Judge bars Louisville store from selling dogs, cats

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge ruled against the Puppygram pet store, ordering the business to stop the sale of dogs and cats.

It ends a legal challenge by the store to continue these sales, which are barred under a city ordinance.

The 17-page ruling by Judge Tracy Davis was issued June 12, according to court documents obtained by Spectrum News.

“The ban on retail pet sales has been in effect for more than a year, since October 03, 2024,” the ruling stated. “According to Metro Government, the Defendant, Puppygram is the only business known to Plaintiff to be operating in contravention of the ordinance. Metro Government is only seeking to enforce an already passed, effective, and established ordinance.” 

Judge Davis ordered, “that the Defendant, Puppygram Com, LLC is hereby PROHIBITED from selling dogs and cats at retail from their location located at 2056 South Hurstbourne Parkway, or any other establishment in Jefferson County, Kentucky.”

Spectrum News 1 went to the Louisville Puppygram location June 25 and June 27. Both days, the business lights were dimmed and the front door was locked.

“Currently closed! Sorry for the inconvenience,” a message read on the front door. 

When Spectrum News called the store June 27, a worker from Puppygram’s Indianapolis location picked up. They said the Louisville location was closed and they weren’t sure when it would be open again. 

“We were relieved because it seems like this will be the end of the puppy mill pet store pipeline in Louisville,” said Todd Blevins, Kentucky state director of Humane World for Animals, previously known as the Humane Society.

Todd Blevins, Kentucky state director for Humane World for Animals. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

Blevins said he supports the judge’s ruling, adding the accounts from people who’ve purchased animals through Puppygram speak for themself.

“We received so many complaints from people who said, ‘Look, I purchased a puppy, and within days of getting home it was sick; sometimes violently ill,’” he said.

Others in the animal welfare world feel similarly about the company, including Debra Miller of No-Kill Louisville, a nonprofit primarily focused on providing pet supplies to families in need.

“I believe that the buying and selling of these animals who you don’t know where they are coming from; many of them were sick,” Miller said. 

“Currently closed! Sorry for the inconvenience” reads a message on the front door of Louisville’s Puppygram store in June 2025. A judge ordered the store to stop the sale of cats and dogs following a Louisville ordinance; a worker from Puppygram’s Indianapolis location said the store is closed indefinitely. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

The organization also works with Feeders Pet Supply, a chain of pet supply stores in Louisville, to house rescue animals that are up for adoption. This practice is permitted under the city ordinance.

“It’s really a wonderful thing for the cats and the dogs to be able to quickly find homes,” she said.

Blevins added the ruling doesn’t require any business to outright close, nor does it prevent them from relocating elsewhere in the state. 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to Puppygram for comment on the ruling but did not hear back. 

Beyond Louisville, a handful of other cities also prohibit the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores. Those include Lexington, Elizabethtown, Radcliff and Frankfort.