KRDO NewsChannel 13 has a crew attending the hearing and will provide updates. The owners said that the pets they currently obtain are from licensed breeders more reliable than getting animals from legitimate shelters and rescues, as the ordinance would require. "All-or-nothing ordinances such as this, will do nothing to affect the animal welfare in Colorado Springs. "We shouldn't be controlled by special interest groups that are not willing to work with us," said Dustin Haworth, owner of Pet City in Citadel Mall. Pet City has the only two retail pet stores in town, and the owners have repeatedly denied getting animals from irreputable providers.
"We'll support you, Pet City, to support the transition to a humane business model that does no harm - seen or unseen," Archer said. The first two speakers were Amy Jesse of the Animal Humane Society - who helped write the ordinance - and animal rights activist Julia Archer.īoth support the ordinance, saying that many pet stores acquire their animals from puppy or kitten mills where they are inhumanely treated. It was standing room only for the hearing, with more than 75 people packed into the Council chamber extra chairs were brought in just beforehand.
Many of the supporters of the ordinance wore red shirts with the slogan "Vote Yes For Puppies." KRDOĬouncil members expect to discuss the ordinance and vote on it late in the evening. Tuesday and 41 people were registered to speak in both sides of the issue. The City Council is in its third hour of a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to ban the sale of dogs and cats at local pet stores KRDO On Wednesday, Council president Tom Strand - who introduced the proposed ordinance - said that he's not giving up on the possibility of crafting another version of it in the future. KRDOĪround 400 municipalities in 31 states, including 10 in Colorado, have ordinances regulating the sale of pets in pet stores. Maestas said that a fifth of her animals come from certified breeders and is working hard to raise that percentage by ending associations with questionable breeders and seeing that more breeders earn certification.Ĭouncilwoman Nancy Henjum, who confessed that she didn't know how she'd vote until the end, expressed hope that Pet City and animal rights activists will do better in the future at working together to end pet mill breeding. I think there can be better outcomes by not passing a ban against businesses." KRDO "I really listened to what the Council members said today. "I'm relieved and overwhelmed," said Bree Maestas, owner of Pet City's Citadel Mall store. To that end, Councilman Wayne Williams offered an amended version of the ordinance that would have included any breeder with annual sales of over $10,000, but it narrowly failed by a 5-4 vote. Some council members said that they opposed the ordinance because it singled out Pet City, risked putting the longtime family-owned stores out of business and did nothing to address the root problem of irreputable breeders in other locations. The Animal Humane Society and animal rights advocates believed that Pet City, located in the city's two shopping malls, obtains its dogs and cats from breeding mills known for inhumane treatment and conditions - an accusation that Pet City owners repeatedly denied.
0 kommentar(er)
