Did You Know Nine Texas Cities Have Banned the Sale of Puppies?

Dallas is considering a ban on the sale of puppies and kittens in stores. I had no idea that nine Texas cities have already done this.

The Dallas City Council is currently discussing a possible ban on pet stores within the city selling puppies and kittens. Some pet stores partner up with local animal shelters on the weekends to do adoption events. However, some pet stores are using puppy mills to stock their stores with puppies and kittens.

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Right now in the United States, 400 cities have banned the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores. El Paso was the first in Texas to enact a law like this. Austin, Fort Worth, Waco, The Colony, San Antonio, Euless, College Station and Sherman all have similar laws.

Dallas is currently hearing from the community on the issue and of course pet store owners are pushing back. Manager Dominque Connor said the goal of the Dallas Petland store is to meet the needs of customers and make them feel good about their purchases. “We're doing it the right way and we take pride in doing it that way. We've been here for the last 13 years,” she said.

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Not all pet stores are on board. Odyssey Pets who also operates in Dallas already does not sell puppies or kittens. They do their best to share photos in the store of dogs and cats that are currently available for adoption.

Dominique Connor said Petland puppies come from good breeders and buyers get background information on the dogs. “We have some local, we have some that are non-local. The biggest and most important thing is that they are the best of the best,” she said.

A vote on a possible ban in Dallas will be coming in February.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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Filed Under: Texas