South Florida cities banning pet sales

A growing number of South Florida cities are banning the commercial sale of dogs and cats in an effort to thwart puppy mills, encourage pet adoptions from shelters and keep the pet population down.

Coconut Creek last week became the latest municipality to clamp down. Its law states nobody but hobby breeders - defined as those who sell no more than one litter per animal per year - can sell dogs or cats in the city.

'The majority of these pet stores, the puppies in those stores are coming from inhuman conditions,' said Sheila Rose, the city's director of sustainable development.

Hallandale Beach, Margate, Lake Worth, Lauderdale Lakes and several places in Miami-Dade County already have such restrictions in place. Wellington will consider its own ban on Tuesday.

The idea is to eliminate the sale of sickly animals bred in puppy mills, which have a reputation for overbreeding in poor conditions.

But the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council said most pet store animals come from legitimate breeders and there is no evidence that banning pet sales combats puppy mills or decreases pet populations.

'The approach the ordinance takes is unsupported by all available facts,' said a letter sent to Coconut Creek by Mike Bober, the organization's vice president. The group instead urged any law focus on requiring pets sold in the city to come from a USDA licensed breeder with clean records for animal care.

Puppy mill conditions are the main reason Hallandale Beach Commissioner Michele Lazarow has for more than three years worked to get other cities to pass similar ordinances.

Lazarow in 2010 bought a puppy called Alfie from a Hollywood pet store, and it became clear quickly that he was sick, she said. He's still alive, but Alfie 'has neurological and physical damage, and a poor quality of life,' she said.

None of the cities with bans had pet stores before they clamped down. The restrictions were meant to ensure there was never a problem.

In Coconut Creek, a Pet Supermarket at Wiles Road and State Road 7 offers for adoption pets from licensed animal rescuers and shelters, Rose said.

It is hard to measure whether pet sale bans keep the population down, said David Walesky, operations manager for Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control.

But on a small scale at least, 'it means some people are adopting rather than buying from one of the stores,' he said. 'When puppies bought on impulse lose their curb appeal, the shelter is where they end up anyway.'

abarkhurst@tribune.com or 954-356-4451.