Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

County considering prohibiting pet stores from selling dogs, cats

Animal Foundation puppies dogs

Steve Marcus

A pair of dogs are shown in the holding area of the Animal Foundation’s Lied Animal Shelter, Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

The Clark County Commission is considering a proposal prohibiting pet stores from selling dogs, cats, rabbits and potbellied pigs.

Commissioner Michael Naft said he hopes the measure will alleviate some of the challenges faced by the Animal Foundation shelter as a result of an “oversupply of animals in our community.”

The city of Las Vegas already has a law that bans pet shops from selling animals from breeders. In California, Bella’s Act went into law in 2021 banning the retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits.

Trevor Dugan, owner of Puppy World on Windmill Lane, said he saw “the frustrations of the activists” and acknowledges the overpopulation of animals in shelters.

But Dugan, who spoke Tuesday at a hearing on the proposal, said he wanted more dialogue about whether pet stores are truly the problem.

“We’re open for debate; we’re open for working together,” Dugan said. “But an outright ban — you’re gonna affect 20-plus stores in Clark County, over 200 employees.”

Vanessa Greene, who has worked at Petland for 11 years, said “banning responsible pet stores is not going to eliminate the true problem” of puppy mills and the sale of sick animals.

She suggested the county take steps to ensure pet stores are getting their animals from certified breeders.

Jeff Dixon, the Nevada director for the Humane Society of the United States, urged the board to support the proposal and help prevent animals from being kept in “deplorable conditions.”

Community member Patricia Reid, a rescue shelter volunteer, has spent lots of time with animals that have been surrendered or picked up off the streets. 

Clark County is in a “crisis” because “the rescues are full (and) the animal foundations are full,” which leads some people to dump unwanted animals on the streets, she said.

Pet stores are part of the issue, but some shelters also contribute to the problem by releasing animals that have not been spayed or neutered, Reid said.

“If they want to remain open, then they need to help with the rescues by selling the rescue dogs, by helping us find homes for the rescue dogs,” Reid said of the pet stores.

The proposal has not yet been scheduled for a vote.