COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus is considering an ordinance that would halt the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits at pet shops in the community.
The Columbus City Council’s first reading of the ordinance is on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. Ordinances required two readings for to be passed.
City council president Elaine Hilber shared the proposed ordinance on Facebook, stating her support for it and asking the community for its feedback.
The proposed ordinance states that no pet shop “shall sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away or otherwise transfer or dispose of cats, rabbits, or dogs.” Shops that violate the ordinance would be subject to a $500 fine.
“Each individual animal shall count as a violation of this section and is a separate fine per animal,” the ordinance adds.
Pet shops would be allowed to collaborate with Animal Care Services or rescue groups and provide space for those groups to “showcase adoptable dogs, rabbits and cats.” However, the pet shop would not have any ownership interest in the animals offered and would not receive a fee for providing the space.
Animal Care Services general manager Nicohl Birdwell Goodin said that while there aren’t currently stores selling cats and dogs in the city, “It’s a matter of being progressive and getting ahead of the game.”
She said that other Indiana communities have adopted or are looking at similar ordinances as part of “best practices.”
It’s something the department has wanted to do “for quite some time” and there’s community support for it, Goodin said.
When asked for background about the ordinance on social media, Hilber said that the animal care department requested the change.
“They are near capacity on dogs and cats, and are seeing an increase in rabbits which are incredibly hard to rehome,” she explained.
She also said that the number of animals the city cares for increases every year. She added that while the city has taken steps to reduce the total — such as sending animals to other shelters and enacting a Trap, Neuter, Release program — she feels that they should do everything possible to reduce the amount of tax dollars spent on caring for abandoned animals.
