Residents urge city to adopt ‘Sammy’s Law’ to bar retail sales of puppies and kittens

Dozens of Arvada residents urged the City Council on June 17 to adopt a local ordinance—commonly referred to by supporters as “Sammy’s Law”—to prohibit retail sales of puppies and kittens in pet stores.

The request came during the meeting’s public comment period from residents, shelter representatives and business owners who said most pet-store animals are supplied by commercial “puppy mills,” not local breeders. “We refer to the proposed ordinance as Sammy’s law,” animal-welfare advocate Cara Thorsen said, citing a case of a sick puppy she used as an example of the problem.

Advocates quoted federal and state inspection data and local report findings to argue the sales cause animal suffering and increase shelter intake. “Every year, approximately 6,000 puppies from the mills are imported into Colorado,” speaker Pam Dickerson said, citing summary figures she said are drawn from Colorado Department of Agriculture records. Ken Krupa, treasurer of Max Fund, told the council that animals sold from such sources often end up in local shelters, stressing the strain on shelter capacity.

Speakers detailed common welfare concerns: inadequate socialization, genetic and contagious diseases, and long-distance transport. “Dogs unable to walk and they’re 4 years old. They’ve never seen anything before, like grass,” volunteer Corey Lonergan said, describing dogs rescued from mill conditions.

Not all speakers urged a ban without nuance. Victoria Nixic clarified the proposal’s scope: a ban would not affect local, licensed breeders who sell directly. Sharon Hodge, owner of Pet Ones Arvada, described her store’s adoption-focused model and said retailers can be successful without selling animals.

City Attorney Patty Morris responded to questions about current local rules. “So we don’t entirely prohibit it. What we do is we regulate the health and safety of animals, by a using a kennel licensing program,” Morris said, explaining the city enforces health and safety standards and that no retail businesses currently hold a kennel license. She added that sales by private breeders require kennel licensing under state rules and city enforcement prosecutes unlicensed sales.

No ordinance was introduced or voted on at the June 17 meeting. Speakers said they had provided the council with reports and lists of other Colorado cities that have passed similar ordinances and asked the council to draft local code changes.

Supporters asked the council to pursue a code change that would prohibit retail sales of dogs and cats in pet stores and to continue community outreach; business owners and rescue partners said they would support adoption events and pet-supply commerce instead of retail animal sales.

The council did not take formal action on the proposal at the meeting; the item remains a public request for council consideration.

Details submitted by speakers and referenced to council staff and the city attorney were left for potential next steps by the council.