The metropolis of Aurora has banned the sale of most cats and dogs in pet shops, regardless of the town not having had a pet retailer that sells dogs or cats since 2020.
The metropolis council voted 7-3 Monday in a transfer that animal rights advocates hope will each ship a message to the group, but additionally ban any future gross sales, saying a ban will relieve overwhelmed shelters, cease puppy mills and be an excellent transfer for public well being.
“It shall be illegal for a pet store to show, promote, ship, supply on the market, barter, public sale, give away, dealer, or in any other case switch or eliminate a canine or cat, aside from a canine or cat obtained from an animal care facility or animal rescue organization,” the ordinance reads.
What it would not do is ban non-public people or businesses aside from pet shops from promoting cats or dogs.
A statewide invoice to extra strictly regulate the sale of animals in pet shops died in a State House subcommittee in 2020.
The public remark portion of Monday’s assembly noticed impassioned testimony overwhelmingly supporters, but additionally some critics of the ordinance.
“People ask, ‘effectively why are you nervous about an Aurora factor?’ effectively, as a result of it is proper subsequent door and the wave of the animal rights activists and the humane society is to just about go metropolis to metropolis and just about extinguish our business,” mentioned Jens Larsen, the proprietor of Denver Perfect Pets in Centennial. He referred to as claims of animal mistreatment in pet shops corresponding to his a lie and mentioned that if pet gross sales are banned, it can successfully create a black market the place folks can purchase and promote animals with much less oversight.
“I’m in full settlement with this ordinance that can prohibit the resale of the puppies, the kittens, the dogs, the cats, from these puppy mills,” mentioned Aurora resident Paula Wilcox. “They ought to have the ability to present some genuine proof of the place they received these animals and be completely prohibited from any that come from a puppy mill.”
Councilmember Curtis Gardner mentioned there are each good and dangerous pet shops and pet rescues, however mentioned he will not ban businesses in Aurora due to what some dangerous pet retailer house owners may do, calling it a “slippery slope,” which Councilmember Dustin Zvonek agreed with.
“I agree with the intent, however you are still going to have puppy mills, that are a lot tougher to control,” Zvonek mentioned.
Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky mentioned she was proud to sponsor the ordinance, saying, “a few of these ‘non-public breeders’ have over 800 dogs of their possession, and let me convey up that there is no such thing as a precise definition of ‘puppy mills,'” and that violations in pet shops go unpunished as a result of enforcement instruments are so restricted.
“Government has to guard the unvoiced,” she concluded.
Monday’s vote was the second and last vote taken by the town council. The council supported the ordinance on its first vote earlier this month by a vote of 6-2 with one councilmember absent and one other abstaining.
Councilmembers Jurinsky, Crystal Murillo, Ruben Medina, Juan Marcano, Françoise Bergan, Alison Coombs and Angela Lawson voted in favor, Councilmembers Zvonek, Gardner and Steve Sundberg voted towards it and Mayor Mike Coffman abstained.
