Joining a wave of California cities in banning so-called “puppy mills,” the San Marcos City Council on Tuesday adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail pet stores. The City Council voted 4-0 in support of the ban. Councilwoman Sharon Jenkins was absent. “This does pull on your heartstrings,” Vice Mayor Rebecca Jones said. “From what I can tell, the breeders are not taking care of the animals the way I think they should. It’s important to love them and treat them like a living being. That being said, I’m fine with the ordinance that’s been presented to us.” The ordinance prohibits the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail pet stores from breeders. Animals that pet stores obtain from shelters, animal control, or animal rescue organizations are exempt. The focus of the ban was on Mini Toy Puppies, a store on Nordahl Road owned by David and Veronica Salinas. The owners, who also have a store in Oceanside, were targeted with a similar ban in Oceanside last year.

Veronica Salinas, who spoke during public comment, said closing a pet store could cause various problems in society. “There’s no way of regulating anything,” Veronica Salinas said. “Animal shelters are not regulated.” Veronica Salinas said the closure of pet stores would mean more puppies would be imported from outside of the country, possibly resulting in more health problems. David Salinas also spoke at the meeting, claiming that shelters import dogs. House For Sale In QingdaoHe also criticized the City Council for not speaking to him prior to the meeting.Floor Standing Mirror With Storage Uk “Not one of you have called me back to get my side of the story, which is a little troubling,” Salinas said. American Standard Kitchen Faucet Warranty

“We are the victims here. We love people and we love the animals. To say it’s all about the profit, it’s ridiculous.” But the couple’s comments were overpowered by supporters of the ban. “Commercial breeders who do sell to pet stores do not ensure quality of breeding,” Elizabeth Oreck, national manager the Best Friends Animal Society, said. “More than 100 communities in the country have already enacted this ordinance.” A retired veterinarian said she’s seen “first-hand the tragedy of animals who come from puppy and cat mills.” “It extends beyond the pet to the families,” she said. “It’s families often with children. These families are faced with a pet they’ve purchased at a pet store, and cannot afford the veterinarian’s bills or the animal cannot be helped, and the only option is euthanasia.” The ordinance takes effect 30 days following the vote. >> Subscribe to Times of San Diego’s free daily email newsletter! Learn about the adoption process

Things to consider when choosing a pet If you would like to meet an animal housed at a non-public location, call 619.299.7012 for an appointment. Please have the Animal ID ready. Site created by 501creative Type and Press “enter” to SearchShe is the only one left the others were gone before they were here and so she will be reaOCEANSIDE — The owner of a shuttered Oceanside pet store is suing the city, saying he was forced to close down after officials unfairly expanded the city’s ban on the sale of commercially bred animals.David Salinas — who closed his Oceanside Puppy store on Oceanside Boulevard in January — said he tried to comply with the law but was cited several times, including once for not properly identifying where the dogs were obtained and again for violating the ban on selling commercially bred pets. The city ordinance, adopted a year earlier in January 2015, allows pet stores to sell rescued animals or pets bred in small operations, sometimes referred to as “hobby breeders.”

Salinas said he used a broker to find and purchase puppies from hobby breeders, but was told that was against the city law.“We worked with them,” Salinas said, referring to city officials. “We complied and they ran us out of business.”The ordinance, which took effect in September after a grace period, said pet stores could not obtain animals from “a person, firm, corporation or other entity” that sold more than three litters, or 20 dogs, over a one year period.In the lawsuit, Salinas claims there is no prohibition on using commercial pet brokers to buy pets from hobby breeders.Salinas first appealed the citations at an administrative hearing in October but the violations were upheld. He filed his lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court in February seeking to have the citations overturned and asking that he be allowed to use commercial pet brokers. City Attorney John Mullen said he believes the city acted properly.“The case will be reviewed based upon the evidence received by that hearing officer (and) we are confident the hearing officer made the correct decision,” Mullen said.

Oceanside Puppy was the only pet store operating in the city at the time the ordinance was approved, on a 3-2 vote. Mayor Jim Wood and Council members Chuck Lowery and Esther Sanchez voted in favor of the ordinance, saying that commercial breeders, sometimes called “puppy mills,” are inhumane and contribute to pet overpopulation.Salinas said he used to get the dogs from Missouri-based Hunte Corp., the world’s largest professional pet distributor, but he has since stopped using them in an effort to comply with the city law. Animal rights activist Leslie Davies, who has helped lobby local cities approve the bans, said she doesn’t see much difference in Salinas getting animals from Hunt or through brokers because “reputable breeders don’t sell their animals to pet stores.”Salinas owns several other pet stores in Southern California, including one in San Marcos called Mini Toy Puppies. San Marcos passed an ordinance prohibiting pet stores from selling commercially bred pets. Salinas’ store was initially grandfathered but will now have to comply.