Las Vegas pet stores may face more rules after report of ‘troubling conditions’

The city of Las Vegas is considering a pair of ordinances, which if approved, would ban the sale of dogs, cats, rabbits and potbellied pigs at newly licensed pet stores and regulate the enclosures where the animals are displayed at current businesses.

The proposals will be heard Monday by the city’s Recommending Committee before they’re considered by the City Council at a later date.

Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who is spearheading one of the measures, said it was inspired by a recent Humane Society investigation “that revealed troubling conditions in multiple pet stores across the City of Las Vegas, including improper enclosures and inadequate medical care for puppies.”

“I am introducing an ordinance aimed at holding these businesses to higher standards,” she wrote in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “My goal is to address and eliminate the practices of bad actors in the industry while raising the level of care to meet Humane Society guidelines.”

The bill that would ban pet sales at new stores was introduced by Mayor Shelley Berkley and Councilwoman Nancy Brune.

Both proposals establish penalties.

The measures come as the Las Vegas Valley is dealing with an overpopulation of pets that are abandoned or given up.

The city, North Las Vegas and Clark County last week approved stopgap measures to continue funding the Animal Foundation shelter for up to six additional months while they negotiate new contracts.

The shelter is partly funded by the municipalities to hold animals found or taken from people.

Pet stores licensed before the law goes into effect will be exempted from the sales ban.

The businesses can move, but the exemptions don’t apply to additional locations or if their license is abandoned or revoked.

This year, the City Council approved an ordinance that limited the number of pets that stores and licensed breeders can sell to individual households to one a year.

Seaman said she doesn’t support a full ban on pet sales.

“My concern with shutting down pet stores entirely is that it will lead to an increase in illegal backyard breeding,” she said.

Safe enclosures

Seaman’s proposal calls for stores to hold animals in enclosures that protect them from injury while ensuring they can’t escape.

“In addition, an operator shall enable animals inside to remain clean and dry as required by species and provide sufficient space for each animal inside to turn about freely and to stand, sit and lie in a comfortable, normal position as appropriate for the species,” according to the ordinance.

The animals also must be protected from unrestricted human access.

Seaman’s proposal will require stores to establish safety protocols for sickened animals to prevent the spread of disease.

The quarantine rooms must have an entry/exit door, a separate ventilation system and “a sink and all necessary supplies to treat recovering animals, so as to reduce cross-contamination,” according to the ordinance.

The ordinance also would establish 10-day refunds for a pet if a veterinarian determines the animal was seriously ill the day it sold, plus medical expenses.

The shops would be required to offer warranties of two weeks for puppies younger than 1 year with bacterial and viral infections and a one-year warranty for dogs with “congenital defects.”

Seaman’s proposal also would regulate the breeder and broker businesses from which stores can buy pets.

“My ordinance aims to ensure that pet stores operate safely, humanely, and responsibly,” she said.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.