advertisement

Naperville nearly ready for action on pet sales ordinance

Naperville city lawyers and council members are set to spend the next two weeks mulling tweaks to a proposed animal protection ordinance that could create an extended warranty on all dogs and cats sold at pet stores.

Then, after four years of considering regulations that could help stop the sale of dogs from so-called "puppy mills," the council could take action June 19.

Before then, leaders plan to review technical elements of the proposal related to what and how much the warranty must cover, when the warranty would begin, the display of breeder inspection records and how long pet stores would have to comply with these rules. They also plan to review new protections related to microchipping, the temperatures at which owners cannot leave pets in vehicles and the duration of incessant pet noise that can trigger a violation.

Although several animal welfare advocates told council members Tuesday the proposed updates do too little to prevent the sale of animals from breeders that may keep animals in unsatisfactory conditions, Mayor Steve Chirico said what the city is considering meets the dictionary definition of the word "humane."

"It's compassionate. It's consideration. It's sympathetic," Chirico said. "Everything about it is humane."

Some say the proposed warranty is too long because it adds an extra three years to a state "puppy lemon law" that's valid for twelve months.

"I don't think we should be in the warranty business as a city," council member Paul Hinterlong said.

Others say the city shouldn't mandate warranties, but should prohibit shops from selling pets from commercial breeders, which would require them to source dogs and cats from rescues and shelters. This is what's called a "humane" model, as required by municipalities including Chicago, Cook County, Warrenville, Waukegan and Kankakee County.

"A 48-month warranty does not address the source issue," said Amy Wolf, president of A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter in Naperville. "The fact that a warranty would be necessary seems to acknowledge that there are indeed health issues that will occur in these animals due to their breeding."

Representatives of two pet stores in Naperville that would be affected by any ordinance change - Happiness is Pets and Petland - both said they support the idea of the extended warranty, which would apply to hereditary and congenital health issues.

"It all but guarantees that breeder-sourced puppies in Naperville pet stores do not originate from puppy mills," said Jonathan Berning from Happiness is Pets.

"It eliminates the ability of substandard breeders to do business with stores in Illinois," said Carl Swanson, owner of Petland Naperville.

Some on the council said they are hesitant to adopt a "humane" model ordinance because it would force a major change in how Happiness Is Pets and Petland operate.

"There's simply nothing that shows they've done anything illegal," council member Kevin Coyne said. "Putting them out of business or materially altering their conduct is something that I simply cannot justify."

Despite differences of opinion, council member Benjamin White said the aim is to do what's best to protect dogs.

After years of holding back to see if DuPage and Will counties or the state would take action, Chirico said Naperville should act now.

A bill proposed early this year by state Sen. Michael Connelly that could prohibit the sales of dogs, cats and rabbits from commercial breeders at stores in DuPage and Will counties never made it out of a committee in the state legislature this spring.

"I believe it really is time for action," Chirico said.

Puppy mills debate comes to Naperville

Naperville delays action on regulating puppy sales

Naperville decides against puppy sale restrictions for now

Naperville mulling local enforcement of state pet stores law

Naperville seeking best way to regulate puppy sales

Legislators want happy dog, cat, rabbit sales at DuPage, Will pet shops

Naperville could add 4-year warranty to pet protection ordinance

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.