Village council votes to ban retail sales of dogs and cats
Action taken despite heated protests from shop owner at meeting.
ROYAL PALM BEACH — The village council has voted to ban retail dog and cat sales within 18 months, despite heated protests from a shop owner that it would be “criminal” to force the closure of his family-owned business.
“What research has been done to even warrant this?” Daniel Ruiz, owner of Star Pups Inc. on State Road 7, asked council members at a meeting Thursday evening.
Palm Beach County did not ban existing pet shops and officials “did their due diligence and research,” he said.
But several other speakers, from local residents to leaders of state animal rights groups, spoke in favor of the proposed ban.
Michele Lazarow, president of the Animal Defense Coalition, said animals bred in “puppy mills” and shipped to retail stores often leave consumers stuck with thousands of dollars in vet bills for “chronic or fatal” health problems.
Councilman Richard Valuntas said that the village’s move did not come out of the blue. Constituents have been contacting him about the issue for years, he said.
The ban won 5-0 support among council members. The main subject of debate among council members turned out to be about when to phase out existing retail sales. An initial proposal of two years was amended to 18 months.
Officials said the reason for a phase-in period was to reduce the chances of a lawsuit challenging the ban.
Ruiz declined comment on his response to the vote as he left the council chambers.
If confirmed on a second and final reading Sept. 6, a ban by Royal Palm Beach would follow similar moves by other municipalities, including Palm Beach Gardens and Delray Beach.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control has received six complaints in 2018 about Star Pups, including allegations that puppies were sickly or suffered from worms, parasites and other problems, records show. The store offered refunds or otherwise demonstrated sufficient compliance with regu- lations to avoid fines or sanctions on those complaints, according to records.
A judge last year upheld fines against Star Pups for providing inadequate warranties to consumers and for housing animals in conditions that did not meet county standards.
County commissioners have considered a ban on retail sales but decided to allow existing pet stores to operate as long as they can show they did not get animals from breeders who are unlicensed or have violated standards monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last year, the Trump administration blocked public access to those records.
Royal Palm Beach’s proposed ban exempts animal shelters, rescue organizations and hobby breeders.