Indianapolis to ban retailers from selling pets
The Indiana city will only allow stores to offer pets from animal shelters. But another bill under discussion in the state Senate could invalidate this local ruling soon.
The City-County Council of Indianapolis passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits within the city limits. Local lawmakers also passed another proposal banning the sale of pets from puppy mills and commercial breeders in a bid to encourage citizens to adopt from animal care shelters.
Local pet retailers will be allowed to sell cats, dogs, and rabbits from animal services shelters and animal rescue organizations with fees from the sale not exceeding $500 (€468) per animal. The new law will require pet shops to keep a record of pets documenting which shelter or organization the rescued animal is obtained from.
Pet retailers have until 1 May 2025 to comply with the new regulations. An immediate ban will be in place for any enterprise selling pets after 1 April, and any shop found in violation will be fined.
The proposed ordinance is now on the table of Mayor Joe Hogsett for his consideration.
Shrinking demand
Councilor and bill co-sponsor John Barth said the city will contribute to an “effort that has already shrunk the demand for puppy mills and will ease the burden on Animal Care Services.”
The Humane Society of the United States welcomed the proposal and said it was “grateful” to the county and council members for their leadership on the ordinance.
“By educating lawmakers on the slew of animal welfare and consumer protection problems posed by puppy-selling pet stores, we continue to successfully drive policy change nationwide. Our work won’t stop until the last dog is freed from the puppy mill-to-pet store pipeline.”
According to Barth, more than 440 cities – including 13 in Indiana – approved similar bans.
So far, 33 states, including New York, have some form of ban on commercial sales of pets. California was the first state to ban stores from selling puppy mill pets in 2017, according to Animal League Defense Fund.
Reversal?
Earlier in March, the Indiana state proposed a bill restricting cities and towns from banning the sale of certain dogs at pet stores from 2023.
The proposal established that local governments “may not adopt an ordinance or regulation that prohibits or effectively prohibits the sale of a dog by a retail pet store.”
The bill has now been referred to the Senate’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development for its consideration. If the House also ratifies the bill and the governors sign it, it would reverse Indianapolis’ plans to ban the sale of pets in the municipality.