my opinion.
 
#39 ·
My not so humble opinion aligns with yours exactly. Wild animals should remain wild. If you want to see more of them, go to a zoo, live in the country where they live, take lots of pictures and admire the pictures.

Only animals that are domesticated should be kept as domestic.

Hope I have not offended anyone with my opinion. I tend not to be humble about anything. That is just who I am.
 
#40 ·
I agree with you jewels, for the most part.

There are two main things that bother me:
1. To all of a sudden make an animal illegal to own even though it has been domesticated/kept as a pet for a LONG time (such as if they were to decide to make chinchillas, ferrets, or fancy mice/rats illegal). I'm kinda iffy on degus, even though I have two. I guess because I don't really know how long they've been domesticated. Part of me feels there is no harm in owning them because they are one of the most populous animals where they come from, so there is no worry of reducing their numbers too far. But part of me also wonders if they have been pets long enough to be considered domesticated animals versus animals that should be left in the wild. I honestly don't know how long they have been kept as pets. All animals were once wild. It's a struggle sometimes to try and figure out where to draw the line between "okay to attempt to domesticate" and "better off left alone." How long does a species have to be kept as a pet before it is considered domesticated?

2. To make owning a dog illegal just because it looks like a wolf. If it's not a wolf-hybrid, then you should be able to own it. A german shepherd/husky mix (aka a tamaskan) is no more dangerous that a husky, or a shepherd. If you can own those breeds seperately, then why can't you own the mix. Just because it looks like a wolf, doesn't make it a wolf.
 
#41 ·
The problem with using the word "domesticated" is that it has no clearly defined meaning as far as a law is concerned. If you use the encyclopedic meaning that domestication is any plant or animal which has had its behavior, life cycle, or physiology altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions under careful human control for multiple generations, then that includes many things which most people would not consider "domesticated".

Rattlesnakes are frequently bred in captivity, have been for decades through many successive generations - a friend has at least four generations of one particular rattlesnake family. They're bred for color (even albinism), pattern, and temperament. Does that mean they're domesticated? Not by most people's belief. Snakes themselves have been kept and bred in captivity since ancient times, yet most people would consider them to be wild animals. In actuality, a good portion of reptiles available in the pet trade nowadays are captive bred and have been for many generations. While it isn't hard to find wild caught ones, and they're virtually indistinguishable from the captive bred ones... who makes the determination which one is legal and which one isn't? Prove it one way or the other.

Hamsters have only been kept and bred in captivity since the 1930s. That isn't very long when you consider the ferret was domesticated in ancient Egypt - yet some places consider hamsters to be perfectly acceptable, but the ferret a dangerous wild animal?

Simple fact is, most exotic animal laws come down to nothing more than pure ignorance. They don't have anyone qualified, nor do they have the resources, to properly enforce any kind of permit system or selective legality, so a blanket ban is simply more cost effective.
 
#42 ·
2. To make owning a dog illegal just because it looks like a wolf. If it's not a wolf-hybrid, then you should be able to own it. A german shepherd/husky mix (aka a tamaskan) is no more dangerous that a husky, or a shepherd. If you can own those breeds seperately, then why can't you own the mix. Just because it looks like a wolf, doesn't make it a wolf.
I agree.I understand the risk of a hybrid but these are two domesticated breeds.

Wild animals should remain wild.Think of how long it took to get cats domesticated and even then if they get lose and have kittens they go right back to the begining.
 
#43 ·
Ravnos said:
The problem with using the word "domesticated" is that it has no clearly defined meaning as far as a law is concerned. If you use the encyclopedic meaning that domestication is any plant or animal which has had its behavior, life cycle, or physiology altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions under careful human control for multiple generations, then that includes many things which most people would not consider "domesticated".

Rattlesnakes are frequently bred in captivity, have been for decades through many successive generations - a friend has at least four generations of one particular rattlesnake family. They're bred for color (even albinism), pattern, and temperament. Does that mean they're domesticated?
...Yes o_O Thats exactly what that means

Ravnos said:
Not by most people's belief.
..Not to be overly opinionated and rude, but that's because they're wrong. Somethings breed to be a certain way over some generations, thats domesticated, now whether it's for good (docileness, job adaption) or bad (aggressiveness, "attractive traits that 'cause pain ex. rabbits with ears so long they step on them and shred them)

A quick two cents on exotic/wild animals as pets, as long as they're from a social docile species with some intelligence and hardyness for good measure, can make better pets then something breed for thousands of years to be bitey *cough ferrets,godblesstheirsoulcough* and otherwise dislike human contact (totallynotferretsbtw)
 
#44 ·
I hate to see bans of animals where they are obviously clueless about the facts of the animals they are banning! Like ferrets in California... They think the ferrets will get loose and kill a lot of wildlife, but there has been NO proof of any cases of ferrets living feral and reproducing (they usually die if they get loose...) The truth is there are actually many many people in California who do own ferrets 'in hiding' already so IMO they should just allow them, since they are already in the state!

In Illinois the only animals I know are illegal are skunks and most native bird species (crows, native songbirds, etc...)
 
#46 ·
i actually think that it could be turned into something good. the law i mean... ok so you cant just go buy a hippo GOOD... you cant just go buy a bear GOOD... i think its ok if you are like ok so here are the animals you cant have as pets with out a permit. take them case by case. keep some people from being all oh look at how cute it is lets get it. and not care for it properly. but just refusing animals and illigalizing them is just stupid.
 
#47 ·
yeah if I ever had to apply for a permit to have a pet, i wouldnt care. I'm a person that puts in a whole load of effort to get something i'd like. ( i try not to 'want' it's such gluttony). im my own parent lol, i quiz myself to make sure i know everything i need, and i make sure im prepared. getting permits would stop all the spontaneous petshop buyers, as long as it either A) costs money (many people wont shell out an extra bit) or B) requires some kind of proof of capability
 
#49 ·
elfomatic said:
I agree, Deja. A lot of exotics -- like lions and alligators -- have no business being in big cities. Not only can they be dangerous when not cared for properly but it is wrong to house something like that in an environment totally unsuited for them.

However, exotic animal bans are often based on misinformation. They are also very generalized so a lot of decent pets get banned as well. Most times, professionals aren't consulted and research isn't even done. So, it is left up to the owners to petition the laws -- and most times the system doesn't even care what the pet owners think: There aren't enough exotic owners out there to make a difference so even if you know your stuff you are still fighting a loosing battle. It is sad, really.
im living in an environment unsuited for me
i want to live in the woods right next to THE WILD
i dont think we should be living in big cities w/polution and all that either
Im sick all the time and i think it is the invironment i live in seriously
 
#51 ·
I voted yes, as of now I don't have any exotics but my uncle owns snakes and they are in some places considered exotic...*shrugs* Honestly if they ban my animals they may as well ban me.
 
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