Stop the Sale of Pets to Minors

Everyday hundreds of pets are legally purchased by minors in the United States. In many cases, parents and guardians are unaware that the purchase has even been made.

Minors (i.e. Individuals under 18) are not legally responsible for themselves and therefore should not be legally able to claim full responsibility for another life. Whether the pet in question is a harmless kitten or a potentionally dangerous pet such as a large dog or python the sale to a minor should be prohibited.

For example a 16 year old boy here in London, Kentucky recently purchased an albino burmese python and kept it hidden from his parents for 6 months in his nightstand. Not only were the living conditions unsuitable for the python, but had the snake not been discovered it could have eventually led to physical harm to the boy and his family, and possible death. Pets such as Pythons need special care because of the enormous sizes that they can reach.

Other pets such as hamsters or kittens that are not potentionally dangerous should also not be sold to underage individuals, ownership of a pet is not a decision that a minor should be able to undertake without parental consent.

Whether harmful or not, all pets require attention and some form of adult supervision. It is unethical to expect a minor to provide proper care without a parent/guardians support.