M E M O R A N D U M
To: Honorable Mayor & Town Council
From: Council Member Peggy R. Bell
Date: July 16, 2014
Re: Regulating the Retail Sale of Dogs or Cats within the Town
REQUEST
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AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF CUTLER BAY, FLORIDA, REGULATING THE RETAIL SALE OF DOGS OR CATS WITHIN THE TOWN; PROVIDING FOR PROHIBITIONS; PROVIDING FOR EXEMPTIONS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; AND PROVIDING FOR EFFECTIVE DATE.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Existing State and Federal laws are in place alongside the Animal Welfare Act in order to regulate dog and cat breeders, as well as pet stores that sell dogs and cats.
The Act itself requires certain dog and cat breeders to have a license to breed and to maintain minimum health, safety and welfare standards for animals in their care. Enforcement of these requirements is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
According to The Humane Society of the United States, an estimated hundred thousand dogs and cats in the country have been housed and bred at substandard breeding facilities known as "puppy mills" or "kitten factories." This population alone contributes to the mass production of animals for sale and the majority of them being sold as retail in pet stores. Meanwhile "puppy mill" puppies and "kitten factory" kittens are being sold in pet stores, many dogs and cats are euthanized by Miami-Dade County's Animal Control Services.
I firmly believe that eliminating the retail sale of dogs and cats in pet stores in the Town will promote community awareness of animal welfare and, in turn, will foster a more humane environment as well as encourage pet consumers to adopt dogs and cats from shelters, thereby saving animals' lives and reducing the cost to the public of sheltering animals.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Town Council join me in adopting the attached Ordinance regulat...
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