The Aurora City Council Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee held a special meeting Wednesday to continue its discussion about the need for regulating the sale of pets at retail shops in the city.
Most of the two-hour meeting focused on the health and welfare of dogs that are sold and where pet stores get their animals.
The committee will hold another special meeting on the subject at 3 p.m. Jan. 6.
Aurora currently has one store that sells live animals in the city. Furry Babies, at the Fox Valley Mall, sells puppies. Stores such as PetSmart and Petco have been in the city, and they sell such things as birds and fish, but for dogs and cats, they bring in rescue organizations or Animal Control for dog and cat adoptions.
At the Wednesday meeting, Jonathan Burning, of the store Happiness is Pets, said his family-owned stores have a network of breeders that it works with, all of which are accredited with the Canine Care Certification Program operated by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Happiness is Pets has four locations, and said they have plans to move to a storefront in Aurora.
Ida McCarthy, Illinois Director of Companion Animal Protection Society, an organization that does undercover investigations of pet shops and pet breeders, also spoke at the Wednesday meeting. The organization contends 2 million puppies and kittens are born in animal mills every year in the United States.
At the meeting, McCarthy showed undercover video of a puppy mill in Missouri where dogs were in physical distress, had matted fur and one dog had a swollen eye.
Burning had photos of how his breeders operate, which he said show well-kept facilities and outdoor grassy areas with agility platforms for dogs to play.
“We are the first in the country to have all breeders certified with the program,” Burning said.
He said they have about 38 canine care certified breeders where Happiness is Pets gets its dogs.
“It’s continued to be said over and over that putting an end to having companies getting dogs from puppy mills is not making any difference in the world of puppies. I don’t accept that,” Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, said.
Just because something is not making a change immediately doesn’t mean something is not working, Smith said.
“What it means is that we need to work harder,” she said.
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Smith asked whether they can rest assured from the photos that each of the breeding centers where Burning said he purchases his dogs look and have those same types of equipment and grounds.
“Absolutely, especially the canine care certified ones. I invite you to see them with your own eyes,” Burning said.
It was suggested visiting some of the breeder sites for Happiness is Pets. Whether those visits would be unannounced or prearranged was an issue, however.
Burning suggested giving a breeder a few days notice before visiting their property.
“I don’t have a problem with that at all,” Burning said.
“Couldn’t you just let them know that in general? People clean their houses when they know they are having company,” said Anna Payton, Aurora’s Animal Control director.
“I can’t put a silk cape on a pig. I can’t make a bad kennel all of a sudden look great. I have 100% confidence in my breeders so if everyone on this committee wants to see them, I encourage it,” Burning said.
Burning offered to accept dogs purchased from his store that are surrendered to Animal Control.
“The last thing I want to do is see one of my dogs end up in your shelter. If it’s something where you don’t feel comfortable, I will cover the cost of the shelter. The last thing I want to do is be a financial burden on your operations,” he said to Payton.
“I want to clarify, when we have animals that are surrendered that are adults with medical problems, you said you would take them back, and I appreciate that. I have never seen adult or senior dogs available for purchase or adoption at your store. How does your company handle those situations and how do you find placement for them?” Payton said.
Burning said they work with a nonprofit in Indiana and offered to put her in touch with them for reports on adoptions.
Payton acknowledged her department does not track where animals were originally purchased from.
“That doesn’t mean we do not have knowledge of dogs that originate from pet stores. Oftentimes, people who surrender dogs provide pet store paperwork,” she said.
Aldermen on the committee suggested they would be willing to make a visit to breeders. However, the practicality of making an unannounced trip during the coronavirus pandemic is an issue.
“In normal times with no COVID, I would never announce I was coming to see someone I suspected doing something wrong. That makes zero sense. There’s a reason we have random drug testing,” Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee Chairman Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, said.
“In normal times, could we not just show up at some place we suspect is a puppy mill and not get in? If we are going to do it, we have got to do it that way to make it real,” he said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.