ohmidog!

Bernalillo County, New Mexico is considering a ban on the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores.

The ban could be included in an animal-control ordinance the county board of commissioners is discussing at a Dec. 9 meeting.

Although the proposed ordinance, as it’s now written, does not ban cat and dog sales, the ban could be added as a floor amendment prior to the consideration of the proposed ordinance, Pet Product News is reporting.

The proposed animal-control ordinance sets forth adequate food and space requirements, among other things, for pet shops, groomers, kennels, breeder sites and shelters.

The commissioners first broached a potential ban, which would also include a ban on sales of cats and dogs coming from “puppy mills” or “kitten mills,” at their meeting last month.

Animal Control Director Becky Darrow said the county has received many calls and emails in response to the recommended bans, both for and against. She said if the commissioners want to present the amendments again, they can do so at the Dec. 9 meeting when the animal-control ordinance is up for adoption.

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has issued an alert urging those who oppose the amendments to attend the board of commissioners meeting next week.

PIJAC said there is a high probability such restrictions could spread to neighboring counties. The city of Albuquerque, which is located in Bernalillo County, already has in place an ordinance banning the sale of pet-shop cats and dogs.