County tightens leash on pet shop owners

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, June 16, 1999 | 11:12 a.m.

Animal lovers who cringe at the sight of puppies curled up in small cages but can't resist ducking into a pet shop during a visit to the mall ought to do their shopping in Clark County.

Thanks to seven soft-hearted county board members, animals here soon will have the nicest digs in the country.

Commissioners passed what they said is the strictest animal care ordinance in the nation, providing pets with spacious kennels and requiring retailers to have animals for resale examined by a veterinarian every 30 days.

"All of us are living things that share the world together," Commissioner Myrna Williams said. "How we treat each other, whether we're animals or humans, says a lot about us."

Leaders of various animal protection groups applauded the commission's bold action, but pet shop owner Frederick Palmieri said the law could put his three stores out of business.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines state the minimum-sized cages for dogs and cats 6 months or older must be determined by a complicated formula: measure the animal from head to toe, add 6 inches, square that number and divide by 144.

The formula isn't often used because most pet store animals are younger than 6 months. Under the county's new law, however, the formula is extended to pets 6 weeks and older.

Palmieri said providing different sized cages for fast-growing puppies would be an expensive task.

"Puppies grow and they grow fast. If it gets too large, what am I supposed to do with it? Euthanize it?" said Palmieri, who added that he spent $300,000 on each of his stores to provide state-of-the-art cages that are illuminated and ventilated.

"I would have to retrofit my whole store. It would be economically impractical."

Stephanie Smith, a North Las Vegas councilwoman and chairwoman of the county's animal advisory committee, questioned why Palmieri was the only pet shop owner who opposed the ordinance. She said if Palmieri's store is state-of-the-art, he shouldn't have a problem accommodating younger pets.

"Are little animals less important or less needy of basic comfort?" she asked. "We're not talking about some lizard out in the desert; we're talking about people's future pets. If these animals are considered part of your family, of course we should have concerns about the way they're treated."

The board listened to horror story after horror story:

The black Cocker Spaniel, for example, that smelled funny, and when its owners brought their new pet to a vet, they learned the animal was actually a black and white dog dyed black to sell faster.

Joi Warburton purchased a dog that was ill, and within two weeks she and her son came down with an intestinal disorder her doctor linked to their new pet.

The county ordinance requires retailers or dealers to provide detailed information about an animal's background, such as its former owner's name and address and its complete medical history to prevent such nightmares from recurring.

For dogs, retailers must provide the animal's sire and dam with breed registry and health certificates. Any store owners or individuals who sell animals known to be sick could be charged with a misdemeanor.

"This is not about an individual pet owner or an individual pet store," Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates said. "This is about the entire community and making sure we have an ordinance in place that's comprehensive. We need to look at the bigger picture."