West Hollywood is simultaneously the first and the last place you’d expect a ban on fur sales [3]. The last place because West Hollywood is home to a long tradition of A-listers sporting fur when it’s not even cold. The first place because West Hollywood has steadily been in the vanguard of passing humane laws. It was the first city to ban the declawing of cats in 2003 and among the first to formally adopt the term “guardian” in place of “owner” in 2001.
The ban on sales of clothing made from the skin or pelt of animals with hair, wool or fur is the first in the country, and goes into effect in 2013. It’s a small but significant step in the effort to end the cruel practice of factory farms and the trapping of wild animals, and the ban is also good news for dogs and cats. Investigations by the Humane Society of the United States have revealed that dog fur (which cannot legally be sold in the U.S.) is still falsely labeled and sold here. HSUS claims that millions of domestic dogs and cats are killed [4] on purpose or accidentally by the fur trade every year. Every step that reduces demand is a step in the right direction.