PUPPY MILLS FUEL DISCUSSION OF SAN MARCOS BAN ON DOG, CAT SALES AT COMMERCIAL PET STORES

Puppy mill breeders could hit a road block trying to sell pets in San Marcos.

City Council is considering an outright ban on allowing commercial pet stores to sell pets, hoping to cut down on puppies sourced from inhumane breeding operations. The stores would be able to adopt out dogs and cats from the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter, the only open-intake animal shelter in Hays County.

But commercial pet stores, such as the newly opened Pick-a-Pet at the San Marcos Premium Outlets, could not sell dogs or cats from mass breeders.

At its Tuesday night meeting, the council directed city staff to craft an ordinance. If it ultimately passes, San Marcos will join nine other Texas cities — San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, The Colony, Sherman, Waco, Euless and College Station — that have banned the sale of puppy mill-sourced dogs and cats at commercial pet stores.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, puppy mills are “inhumane commercial dog breeding facilities that may sell puppies in pet stores, online or directly to the public (in flea markets or via classified ads).” The group says puppy mills often disregard the dog’s physical and emotional well-being to maximize profit.

Stacy Sutton Kirby, director of government relations with the Texas Humane Legislation Network, spoke to the San Marcos council on Tuesday night and implored them to follow in the footsteps of Austin and San Antonio and implement the ordinance.

“Though we do not believe in one-size-fits-all for Texas, we absolutely agree that dogs and cats sold in pet stores should be humanely sourced,” Kirby told the council, adding that the ban has “obvious benefits” for the shelter, which is currently over capacity with adoptable dogs and cats.

Kirby said puppy mill dogs are especially vulnerable to illness and other health problems because of the facilities in which they’re bred and the conditions in which they’re forced to travel.

“The dogs are shipped when their immune systems are still developing,” she said. “Puppies are crammed into shipment bins from various facilities.”

In its discussion of the potential ordinance, the council twice referenced the newly opened Pick a Pet store, which opened Nov. 6 at the San Marcos Premium Outlets.

Pick a Pet is a for-profit pet store that advertises and sells dogs and cats. According to its website, the store works with U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified breeders, and all new arrivals undergo veterinary inspection when they arrive at the San Marcos store.

But one person who spoke to the City Council on Tuesday said she went to the store in mid-November to look at a dachshund puppy, and learned that the puppy — which cost $2,800 — had come from a Missouri-based breeder that had 403 animals on her property.

“That is a puppy mill,” said the speaker, Shannon Graham.

An owner for Pick a Pet did not return multiple requests for comment.

If the ordinance passes, Pick a Pet would no longer be allowed to sell dogs and cats that it gets from its USDA-certified breeders. Instead, it would “sell” dogs and cats from the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter, and the sale price would be the animal’s adoption fee, rather than the $2,000-plus price tags currently on its sales floor.

The city of San Marcos currently bans sale of all animals on roadsides and in commercial parking lots, but doesn’t mention anything about commercial retail stores.