The 13 pet stores within Las Vegas city limits have three years to adjust their business models following a vote Wednesday by the City Council to ban the retail sale of pets.
The ordinance, proposed by Mayor Shelley Berkley and Councilwoman Nancy Brune, prohibits the sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, pot belly pigs, and guinea pigs.
“Pet stores have a well-documented track record of mistreating animals and selling unhealthy pets to unsuspecting customers,” Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine wrote to the council. “Additionally, animal shelters face an overcrowding crisis and are at risk of euthanizing animals for space.”
Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Executive Director Lori Heeren, a privately funded no-kill shelter, told the Council that on Tuesday, the organization had to stop accepting dogs for lack of space.
The NSPCA website, she said, has “lots of breeds, including purebred dogs and puppies. We literally have people turn puppies into our shelters with their receipts, including receipts from Pet Land, because the puppy has grown up,” and the owner lacks the resources to care for it.
Chris Giunchigliani, who formerly served in the state Legislature and on the Clark County Commission, reminded the council that its predecessors passed a ban on pet sales, only to rescind it a year later.
“All of the jurisdictions have increased animals coming into shelters and rescues from illegal breeders, causing taxpayers and animal rights people to bear the burden of paying for the inaction,” she said, adding that illegal puppy mills are operating in Nye and Elko counties. “You could liken it to human trafficking, only it’s with animals.”
Giunchigliani suggested that in the next three years, the city obtain addresses of local breeders that provide animals to pet stores.
“I’m a second generation small business owner, and I don’t feel comfortable, and I don’t think it’s the proper role of government to unilaterally take business licenses away,” said Councilwoman Francis Allen Palenske, one of two council members to vote against the measure.
The other member to vote against the measure, Councilman Brian Knudsen, suggested the proposed regulation “would probably put several of the businesses in my ward out of business.” He argued existing pet stores should be permanently allowed to sell pets. “I haven’t taken money from anybody. I asked my veterinarian what I should do.”
Knudsen did not respond when asked to identify his veterinarian.
A proposed state law to ban the sale of pets died in the Nevada Legislature this year, according to Nevada Current. The lobbyist representing the pet stores that opposed the ban was Alisa Nave, whose family business owns more than a dozen veterinary practices in Southern Nevada.
Berkley, who was praised by her colleagues for gaining majority support on a contentious issue, apologized for not achieving a unanimous vote.
“I kind of feel I let everybody down by not working harder to make this more palatable for every member of the city council,” she said.
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