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ORDINANCE NO. 2019- 014 AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 302 OF THE CODE OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA, ENTITLED "RETAIL SALE OF DOGS AND CATS"; AND PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION, SEVERABILITY, A GENERAL REPEALER AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, "puppy mills" and "kitten factories" are facilities that often house multiple breeds of animals in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate veterinary care, food, water, and socialization; and WHEREAS, these facilities do not use the breeding dogs and cats as pets, rather their only purpose is to produce puppies and kittens to be sold at retail stores across the country; and WHEREAS, the puppy mills and kitty factories often sell the puppies and kittens to brokers who ship the animals, regardless of their condition, in cages without regard for sanitary conditions, food or water; and WHEREAS, due to the conditions in "puppy mills" and "kitten factories" animals are put up for sale at retail facilities with undiagnosed and/or untreated heritable and congenital disorders, infectious diseases, and environmental contamination, any of which may be present immediately after a sale or shortly after the sale; and WHEREAS, the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners (the "Board") has heard testimony from local residents who purchased puppies from retail stores who spent large sums of money on veterinary care for health problems for puppies that came from puppy mills and therefore finds it reasonable and necessary to provide minimum standards governing the sale of cats and dogs to protect the health, safety, and welfare of both animals and pet owners; and WHEREAS, the Board also finds that such regulation constitutes a legitimate purpose, and will encourage pet consumers to obtain dogs and cats from shelters, animal rescue organizations, or hobby breeders thereby saving animals lives and reducing the cost to the public of sheltering and euthanizing animals; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA THAT: SECTION 1. AMENDMENT Section 302.02. — Definitions. 8. Certificate of Source. A document from the Humane Society, animal control agency, animal rescue organization, pet dealer, or hobby breeder declaring the source of Coding: Words underscored are additions to text; words in strikethFo urrh format are deletions to text. 1 _