AMMON – The Sportsman’s Warehouse parking lot in Ammon was once a popular place for dog and cat owners to sell their pets, but a new city ordinance now makes such sales illegal.
City of Ammon Ordinance 5-3-19 prohibits the sale of dogs and cats in public places.
“It is unlawful for any person to display, offer for sale, deliver, barter, auction, give away, transfer, sell or otherwise transfer ownership of any animal to another in a street, sidewalk, public park, public right of way or other public place,” the order says.
The order also prohibits retailers from selling dogs or cats, but they can work with animal shelters or nonprofit animal rescue services to host adoption events.
“Our pet stores work with local shelters to get dogs and cats adopted into good homes,” Mayor Sean Coletti told EastIdahoNews.com. “Our pet stores are really not affected by this order.”
The ordinance does not apply to adoptions from local animal shelters or the sale of dogs and cats on private property where they were bred and raised.
Although the ordinance was passed several months ago, Coletti says it was only last week that the city announced it.
Details of the ordinance were posted on the city’s Facebook page Monday morning.
Coletti says the intent of this ordinance is to address several public safety and animal welfare concerns.
“What we found was that the situation was ripe for parvovirus,” Coletti says.
Parvovirus is a highly contagious and deadly virus that is spread through direct contact with other dogs, contaminated feces, environments, or people. according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Unvaccinated dogs are the most susceptible.
When people publicly display dogs or cats for sale, the animals often poop or pee there. If the animal is not vaccinated, it risks getting sick.
“It’s just not good for the animals being sold,” Coletti says. “This ordinance would encourage pet sales by going to a person’s home and seeing how the dog or cat was cared for instead of seeing them sitting in a cage in a place where (you have no idea) of the history of the animal.”
Another reason for the ordinance, according to City Administrator Micah Austin, is to encourage professional and responsible breeding for pet owners.
The Ammon City Council passed the ordinance in a 5-1 vote.
Before the ordinance passed, Austin says groups of people came to city council meetings to voice their support for the measure. The city has also received a lot of encouraging support since the ordinance was passed.
Similar ordinance in Idaho Falls
Ammon is one of 400 cities nationwide with similar ordinances. The town of Idaho Falls adopted its own ordinance address this issue on Thursday, April 13. This is almost identical to the ordinance of Ammon.
During the municipal council meetingCouncil President Michelle Ziel-Dingman — who is also executive director of the Snake River Animal Shelter — said passing this ordinance is “really important” because of the “overpopulation” of animals and “ potential spread of disease.
“I could have brought all kinds of sad stories and photos. There are a lot of things in the shelter world that give you a completely different perspective on it. The number of animals that we take into our facility – and I know all the shelters in our area are facing the same situation – that were intentionally bred and could not be sold and were deposited in shelters (is staggering),” Ziel-Dingman said.
The Idaho Falls Police Department supports this measure because of the high number of calls it receives regarding animal overpopulation.
Ziel-Dingman also pointed out that parvovirus can live on grass and in soil for up to two years.
“When you put a group of animals together (that are) not vaccinated…it kills animals.” They bring these diseases home and kill more animals. We see it all the time,” she said.
Carissa Hernandez, special programs coordinator at the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter, agrees, saying not all breeders vaccinate their dogs and cats. She encourages pet owners to vaccinate their pets.
She hasn’t heard any negative reactions to the new ordinance.
“The common goal is the well-being of the people and animals in our community. If making such a decision helps us prevent some disasters, it’s a pretty simple step to take and there are certainly alternatives you can use if you’re a breeder to put your dog in the spotlight,” says Hernandez.
One of the most reputable things a breeder can do, according to Hernandez, is to create a website showing the mother and father and invite people to view them before purchasing.
The Idaho Falls ordinance passed unanimously.
Violations of the Idaho Falls or Ammon ordinance are a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $1,000 or imprisonment of up to six months.
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