STAMFORD, CT — The City of Stamford is looking to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats from pet shops, and on Monday, the Board of Representatives unanimously voted to send an ordinance to a public hearing, actions that officials hope will spur movement at the state level.
HB0632, which would allow municipalities to adopt ordinances to prohibit the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet shops, was being considered by the General Assembly's Planning and Development Committee as of last week.
The Stamford Board of Reps. had previously tried to regulate the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops, but the body was told that only the state could make those decisions, according to Rep. Nina Sherwood (D-8), the majority leader on the BOR and a member of the Legislative & Rules Committees.
Late last year, the Stamford Zoning Board made changes to various zoning regulations, including one that aims to curb the sale of puppies and kittens from pet shops in highly trafficked areas.
State Rep. Jonathan Jacobson (D-148), who is a former member of the BOR, is a co-sponsor of HB0632. During the Feb. 25 BOR Legislative & Rules Committee meeting, Sherwood noted that Jacobson said it would be helpful to state legislators for Stamford, the second largest municipality in the state, to establish ordinance language.
“It would give Rep. Jacobson and the other members of the state legislature who are in favor of this… the ammunition to help push along 6832,” Sherwood said.
Put forward by Sherwood and fellow Rep. Karen Camporeale (D-18), the Stamford ordinance says that “a significant number of puppies and kittens sold at pet stores come from large-scale, commercial breeding facilities where the health and welfare of the animals are not adequately provided for.”
“The City of Stamford believes it is in the best interest of the City to adopt reasonable regulations to reduce costs to Stamford and its residents, protect local residents who may purchase dogs or cats from a pet store, help prevent inhumane breeding conditions, promote community awareness of animal welfare, and foster a more humane environment in Stamford,” the ordinance says in part.
During the public comment portion of Monday's BOR meeting, Amy Jesse, the puppy mills public policy director with Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States, spoke in favor of the ordinance.
Jesse thanked the board for raising the ordinance for a public hearing.
“This is a common-sense ordinance because no pet shop needs to sell puppies to remain profitable, no resident needs a retail store to find the pet of their choice, and the values of your lovely and pet-friendly community can only be reflected by stopping the import of puppies from cruel puppy mills to be sold at retail to unsuspecting consumers. I urge your support for this ordinance,” Jesse said.
Patch has reached out to Sherwood for details on when the public hearing will take place.
