City Council Seeks to Ban Sale of Non-Rescue Pets

The Los Angeles City Council moved today to ban stores in the city from selling dogs, cats and rabbits that are not from shelters, humane societies or registered rescue organizations.

The council voted 11-1 to ask the City Attorney's Office to draft an ordinance banning the pet sales. Councilman Bill Rosendahl cast the dissenting vote.

City Councilman Paul Koretz, who sponsored the motion, said the ban would help eliminate puppy mills and reduce the city's animal euthanasia rates by trimming the overall pet population.

"Puppy mills are a very cruel practice with inhumane conditions that often result in the animals having many kinds of medical problems," Koretz said.

The approved motion also directed the Animal Services Department to report back on how the proposed ban, if enacted, would affect kill rates at city shelters and its economic effect on pet stores.

Koretz's motion also asks the department to craft a way to distinguish pet shops that comply by selling rescue dogs, cats and rabbits from stores that sell other live animals like fish and reptiles.

The ban on pet sales would got into effect six months after the ordinance is enacted and would be for a temporary three-year trial period.