Naperville City Council members are poised to again consider whether to ban the sale of commercially bred dogs at pet stores within city limits.
Two options up for council consideration at its Tuesday meeting include prohibiting the sales all together or adding stricter standards for stores that do sell pets sourced from commercial breeders. Council members are not expected to vote on the topic on Tuesday.
The topic in Naperville has proved contentious over the years as each time the issue is discussed dog owners testify to council members that the pets they bought from stores that source from commercial breeders are ridden with health issues, and they argue the practice of commercially bred dogs is inhumane.
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico in 2018 said the issue of commercially bred dogs is probably the most talked about agenda item city council has seen without action.
When Naperville began discussing the topic in 2014, pending litigation to similar ordinances throughout the state kept the city council from taking action until the legal challenges were resolved.
In the years since then, city councils have tabled action on more restrictive pet ordinances in some cases to see what happens with proposed state legislation that would have banned the sales in all of DuPage County and Will County. State legislation has failed to make it out of committee.
Council members in 2017, following lengthy discussion and comments from about 40 people, tabled a vote on an ordinance that included the option of banning pet shops from selling anything other than dogs and cats from rescue organizations or animal shelters.
The first option up for consideration Tuesday would prohibit Naperville stores from selling commercially bred dogs and cats.
Naperville is aware of two pet stores in the city that sell commercially bred dogs and cats — Petland and Happiness is Pets, according to city documents. Adopting an ordinance that prohibits the sales means those stores would have to switch to selling only pets from humane societies, rescue organizations and non-profit animal organizations, according to city documents.
Should City Council approve the ban, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2021.
Both pet stores lease space for their businesses. Happiness is Pets’ lease expires July 31, 2024 and Petland’s lease expires Sept. 22, 2025, according to city documents.
The second option City Council will consider incorporates standards that would require Naperville pet stores to source pets only from commercial breeders compliant with stricter standards the Humane Society of the United States has proposed to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for all commercially licensed breeders.
The Humane Society of the United States and other humane groups are advocating for changes involving physical conditions at commercial breeding facilities including size, stacking, flooring of cages and temperatures inside the cages, in addition to canine health and welfare in commercial breeding facilities including access to exercise areas, socialization, breeding practices and grooming among other things.
Council members will review the information Tuesday and can request one or both of the ordinances be brought back for a vote at a future meeting, according to city documents.
Ten Illinois cities and counties prohibit the sale of dogs and cats from commercial breeders, according to city documents.
ehegarty@tribpub.com
