All Talk, No Action On Pet Sale Laws: Mayor Chirico

NAPERVILLE, IL — For several years, Naperville officials have played with the idea of banning pet stores from selling pets from commercial breeders, but not a bit of progress has been made, according to Mayor Steve Chirico. The Naperville Sun reports the mayor as saying the issue is the most talked about issue the city council has ever seen without takin action.

The mayor's comments come following yet another non-vote on Tuesday, according to the Sun.

The Sun references articles written in 2014 talking about the very same matter, citing headlines such as "Naperville delays decision on puppy sale rules," and "Naperville delays creating puppy sale rules."

The initial proposal is to force pet stores to have a "warranty" on pets sold, a measure which would severely limit the sale of puppy mill dogs. However, Amy Wolf of A.D.O.P.T., a no-kill, nonprofit animal shelter in Naperville, likened the warranty requirement to a bandage on a broken leg.

“Owners of these animals, after taking them into their homes, would rather have them be as healthy as possible rather than getting their money back," Wolf said, according to the Sun. The proposed "warranty" requirement seems to be aimed more at protecting consumers' wallets than pets' health and treatment.

Naperville isn't alone in delaying action on this matter. The Sun reports several other city councils have done the same, waiting to see if higher levels of government to pass laws pertaining to the matter.

State Sen. Michael Connelly, R-Naperville, made an attempt to ban puppy mills in late 2017. The bill didn't make it far.

Former Naperville City Councilman David Wentz said about 1,000 emails were sent to the city council on the matter in 2014. “We did not take a stance, we decided to kick the can down the road,” Wentz said, according to the Sun.

See the Naperville Sun for more.

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