Dallas Bans Pet Stores from Selling Dogs and Cats

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Soon, pet stores in Dallas, Texas, will no longer be able to sell dogs or cats due to a new ordinance introduced to crack down on puppy mills.

On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council Committee passed the Dallas Humane Pet Store Ordinance, which bans the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores and encourages stores to work with animal rescues and shelters to offer pets for adoption.

"Since January 2021, we have been working tirelessly to pass this ordinance to close the puppy mill pipeline to Dallas to stop hundreds of sick puppies from being shipped from out-of-state puppy mills," Stacy Sutton Kerby of the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) said in a release about the ordinance.

"Over the years, the THLN helpline has regularly received complaints about Dallas retail stores selling sick or unhealthy puppies," she continued. "We are so grateful to Chair Adam Bazaldua, Mayor Pro Team Chad West, the entire Quality of Life, Arts, & Culture Committee, and city staff for their support and attention to such a vital animal welfare issue right here in our community."

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The ordinance will take effect in November. Fort Worth, Euless, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Waco are other Texas cities that have already introduced similar bans.

"This ordinance will support dozens of local humane pet stores in Dallas that do not sell puppies but rather adopt puppies who desperately need loving families," Karen Froehlich, president of the SPCA of Texas, said in a statement. "Our shelter alone has over 1,000 animals in our care today, and shelters across Texas are transporting thousands of adoptable dogs to other states due to overcapacity. The time is right for Dallas to pass this Humane Pet Store Ordinance — both for animals and our community."

Dallas isn't the only city cracking done on pet-related issues; New York City's Department of Sanitation recently announced plans for the stricter enforcement of the "Curb Your Dog" law, which fines dog owners who don't clean up their pet's poop from city streets, parks, and sidewalks.