Indianapolis is thinking about outlawing the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits

Indianapolis, Indiana – In order to combat puppy mills and ease the overpopulation at neighborhood shelters, five members of the Indianapolis City-County Council have proposed a ban on the majority of retail sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits.

Members of the City-County Council John Barth, Zach Adamson, Dan Boots, Jason Larrison, and Ali Brown are the sponsors of the initiative, which was first presented on Monday.

Barth and Adamson are promoting the idea to lessen the number of negligent breeders supplying dogs, cats, and bunnies to pet businesses, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. Additionally, the idea would compel businesses to support current shelters like Indianapolis Animal Care Services in their fight against overcrowding.

In contrast to a similar prohibition Carmel approved last summer, the Indianapolis law would allow pet stores to sell animals from nearby shelters and humane societies rather than outright prohibiting the retail sale of cats and dogs. According to Barth, allowing businesses to handle these pet adoptions will help alleviate the problem of shelter and rescue organizations becoming overcrowded.

According to the current proposal, pet businesses in Indianapolis that were open before September 2021 would have until May 2025 to abide by the restriction, according to IBJ. Pet stores opened after September 2021 would have until May 2023 to abide by the rules.

The first significant city to pass a law prohibiting the retail selling of pups would not be Indianapolis. According to the Humane Society of the United States, similar prohibitions have been enacted in 450 cities and municipalities. The retail selling of cats and dogs is also prohibited in a number of states, including New York, Illinois, Maryland, Washington, Maine, and California.

The Community Affairs Committee meeting on February 22 will cover further detail on the proposed ban.