Animal News

Dallas City Council unanimously passes Humane Pet Store Ordinance

Photo courtesy of Citizens for Animal Protection

The Dallas City Council passed an ordinance on May 11 that helps animals. Called the Humane Pet Store Ordinance, it stops the sale of puppies at pet stores in Dallas. Dallas joins Houston, San Antonio, and a growing list of Texas cities that have enacted similar ordinances, which help end the mistreatment of animals by breeders.

The ordinance was recommended by the Dallas Animal Shelter (DAS), as well as groups such as Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN), which works to promote better treatment of animals.

"Since January 2021, we have been working tirelessly to pass this Ordinance to close the puppy mill pipeline to Dallas to stop hundreds of sick puppies from being shipped from out-of-state puppy mills," said Stacy Sutton Kerby, THLN's Director of Government Relations, in a release. "Over the years, the THLN helpline has regularly received complaints about Dallas retail stores selling sick or unhealthy puppies. We are so grateful to Chair Adam Bazaldua, Mayor Pro Team Chad West, the entire Quality of Life, Arts, & Culture Committee, and city staff for their support and attention to such a vital animal welfare issue right here in our community."

Dallas now joins Austin, College Station, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Sherman, and Waco in cities that have passed a similar ordinance.

"This Ordinance will support dozens of local humane pet stores in Dallas that do not sell puppies but rather adopt puppies who desperately need loving families,” said Karen Froehlich, President & CEO of SPCA of Texas. “Our shelter alone has over 1,000 animals in our care today, and shelters across Texas are transporting thousands of adoptable dogs to other states due to overcapacity. The time is right for Dallas to pass this Humane Pet Store Ordinance - both for animals and our community."

In Dallas, the ordinance affects only one store: Petland. No other pet store chain sells puppies. Reputable pet stores — including PetSmart, Pet Supplies Plus, Petco, Odyssey, The Upper Paw, Pet Supermarket, and Uptown Pup — do not sell puppies or kittens.

In the weeks leading up the May 11 meeting, outside firms deluged Dallas via online and traditional media with ads lobbying against passage. And at the meeting, Petland recruited both out-of-state breeders, including one scary guy in his car calling in from Missouri, as well as store employees to comment.

But the council approved the measure unanimously.

The only Petland store in Dallas is located in District 13, represented by council member Gay Donnell Willis, who thanked Dallas Animal Services' manager MeLissa Webber, and said that she herself had adopted a kitten from DAS.

"While Dallas is a place for business to thrive, it's also important to be mindful of trends and best practices," Willis said. "And even with the passage of this ordinance, residents can adopt or rescue an animal from the shelter, or can still buy a puppy from a breeder. This is only at retail stores. Nine other cities in Texas have had the wisdom to ban the sale of puppies, and I hope Dallas will join them."

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Texas Tragedy

Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy one year after deadly Texas floods

Funeral Held For Sisters Killed During The Flooding At Camp Mystic In Hunt, Texas

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

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Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Wednesday, June 24, nearly a year after catastrophic floods killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors at the all-girls Christian camp in Texas.

In paperwork filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas in Houston, the camp listed its debt as more than $10 million. The camp along the Guadalupe River said it had assets in the range of $100,001 to $500,000.

Families of the victims filed a lawsuit in November seeking more than $1 million in damages, saying the camp operators failed to take the necessary steps to protect the girls as life-threatening floodwaters approached on July 4. Camp owner Richard Eastland also died in the flood.

All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.

The Associated Press sent emails and left phone messages Wednesday requesting comment from an attorney representing Camp Mystic and the Eastland family. A phone message seeking comment also was left for a spokesperson for the families who sued the camp.

The bankruptcy filing comes weeks after Camp Mystic halted plans to reopen this summer in the face of outrage from victims’ families and lawmakers that the century-old camp intended to welcome girls back while lawsuits and investigations remained ongoing.

Camp Mystic's attorney had said it was ready to reopen for business for nearly 900 campers before the camp's reversal in April. The decision followed weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations that laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency and its reliance on poorly trained staff.

Families of the victims packed the hearings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood, and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. Testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for “help!” somewhere in the distance.

Before halting the reopening plans, Camp Mystic invited journalists and lawmakers to review safety improvements at the camp and promised that no camp activities would take place in the low-lying area that was devastated by the flood. The Eastland family also stressed that hundreds of families wanted to return and described it as a special place for generations of Texans.

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