The city council in Austin, Texas, is scheduled to hear on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, an ordinance that seeks to ban the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores. As drafted, the proposed ordinance would prohibit the sale of dogs or cats at a location other than where the animals were bred. This would effectively ban sales of dogs and cats at pet stores. An exemption is provided for the city’s animal shelter and non-profit animal welfare organizations. The ordinance would also change the definition of a “pet trader.” Under current law, a pet trader is defined as someone who “exchanges for consideration” more than 15 dogs and/or cats in a year. The proposal would eliminate the 15 animal threshold to include all dogs and cats regardless of age. In addition, the proposed ordinance would mandate that pet traders provide microchipping and sterilization information, if applicable, to the buyer. Pet traders do not have to pay an animal processing fee if they sell or otherwise exchange a spayed or neutered cat or dog. Violators would be subject to a $200 fine per animal. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has issued an industry alert in which the organization claims a general ban on the sale of pet animals “fails to serve any legitimate public purpose.” “Such a ban does not benefit pet animals or pet owners in any way,” PIJAC states in the alert. For more information on the proposal, click here. <Home>
