Humane Pet Sales Ordinance Advances Out of Committee

Dog in animal shelter kennels. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

In April 11th’s Social Services and Public Safety (SSPS) Committee, Councilmembers voted to move forward the Humane Pet Sales Ordinance, which would ban the sale of dogs and pets in retail stores. District 6 Councilmember Denise Gray was the sole No vote on the Committee. The ordinance will go before the full Council for approval sometime in May.

This ordinance would prevent retail pet stores from selling dogs and cats, meaning that dogs and cats would only be obtainable locally through the Lexington Humane Society, non-profit pet rescues, and individual breeders that sell directly to the public. Pet stores found in violation of this ordinance, should it pass, would be subject to a $500 fine for each reported sale of a cat or dog.

488 communities nationwide have passed similar legislation, including the Kentucky cities of Radcliffe, Elizabethtown, and Louisville.

Advocates say that the ban on retail sales could accomplish several goals:

• Restrict the puppy mill pipeline, as advocates claim that most retail stores source the puppies they sell from large commercial breeders that often neglect their animals.

• Direct more prospective pet owners to the Humane Society and non-profit rescues, ensuring that animals are being adopted from reputable animal-care organizations and relieving the high-intake burden in animal shelters.

• Make sure that pure-bred dogs are being sold by individual breeders, who advocates claim are more responsible than large commercial puppy mills and are easier to regulate and monitor.

The ordinance would not affect the sale of other pets such as gerbils, hamsters, reptiles, snakes, or fish.

You can view the presentation and read the ordinance starting on page three of this packet.

You can watch the recorded SSPS Committee recording on LexTV.