Stamford changes rules regulating kitten and puppy sales in pet stores to ‘deter’ the practice
STAMFORD — Pet stores that sell kittens and puppies won’t be able to attract many window shoppers in the future under a change just approved by the Zoning Board.
The Zoning Board has unanimously approved new regulations that require pet stores that sell puppies and kittens specifically to get a special permit and be relegated to space outside of the city’s commercial districts. The regulations will only apply to new businesses; current pet stores that sell puppies and kittens will be grandfathered in, Land Use Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing said.
Blessing told the zoning board that the Board of Representatives had asked for changes to the zoning code that would “deter” pet shops from selling puppies and kittens, a practice that has been criticized as harsh to the animals and open to exploitation. A total ban on the practice may not be legal, but restrictions in the zoning code could make the sale of pets at retail stores difficult for a business to engage in, he said.
Pet stores that sell animals typically operate in busy commercial areas, Blessing said.
“Shops are in highly frequented areas, with cute puppies and kittens in the windows,” he said. “The idea is putting them in certain areas” that are far from busy pedestrian traffic, he explained. In addition, the sale of animals at retail stores would only be allowed by a special permit — and noise complaints could bring about a denial of the permit, he said.
The change was approved Dec. 2.
Stamford Government Center | Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media
Stamford had tried to ban the sale of puppies and kittens by pet stores in 2019, after the Humane Society of the United States urged cities nationwide to prohibit pet-store sales of the weeks-old babies because many came from so-called puppy mills or breeders who were inhumane to the animals. Stamford at that time considered creating legislation to ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores but the issue was tabled indefinitely after city attorneys advised representatives that they don’t have the authority to ban puppy and kitten sales — only the state legislature can do that.
Limiting puppies and kittens wasn’t the only business done Dec. 2.
New city zoning regulations also approved that day did away with some outdated wording, Blessing said. The zoning code had referred to social service agencies as “public charitable institutions.” That wording was “not up to date” and “potentially offensive,” Blessing said. The new phrasing is now “outpatient counseling advisory health services and social services.”
First published on stamfordadvocate.com by Robert Marchant, Staff Writer