Animal News

Dallas joins a dozen-plus Texas cities in banning sales of puppy mill pets

Hetting along like cats and dogs.

Photo courtesy of Kuper Sotheby's International Realty

A new animal ordinance approved by the Dallas City Council in May goes into effect November 11. Called the humane pet store ordinance, it forbids pet stores in Dallas from selling puppies or kittens from commercial breeders.

Dallas joins Austin, Bryan, College Station, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Pasadena, San Antonio, The Colony, Sherman, and Waco among Texas cities that have passed similar ordinances.

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.

In Dallas, it affects only one store: Petland. Other pet store chains such as PetSmart, Pet Supplies Plus, Petco, Odyssey, The Upper Paw, Pet Supermarket, and Uptown Pup do not sell puppies or kittens.

Dallas has only one Petland store, at 11909 Preston Rd. #1428 - one that's been plagued by criminal activity including repeated thefts. The chain has been the target of protests for more than a decade and the subject of repeated investigations by the Humane Society of the United States.

The Dallas ordinance is Sec. 7-4.5 "SALE OF DOGS AND CATS" and says that it's "an offense to sell, exchange, barter, give away, transfer, or offer or advertise for sale, a dog or cat four months of age or older unless the dog or cat is currently vaccinated or cannot be vaccinated due to health reasons as verified by a licensed veterinarian, and the person has a current registration receipt and registration tag for the dog or cat."

The only exceptions are animal services, an animal welfare organization, or an animal adoption agency, who charge adoption fees.

“The ordinance will help stop hundreds of puppies from being shipped in from out-of-state puppy mills and sold to unsuspecting consumers,” said Stacy Sutton Kerby, Director of Government Relations at THLN. “We applaud the Dallas City Council for recognizing the importance of halting the sale of commercially-bred animals in retail pet stores."

Over the years, the THLN helpline has regularly received complaints about Dallas retail stores selling sick or unhealthy puppies. Ending the sale of commercially-bred puppies and kittens in retail pet stores will encourage consumers to acquire puppies or kittens from a reputable breeder or shelter, both of which provide full health history, age, and vaccination information.

"Dallas Animal Services is excited to see the Humane Pet Store Ordinance go into effect,” said MeLissa Webber, Director of Dallas Animal Services. “It was a genuine community effort that started with Dallas animal advocates and quickly garnered support from DAS and the City Council. With shelters all over the metroplex struggling with capacity, we are hopeful that more families looking to add another pet to their home will choose to adopt, not shop. After all, there are incredible pets available to adopt at Dallas Animal Services and an estimated 20% of pets in shelters are purebred."

animals

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

politics