The Louisville Metro Council voted at the end of September to approve the ban. While the ban itself will not go into effect until next year, stores are required to display the associated breeders’ contact information effective immediately.
As per Louisville Public Media, the Louisville Metro Council’s new ban doesn’t, however, restrict breeders from selling pets in the area. As such, breeders will still be able to sell directly to people who are willing to buy from them. Furthermore, the ban doesn’t impact pet stores’ partnerships with adoption agencies and animal shelters.
The new rule was introduced in the council more than a month ago by Stuart Benson. The District 20 Republican was not in favor of adding exceptions as many people, according to him, weren’t doing “the right thing.” As such, proposed amendments to the ban — which would essentially take the teeth out of the new rules — were defeated by a vote of 13-10.
Another politician, Andrew Owen, spoke in favor of the law during the Louisville Metro Council meeting. Owen co-sponsored the legislation with Benson. He noted that the ban would make it harder for unethical breeders to work. Saying, “If puppy mills don’t have a place in which they can sell their animals, then the number of animals being bred by puppy mills goes down.”
Eventually, the rule was passed by a vote of 21-3. As such, Louisville will become the third city in the state to adopt such a ban. Both Elizabethtown and Radcliff formerly passed similar ordinances.
Bans that impose stricter rules around unethical dog breeding will prevent the same situations from befalling future pet owners.
