A controversial bill in Colorado that can per chance ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats tracks with a construction of declining animal gross sales from pet stores nationwide, and advocates imagine it is going to alternate mindsets spherical pet ownership.

Nikki Harrison, director of construction and outreach at the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, stated she is seeing much less ardour in pets being purchased from pet stores.

“Within the colossal plan of issues, it has change right into a much less spruce thing to aquire a pet from a pet retailer,” she advised Cowboy Affirm Day-to-day.

Folks that pork up the bill notify it will relieve shut down puppy mills, which is the put some pet stores source their puppies.

Critics argue that the bill would push gross sales underground, establishing an unregulated market of puppies and scams.

If the bill is handed the Colorado Legislature, pet stores in that impart will likely be prohibited from selling dogs and cats starting up Jan. 1.

Falling Gross sales Of Pets In Pet Shops

Gross sales of dogs and cats in retail pet stores have declined vastly on a nationwide diploma, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), driven by a surge in impart and local guidelines banning the sale of commercially bred animals.

The organization experiences that nationwide, the quantity of pet stores selling dogs fell from about 900 in 2016 to 600 in 2023.

A 2017 search by the American Pet Merchandise Association chanced on that 4% of dog homeowners purchased their dogs from a pet retailer.

Frontier Pets in Cheyenne sells dogs and cats. The retailer owner declined to commentary for this account.

​But according to the retailer’s internet put, pet stores and breeders are the most regulated sources of pets, and that bans on selling dogs and cats can inaugurate underground markets.

“Combating guilty pet stores, equivalent to ours, from selling pets opens the door to an underground, unregulated markets and scams,” the corporate says. “Blanket pet sale bans bag not approach the standards of fancy pets.”

Adoptions Increasing?

Harrison, with the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, stated the apply of buying for a dog or cat from a pet retailer is changing into antiquated.

The Cheyenne safe haven already sees an even quantity of families coming from Colorado to undertake pets, she stated. She is optimistic that a ban on pet retailer gross sales of dogs and cats there would possibly lead to more americans adopting pets reasonably than buying for them.

The Cheyenne Animal Shelter has what Harrison called “an adopters’ welcome” philosophy.

“It methodology we decrease down barriers to adopting an animal,” she stated, cherish prohibitive price and extensive background tests.

Harrison stated she has seen examples of pet homeowners ending upside down on a mortgage to aquire a dog from a pet retailer.

A particular person would possibly pay as a lot as $6,000 for a dog on hand for sale in a pet retailer, she stated. Then, if that particular person is just not ready to influence upright on the mortgage, the pet likely leads to a safe haven anyway.

Bans Across U.S.

Gross sales of dogs and cats in pet stores are already banned in eight states: California, Maryland, Maine, Washington, Illinois, Novel York, Oregon and Vermont.

In April 2025, the Humane World Circulation Fund reported that 500 U.S. localities had handed “humane pet retailer guidelines.”

In step with the document, cities, cities and counties that have enacted humane pet retailer guidelines “span 31 states and record communities of all political leanings, demographic characteristics and inhabitants dimension.”

The organization is currently urging legislators to attain the Ethical Pet Gross sales Invoice (SB 1652/HB 3458) to live the sale of puppies in pet stores statewide.

While 26 cities in Colorado ban dog and cat gross sales in pet stores, most effective one in Wyoming does — Rock Springs.

Rock Springs Ordinance

In 2018, town of Rock Springs handed an ordinance prohibiting the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores, retail companies and utterly different commercial institutions.

It’s an ordinance that Rock Springs Police Chief Invoice Erspamer stated he has never had to implement.

“It hasn’t been a topic at all,” Erspamer advised Cowboy Affirm Day-to-day.

The ordinance doesn’t provide protection to against americans touring via city and selling puppies at pop-up stops — something Erspamer stated happens incessantly, especially for the period of the summer season.

It also doesn’t provide protection to against breeders selling animals out of their dwelling.

In February 2025, Rock Springs police started receiving calls about a neighborhood breeder who used to be reportedly neglecting and mistreating 13 dogs in her garage.

Animal Management later got data about a high quantity of animals for the period of the girl’s dwelling. The girl used to be charged on December 18, 2025, with animal cruelty.

Dean Ann Knezovich owns Joe’s Pet Location in Rock Springs. She stated she didn’t know Rock Springs had an ordinance against the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. But despite the indisputable reality that town allowed pet stores to sell dogs, cats and rabbits, Knezovich stated she never would.

“It’s uncalled for,” stated Knezovich, who has owned the pet retailer for about 4 years. “I’m so against it. You don’t overbreed a Big Dane when she’s two years worn handsome to influence money.”

The retailer’s earlier owner sold such pets, Knezovich stated.

Now, when americans ask if the retailer sells dogs, cats or rabbits, Knezovich stated she sends them to the local humane society.

Kate Meadows would possibly be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.