The law against animal abuse is debated on the Côte d'Azur

• With the agreement reached between senators and deputies in a joint committee last week, the law against animal abuse will be able to be voted on next month in both chambers of Parliament.

• In this text, pet stores will no longer be able to sell dogs or cats from 2024. A measure that displeases those concerned.

• In Nice, "the chosen one with animals", Henry Jean Servat, applauds this law and wants to make the city the "capital of animal welfare".

Gislaine *, 71, quietly walks her dog in the streets of Nice. The corgi will soon be celebrating its first birthday. She went to look for him "from safe people, not like [her] neighbor," she says. He was fooled by buying it in a pet store! This is not at all the breed that was sold to him. Stories like that run through the streets in the Alpes-Maritimes. “Two establishments are under investigation for having very dubious practices. In particular, on the importation of animals from Hungary which travel in disastrous conditions ”, confides to

the deputy of the 2nd constituency of the department, Loïc Dombreval, also general rapporteur of the law against animal abuse.

The latter, which will be voted on November 16 in the National Assembly and November 18 in the Senate, includes a section on pet stores. From 2024, it will be prohibited to sell cats and dogs there. And as soon as the text comes into force, these pets can no longer be exhibited behind windows. An essential measure to "put an end to impulse buying which is generally followed by abandonment", as these associations explained a few weeks ago. For the deputy, who is also a veterinarian, this text “is necessary to change the way we look at animals, which are not objects. This is, moreover, a provision made in many neighboring countries ”. He adds :“Dogs and cats in pet stores cannot develop in good conditions in this living space. "

Where to buy your dog or cat after 2024?

For Muriel Arnal, president of the One Voice association which campaigns for animal rights, “the law does not go far enough”.

She develops: “It's good, but for other animals then?

And then the objective was really to regulate more the online sale, there, we are far from a historical measure and it will take years to take more into account these living beings ”.

Indeed, the online purchase will be part of the possibilities to become the owner of a dog or a cat after 2024. Future buyers will also be able to go directly to professional breeders or declared amateurs.

Another preferred option: adopt in shelters.

The MP says: “On the Internet, the law will improve existing things, such as fraudulent ads.

The only way to sell will be on sites entirely dedicated to animals and not between a fridge and a car.

This site will validate the advertisement only after verification of the identification number of the animal.

The former mayor of Vence says he is satisfied with the agreement reached in the joint committee last week.

Angry pet store owners

Less happy with this law, the owners of pet shops. In Nice, being insulted or being hung up on were the only options given by the ten stores contacted by 

. After having said "that she would not respond before the entry into force of the measure", one of them nevertheless explained herself on this "anger". "I've been open for thirty years and overnight, are we going to have to close?" It will put people out of work, that's all it will do ”.

Loïc Dombreval responds to this argument with the example of the Maxi Zoo group, a German chain of pet stores, which has stopped selling animals and is seeing its growth increase.

But for the manager of Nice, the law could stick to closing windows even if she does not understand that abandoned animals can come from her home.

“We are heading straight for a disaster, this text will promote trafficking.

At least, in a pet store, there are guarantees!

She gets annoyed, targeting Internet ads.

Nice, capital of animal welfare ... But also trafficking

However, this is not what found "the elected representative to animals" of the city of Nice, Henry Jean Servat, who applauds this law against animal abuse. “This summer, I received dozens and dozens of reports of dogs and cats in the sun,” he explains. And I follow closely these investigations of trafficking of certain pet stores that bring dogs and cats from Eastern countries in inhumane conditions with solid evidence. "He assures us" to have nothing against these establishments ", but" to think about the welfare of the animals ".

It is with this in mind that there are "no more puppy and kitten shows" organized by the city and that "beautiful projects are coming" as far as they are concerned.

"Soon", it will be possible to come and work at the town hall with your dog, a measure already in place in Grenoble, or to take transport with them.

The chosen one intends to perpetuate the title of "best city to live with your dog" given to Nice this year by the magazine

.

* The first name has been changed.

Planet

"It is increasingly difficult to find adopters", warns an animal protection association in the Alpes-Maritimes

Nice

"We must fight against animal abuse" by creating a specialized brigade, commits the elected Henry-Jean Servat

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