The Board of Aldermen in Wentzville, Mo., is scheduled to discuss on Wednesday a possible ban on pet sales.

Under a draft ordinance, pet stores would be prohibited from displaying, selling, delivering, offering for sale, bartering, auctioning, giving way or otherwise transferring dogs or cats in Wentzville. The draft ordinance provides a grandfather clause that would allow existing pet stores to continue selling dogs and cats.

The following exemptions are provided:

• Any person or establishment that sells, delivers, offers for sale, barters, auctions, gives away or otherwise transfers or disposes of only animals that were bred or reared on the premises of the person or establishment (i.e. certain breeders);

• A publicly operated animal control facility or animal shelter;

• A private, charitable, nonprofit humane society or animal rescue; and

• A publicly operated animal control agency, non-profit humane society or non-profit animal rescue organization that operates in connection with a pet store.

The draft ordinance would not prevent a pet store from working with nonprofit animal organizations or a publically operated animal control agency to offer cats and dogs through adoption.

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) called such a ban discriminatory and claimed it would do nothing to benefit animals or the pet owning public.

“PIJAC strongly supports the right to keep pets and the right of pet owners to have options as to where they obtain their companion animals (that are) based on the pet owner’s individual circumstances, needs and preferences,” the Washington, D.C.-based organization stated in an industry alert issued today. “Pet stores provide healthy, responsibly raised pets to the public and should serve as one of the options pet owners may turn to in choosing a companion animal." <HOME>