Pet store ban for Larimer County

[Jessica Naab]

Hello, I’m wondering if Larimer County would consider a pet store ban? They draw a lot of negative or controversial attention at best and they’re frequently tied to puppy mills. It would just be for pet stores that sell dogs and cats, *not pet supply stores*. I’ve also seen verbiage in the ordinances that specifies that this does not prohibit stores from renting space to shelters to display adoptable dogs or cats.

More cities and states are banning pet stores due to their puppy mill supply and also their in store financing with high interest rates. It’s money that could be spent elsewhere in the community. Pet stores also have a history of burdening people with sick pets that then need medical attention. 

Colorado has at least 12 city ordinances banning pet stores from selling dogs and cats. Please act to join and support those cities. Over 400 cities nationwide and 6 states have banned pet stores that sell dogs and cats.

I’ve attached the ordinance from Minturn and Frisco for your reference. The other cities are: Fountain, Berthoud, Breckinridge, Dillon, Eagle, Fairplay, Alma, Silverthorne, Vail, and Superior.

There is a pet store in Fort Collins and I’ve copied their puppy mill sources from bailingoutbenji.com which has the largest puppy mill database in the US. I have looked into other ordinances and it seems like the most common thing to do when there is a pet store is allow a time period to either adjust to renting space to shelter dogs, adjust to becoming a pet supply store, or decide to close.

Pet City Fort Collins- 3663 S College Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado

1. Becky and Sam Mosshart, SBM Kennels. Protection, Kansas- 117 adult breeding dogs and 63 puppies . Mosshart is an opponent of a new Kansas law regulating rescues and breeders. She also doesn’t agree with surprise inspections.
2. Brian Warren, Crittersville Enterprises LLC.  Culbertson, Nebraska- Large scale dog broker out of Nebraska. To view the puppy mills they buy from, click here. 

Thank you for your care and consideration. 

[John Kefalas]

Hello Jessica,

I apologize for taking so long to respond to your inquiry, and I am hoping that my fellow commissioners have responded in a more timely manner. At this time, the county is not considering a pet store ban, and It seems to me that this issue is best addressed at the municipal level - Fort Collins, Loveland, etc. where the pet stores are located.Thank you for your community engagement. 

	John Kefalas County Commissioner, District 1
	Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St | 2nd Floor PO Box 1190, Fort Collins, CO 80522-1190 W: (970) 498-7001 Cell:  (720) 254-7598 jkef...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org