Sales of cats, dogs will be illegal in Fort Collins, with ban going beyond retail stores

City Council voted to end retail sales of dogs and cats in Fort Collins on Tuesday.

And they took it a step further by adding a ban on sales in any public place, like a parking lot or roadside.

Five of seven council members were present Tuesday, and all of them voted in favor of the ordinance. Mayor Jeni Arndt was absent, along with council member Melanie Potyondy, who requested city staff bring the ordinance before them last month.

Local animal activists have been lobbying council for an ordinance for about a year, saying there's a puppy-mill-to-pet-store pipeline.

The owners of Fort Collins' only store that sells cats and dogs, Pet City, said they are selective about which breeders they work with and the pet store exceeds Colorado standards.

Behind this issue: Fort Collins takes aim at puppy mills with potential sales ban. Pet City says it's misguided

In January, during City Council's priority-setting sessions for the term, council members considered making animal welfare a priority, with a specific task of considering a pet sales ban. Ultimately they decided not to make it a priority but to consider adding it to future business for the council.

In public comment Tuesday night, individuals in favor of the ban cited issues at large-scale breeding facilities, but they also highlighted concerns about what their quality of life is like when animals leave there for stores with small enclosures, especially if it takes months for them to get adopted.

Roland Halpern, executive director of Colorado Voters for Animals, said for every animal sold in a pet store, it may prevent a perfectly healthy cat or dog from being adopted at a shelter or rescue, adding to the burdens on rescues.

Those who spoke against the ordinance as proposed said it targeted only one business, doesn't specifically address the bad actors at puppy mills and doesn't even define the term. Pet City manager Erin Murray said it threatens the employment of store workers and takes away consumers' options.

Retired veterinarian David Rainey Corbyn said he was the consulting veterinarian for Pet City until his retirement in 2015, providing exams and vaccination. He said Pet City's animals were consistently well socialized, and he met several breeders who were "conscientious pet lovers that cared deeply for the animals they bred." It was clear to him, he said, that many of the animals were raised in breeders' homes.

All parties seemed to agree that there are irresponsible breeders whose practices are abhorrent.

But Pet City manager Karen Kinnes has said if the ordinance passes, it will be impossible to keep the store open because 90% of the business is in pet sales.

With her yes vote, council member Susan Gutowsky said she hopes the May 2025 effective date for pet stores will allow Pet City to change its business model.

"I'm not saying that's easy," she said during the meeting.

"I'm very hopeful that as enterprising business people that they can consider a more humane business model and survive and continue to serve pet lovers in our city," she told the Coloradoan after the meeting.

"It's important to lend a voice to creatures that don’t have any voice of their own, and in this case doing our part to end the puppy mill pipeline to pet stores," council member Kelly Ohlson said. "History is full of things that have run their course and were past their time and needed to be thrown in the dust bin of history, and I think the whole puppy mill feeding pet stores is one of those."

Council member Julie Pignataro suggesting modifying the ordinance to include all public places.

Mayor pro-tem Emily Francis said she was initially skeptical of the ordinance, "not just because I remember Pet City in Foothills Fashion Mall," but because it seemed to be targeting one specific business. But the addition of the ban on all public sales made her feel more comfortable supporting it.

"I felt like it wasn't really addressing the entire issue," she said, noting that she sees backyard and parking lot sales.

What they said: Activists, Pet City react

After the vote, Cara Thorsen, who led the lobbying effort to get council to take up and pass an ordinance, had tears in her eyes as she was greeted with hugs with other supporters.

"It's been worth every minute of every hour to get this done," she told the Coloradoan. "I didn't do it alone."

She said she's been communicating with several hundred people who have supported their efforts.

During her public comments, Thorsen had asked for the additional restriction on sales in public spaces. She was thrilled to see it added

"It fully addresses all puppy mill sales in Fort Collins," Thorsen said.

Kinnes said in an email to the Coloradoan: "The only comment I have is that I am so very disappointed."

What the pet sales ordinance does

The ordinance bans sales of cats and dogs in stores. It does not apply to lawfully operated hobby breeders, animal rescues and animal shelters.

It also bans sales in public spaces, specifically in parking lots, on streets, at outdoor markets, in parks or outdoor recreation areas, and in medians and right-of way areas.

Specifically, it prohibits anyone in those spaces from selling, delivering, offering for sale or adoption, advertising for sale or barter, giving away, leasing, transferring or disposing of cats and dogs.

The ban on sales in public spaces will take effect 10 days after council's final vote on the issue, set for Sept. 3. The ban in stores will take effect May 20, 2025.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Sales of cats, dogs will be illegal in Fort Collins, with ban going beyond retail stores