The city council of Detroit, Michigan, unanimously passed an ordinance on January 28 to ban the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores, according to The Detroit News.
Detroit is the twelfth and most recent Michigan community that has prohibited pet stores from selling dogs and cats.
Currently, no pet stores in the city sell dogs or cats, so this prohibition will act as a preventative measure to ensure pet stores partner with animal adoption groups to offer rescued animals for adoption.
The measure aims to restrict pet stores from selling dogs and cats who come from irresponsible breeders. While it falls short of banning breeders from selling dogs and cats, the ordinance marks a win for the animal victims of the pet store industry.
It also cracks down on pet stores that source from licensed breeders, whose minimum care requirements are shockingly inadequate.
Lady Freethinker’s past investigations have demonstrated that even breeders licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) often fail to meet basic animal welfare standards and rarely face enforcement.
LFT is ecstatic to see such action being taken for dogs and cats and hopes this legislation will remind those searching for a companion animal to always #AdoptDontShop.