Puppies being sold at Vancouver Canada Line station leads to outrage

@Finnsspace/Twitter

Puppies are being sold in downtown Vancouver and it’s leading to outrage from some members of the public.

Some are also questioning whether or not selling puppies in this fashion is even legal.

Pictures were initially shared on Twitter by user @Finnsspace. The pictures were taken at the Vancouver City Centre Canada Line station on Granville and Georgia streets.

Several pictures show a large crowd gathered around some puppies, and the Twitter user in question told Daily Hive that this has been taking place for at least a few weeks. She also said there were about five to six puppies, but she wasn’t sure if anyone was buying them.

She told Daily Hive that the sellers claimed these puppies were “fully trained.”

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Exactly! They look like mostly Bernese or St. Bernard. No one seems to care or be able to do anything. I stopped the first time because PUPPIES – thinking they were just people out walking their dogs. They launched right into a sales pitch for “fully trained puppies”

— Kathryn (@Finnsspace) August 30, 2022

Many others have chimed in after seeing the pictures, including animal law lawyer Rebeka Breder.

What? That’s crazy! Surely there’s something the city @CityofVancouver can do – like fining them for not having a business license. Where are these puppies from?! Stolen? Puppy mills? No reputable person would sell a dog to just any stranger at a sky train station!! https://t.co/5lVlMxnJET

— Rebeka Breder (@animallawcanada) August 30, 2022

Daily Hive spoke to Breder about the situation.

“If the vendors are on city property, the city can, and should, do something about it,” she said.

@Finnsspace/Twitter

“It infuriates me because the message this sends is that it doesn’t matter — these are ‘just’ dogs. But when you unpack it, it’s a lot more than that. Are these dogs healthy? Do they have any behavioural issues?”

@Finnsspace/Twitter

Breder believes this is a major issue when it comes to animal welfare.

“No reputable breeder or person would sell a puppy to any random stranger on the street. In my view, this is a serious public safety and animal welfare concern.”

Breder also tweeted that this practice is “sadly not illegal.”

In a statement to Daily Hive, the BC SPCA said that based on the information its call centre received, there didn’t appear to be a violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

“Allegations about the puppies being sold without a business license and other possible violations should be directed to the City of Vancouver.”

“If people are looking for puppies we suggest they visit the BC SPCA’s website,” added Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA.

“There are a number of resources on the best ways to find a pet.”

The City of Vancouver told Daily Hive that this doesn’t fall under its jurisdiction. While the selling of dogs on City property is not permitted, the area outside of transit stations actually belongs to the province according to a statement from the City.

To report illegal vending on the street or sidewalk from your smartphone or desktop, you can use the City’s Van311 app (van311.ca) or phone 3-1-1.

Update:

TransLink told Daily Hive that the incident like wasn’t reported to Transit Police.

“Transit Police and SkyTrain Attendants can ask anyone to move who is blocking a station entrance.”

Furthermore, no one selling anything on transit property is authorized without a business license.

TransLink recommends calling Transit Police if you see something like this happening.

Update 2:

According to some users on social media, the puppies belong to a group of rescuers called thetrainedpup, who bring the puppies out to areas like downtown Vancouver to help socialize them before they’re made available for adoption.

According to the website, the “fully trained” puppies are indeed sold for nearly $2,000, but it is unclear whether or not this was the case at the Vancouver Canada Line station.