A new ordinance preventing the sales of puppies and kittens at pet stores may soon go into effect for the City of Dallas.
Last week, the Humane Society of the United States held a briefing with the Dallas City Council. The Humane Society cited that many puppies and kittens sold in pet stores come from inhumane mills.
Allegedly the puppies and kitties can be malnourished and sick upon their arrival at pet stores, where they are then sold to pet owners. According to Bill Allen, this happened to him and his family. Allen, who spoke with Dallas Observer, purchased a Cane Corso from the Dallas Petland.
It wasn’t long before Allen’s new puppy started experiencing several health problems after he and his family brought their puppy, Blue, to a vet.
“The poor little dog never had a chance,” Allan said.
“It’ll bring a tear to your eye,” Allen shared while discussing his experience. “Matter of fact, it’s hard not to be emotional when you talk about it, you know? … It’s traumatizing.”
Bans on pet store sales of puppies and kittens have occurred in hundreds of cities within the United States. In Texas, Fort Worth and San Antonio are some of the cities that have already implemented bans.
The ordinance “takes the cruelty of the puppy mills out of the equation, and it stops the puppy-mill pipeline to Dallas,” Shelby Bobosky, executive director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, told The Dallas Observer.
There was a bill in the Texas Legislature, HB 1818, that passed the House and the Senate that would address this very issue statewide. The bill failed to make it out of conference committee and died. It met with pushback as it could have shut down many pet stores in more rural areas.
Rep. Matt Schafer (R-Tyler) was very vocal as it passed through the House, while debating the bill, Schafer asked the bill author, “What business is it of the State of Texas to tell people that are taking care of their dogs, are ensuring that the dogs are healthy, that they can’t sell to the public in the manner in which they want to?”
He continued, that there are “good breeders, good business people, healthy dogs. Why shouldn’t they be able to sell those to the public?”
The Dallas Animal Shelter Advisory Commission is currently reviewing the proposed ordinance. Dallas City Council set to vote on the measure next February.