Downers Grove Adopts New Ordinance To Ban Puppy Mill Sales

DOWNERS GROVE, IL -- The Downers Grove Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to adopt an ordinance that would regulate the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in the village to require stores to show proof the pets they sell came from an approved shelter. The matter, which spurred a flood of public comment since it was first brought to the board, passed unanimously at Tuesday's meeting.

Pet sales will be prohibited in the village unless "the animals are obtained from an animal care facility, animal rescue organization or humane society," the ordinance reads.

The ordinance includes an amortization period that applies to Happiness is Pets, the only store in the village that currently sells pets. Happiness Is Pets has until Oct. 1, 2019 to comply with the new ordinance or be subject to applicable fines.

Prior to Tuesday's vote, the ordinance had been presented on Feb. 12 with an amortization period that coincided with the lease for Happiness Is Pets, which expires on Dec. 31, 2022. Council members expressed concerns that the designated amortization period was too long and also asked for clarification about the definition of a humane society.

The finalized ordinance clarifies that a humane society is "any chartered not-for-profit organization authorized to do business in this State and organized for the purpose of preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care and treatment of animals."

The ordinance comes after ongoing concerns from villagers about preventing the sale of animals that have been sourced from so-called "puppy mills." At the Feb. 12 village meeting, John Berning from Happiness Is Pets said "The claim our puppies are mill-bred is an extraordinary claim."

Berning added at the Feb. 12 meeting that the animals sold at Happiness Is Pets "either meet or exceed" standards recently proposed by the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States.

If Happiness Is Pets fails to comply with the new ordinance after Oct. 1, it faces fines that range from $500 to $750 for a first offense and from $750 to $1000 for each subsequent offense.

Per the ordinance, separate offenses are committed for each dog, cat, or rabbit sold in violation of the ordinance.