05/14/2019 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Leash on Sales During the past decade, about 60 cities and counties statewide have banned or curtailed retail dog sales in an effort to reduce the Market for commercial breeding and encourage more people to adopt pets. "Our preference would be that pet shops only sell pets that come from rescue organizations and animal shelters," says Ralph DeMeo, a shareholder in Baker Donelson's Tallahassee office and chair emeritus of the Florida Bar animal law section. "Most dogs currently sold at pet shops come from puppy mills." Last year, DeMeo, whose cli- ents include the Animal Legal Defense Fund, helped defeat proposed state legislation that would have barred local govemments from prohibiting the sale of commercially bred dogs. He says animal welfare is a popular cause in Florida, pointing to the recent passage of Amendment 13, which bans greyhound racing statewide. Florida voters approved the ballot measure 69% to 31%. "People are starting to realize we don't need puppy mills and we don't need pet shops," DeMeo says. But Mike Bober, president and CEO of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, says pet shops account for a small percentage — about 4% to 7%— of dogs that end up in people's homes each year. Many more dogs — about a third — get adopted at shelters, he says. In addition to pet shops, commercial breeders sell online or directly to buyers via flea markets and classified ads. "Pet stores are not the main channel through which breed- ers provide dogs to people," - he says. "These local ordi- nances are well-intentioned but misguided." Bober argues that pet shops provide an option for people looking for highly.desirable dogs, such as small, hypoal- lergenic breeds. "We think the health benefits of the human - animal bond are so important that anyone who wants to bring an animal into their life and care for it should have that opportunity," he says. About 60 Florida cities and counties have passed laws banning dog sales at pet stores. • { County Restrictions Sarasota County: Pet stores may not sell dogs and cats obtained from breeders unless the animals are sold from the premises on which they were bred or reared. Palm Beach and Hillsborough counties: New pet stores may not sell commercially bred dogs, but existing stores may continue to sell from USDA -approved breeders. / Seminole County: Pet stores may offer only dogs and cats that come from animal shelters or rescue organizations. Lake County: Dogs and cats may not be sold, traded or auctioned at pet shops, yard sales or flea markets. Retailers such as PetSmart and Petco, which do not sell dogs and cats, may continue to partner with rescue shelters to adopt out pets. Big Business Pet industry sales in the U.S. have increased by 68% over the past decade. In 2007, total industry sales were $41 billion. By 2017, Americans were spending $69 billion on their pets, including ... 1$29 billion for pet food ► $23 billion for veterinary care and other services ► $15 billion for pet supplies ► $2 billion for the pets themselves tZI Source: American Pet Products Association FLORIDATREND.COM MARCH 2019 79 132