City council votes to ban sale of cats and dogs at pet stores
By Kennedi Walker
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DALLAS (KTVT) — The Dallas City Council voted unanimously to ban the sale of puppies or kittens from pet stores in Dallas.
Advocates of the Dallas Humane Pet Store Ordinance, like the SPCA of Texas, said it will help cut off the pipeline from puppy mills to pet stores and will prevent the selling of potentially sick pets from out-of-state commercial breeding facilities.
“It is really important that, when people walk into a pet store or a shelter or wherever they’re going, and their goal is to bring home a new furry family member, you want to make sure that the puppy is healthy” said Stacy Sutton Kerby, the director of government relations at the Texas Humane Legislation Network.
Petland is the only pet store in the city of Dallas that sells puppies and kittens. Store officials said the store would be forced to close and lay off dozens of employees now that the ordinance has passed.
“He visits his breeder and gets to see where the puppies are coming from so, he has that level of confidence,” Elizabeth Kunzelman, Petland’s VP of Legislative and Public Affairs said. “He’s had the store for 13 years. He has an A+ BBB rating, and I think that speaks volumes as to the quality of service that he provides.”
A Petland spokesperson said they’re careful and only buy from USDA-licensed breeders who have had no violations in the past two years, and they provide a warranty for customers to cover treatment for infections or hereditary issues.
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