Retail pet stores are now prohibited from selling, auctioning or giving away cats or dogs after a new ordinance was passed by the Madison City Council, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
No pet stores in Madison currently sell dogs or cats.
Retailers would face a fine of up to $1,000 if the ordinance is violated. A second violation within five years would raise the penalty to up to $1,500. Each subsequent violation could be up to $2,000. Each animal up for sale would count as one violation.
The Pet Advocacy Network has been critical of the ordinance.
“Madison’s decision to pass this blanket pet sale ban is deeply disappointing and will push families toward unregulated sellers with no oversight or consumer protections,” PAN CEO Sandy Moore said in a statement. “Longtime Wisconsin pet store operators Dr. Jim and Ruth Metz warned that this ban will hurt local businesses and limit the public’s access to transparent, accountable pet sources.
“Instead of listening to firsthand local experience, city leaders passed a policy by a D.C.-based activist group with an extreme agenda — leaving animals and local residents worse off.”
Ald. Tag Evers introduced the measure based on a model version by the Humane World for Animals.
