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Resident urges county to stop sponsoring Rockford Pet Expo after unaltered puppies were sold
Summary
Stephanie Hicks of Care for Pets told the Winnebago County Board she believes the Rockford Pet Expo included out-of-county rescues selling unaltered puppies, which she said violates state requirements and undermines local spay/neuter efforts; she asked the county to cease sponsorship.
During the public-comment period March 26, Stephanie Hicks, who runs the nonprofit Care for Pets, urged the Winnebago County Board not to sponsor the Rockford Pet Expo after reporting that several rescues and vendors brought unaltered puppies to the event and were selling or adopting them to local residents.
"Most of the dogs that were present at this event were from organizations outside of the county ... they were mostly dogs that have been transported up from the south to northern states," Hicks said. She told the board that transporting and placing unaltered animals into the county increases shelter population pressures and is inconsistent with local spay-and-neuter goals. Hicks said the local animal-services department had been a $750 sponsor of the expo.
Hicks told the board the practice could contravene state statute for organizations that place animals without altering them and asked that the county not sponsor the event in the future. Board members acknowledged the concerns; no action was taken at the meeting.
