Both sides of pet sales ban speak out as ordinance pushes forward

The debate is far from over in Lexington regarding the proposed law banning the sale of dogs and cats at retailers and in public.

On Tuesday council members heard from community members in the chambers from both sides of the issue.

One of those community members was Ciara Hagedorn, co-founder of Saved by Fate Pet Rescue. She said the ordinance would help stop dog euthanasia caused by shelter overcrowding and overpopulation.

"I think that most of the public don't realize what's going on and how could they? It's hard unless you're in this world to realize that dogs are being euthanized by the hundreds," said Hagedorn.

She's hoping this ordinance can be a first step to more laws protecting animals in Kentucky.

"As a rescuer of many years, we're doing the day to day and that's not going to stop being overwhelming until we get to the bigger scope which is animal laws," Hagedorn said.

The law, which will be considered by the full council, would ban retailers from selling dogs or cats and anyone else from selling them in public.

Locally, people would instead have to go through the Lexington Humane Society, non-profit pet rescues and individual breeders that sell directly to the public.

One of the two retailers in the city, Petland, says it would directly impact them, and they haven't been given the opportunity to communicate directly with policymakers.

Their attorney, Richard Getty, addressed council members about it on Tuesday but says it will take more than six minutes to convey their message about the language of the ordinance.

"I don't think it was well thought through to be honest with you and I think the worst part is they accepted these broad allegations of abuse by other operations that have nothing to do with Petland," said Getty.

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Statement from Petland

“Petland strongly opposes any legislation that takes away Lexington families’ right to choose a healthy, happy pet to bring home. This ordinance will force community-facing stores to close without due process. It will also create hardship for local store owners and for employees of Petland Lexington.

Petland operates with the highest care standards and visibility for our customers. Without competition from high-quality pet stores, families may unknowingly buy from actual puppy mills - unregulated operators that cut corners, keep low standards of care, and cheat families out of the experience of a happy, healthy pet.

Petland is committed to transparency and accountability about puppy health. We’re licensed, regulated, inspected, and have consistently requested Council members to visit our store and partner with us to pass standards of care and accountability and transparency for every store.

As we witnessed during Tuesday’s work session, there remain many unanswered questions related to this measure. Petland welcomes the opportunity to be at the table to work toward solutions that would assure the wellbeing of pets, the safety of consumers searching for the right pet for them and work within guidelines set by the City.”

Both sides plan to keep fighting until the final vote.