Legislation making its way through the Nevada legislature is Assembly Bill 487, known as Cindy Lou’s Law, in honor of a Havanese puppy who died while at a store called Puppy Heaven in Las Vegas last year.
According to a video by the Humane World for Animals, an investigator working undercover at that store found Cindy Lou dying alone in the bathroom, when it was too late to save her. A month after her death she was still being advertised on the store’s Facebook page.
The bill now being considered in the Senate would prohibit a “retail pet store from selling, offering to sell, bartering or otherwise transferring ownership of any dog or cat,” according to its current iteration, making it a misdemeanor to do so.
Selling pets in public places would also be illegal, while adoption events in partnership with shelters and rescues would still be allowed.
The last so-called puppy mill in northern Nevada Puppy Love shut down in Sparks last summer, providing relief to many locals who view such stores as prioritizing profit over the well-being of animals, leading to poor living conditions, care and increased health problems. Retail stores also rely on importing puppies from other facilities with inhumane breeding practices, leading to poor genetics and other problems.
The American Kennel Club has been opposing this proposed legislation saying it “is concerned this limits the opportunity for residents to purchase a pet from a licensed, regulated entity and removes consumer protection.”
Still existing pet store owners in the Silver State warn such a bill could increase online scams and illegal breeding for people seeking specific dogs.
Reno banned the retail sale of cats and dogs in pet stores in 2020, while Clark County and North Las Vegas have also done the same. The new bill if passed in the Senate and approved by Governor Joe Lombardo would make the ban statewide.