Hermosa Beach bans sale of cats, dogs in pet stores
Hermosa Beach officials took the first step Tuesday night in banning the sale of dogs and cats in city pet stores - a move designed to raise awareness about animal welfare issues and encourage pet adoptions.
An ordinance prohibiting the practice - modeled after a recently enacted ban in West Hollywood - won unanimous support from the City Council and will return for final adoption at the next meeting, set for April 13.
Today, Hermosa Beach does not have any pet stores within its city limits that sell dogs or cats, so the ordinance wouldn't immediately affect any retailers, City Manager Steve Burrell told the council Tuesday.
But he said he dropped off a copy of the proposed law to both a pet store on Aviation Boulevard and a local veterinarian offering for adoption kittens that have been spayed and neutered. Burrell said in a staff report that the ban would not extend to veterinary clinics arranging and assisting in dog and cat adoptions.
"This is thought to provide the beginning of the emphasis on cutting down on the number of puppy mills and cat factories in various places" that supply retail pet stores, Burrell said.
Councilman Jeff Duclos last month floated the idea of the city passing the prohibition on the sale of dogs and cats in "companion" animal stores. Once approved, Hermosa Beach would join West Hollywood and South Lake Tahoe in outlawing the practice.
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