Ferndale Bans Retail Pet Stores, Adoptions Still Welcome

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 12, 2024)

Ferndale, MI – At the City of Ferndale’s Dec. 18, 2023 City Council meeting, officials voted to ban retail pet stores in the city. The ban would not impact rescue animal adoptions.

Specifically the ordinance states, “A retail pet store located in the city is prohibited from selling, adopting, exchanging, transferring, or offering for sale, adoption, exchange, or transfer of dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, frogs, reptiles, rabbits, or rodents. This section does not prohibit a retail pet store from collaborating with and providing space to an animal protection shelter or an animal control shelter to showcase dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, frogs, reptiles, rabbits, or rodents available for adoption on a not-for-profit basis. The retail pet store may not charge or retain an adoption fee or any other fee for providing space to showcase any such dog or cat.”

“This ordinance is not just a policy update; it’s a clear reflection of our collective voice and our commitment to animal welfare,” said Councilperson Laura Mikulski in a post on Facebook. Mikulski had sponsored the amendment. “This move directly targets the unethical practices of puppy mills and similar breeding facilities, ensuring that our city does not support or promote such inhumane practices. This also is targeted to combat poor animal management practices seen in pet stores, and even illegal wildlife trade.”

Oakland County Times reached out to Mikulski to share more about her concerns with the types of businesses that have been banned. “I have a laundry list of concerns with the retail sale of live animals,” she said. “Most pet store puppies are sourced from commercial dog breeding operations (aka puppy mills), where profit takes precedence over the health and welfare of the animals. Responsible breeders take great care to place their animals in suitable homes, rather than sell them wholesale to a pet store where the only requirement for purchase is having enough money. Investigation into the retail sale of live animals in Michigan has resulted in documentation of sick puppies, puppies with birth defects, dangerous conditions and improper care.

“I expanded the ban on the sale of live animals to include additional species as a result of conversations with concerned residents. Banning the sale of reptiles and birds, for instance, was due to the horrible impact of the exotic pet trade, which relies on illegal sourcing with statistics suggesting that as many as four out of five animals captured and transported through illegal trade will die either in transit or within a year of captivity. Species of rabbits and other fragile ‘pocket pets’ were included due to troubling reports of animal care issues at pet stores. Finally, this effort was also in acknowledgment of the massive issue of homeless and abandoned animals in shelters, a perennial problem that has gotten worse in 2023. There are reports showing that 5% more animals will enter the shelter system than will leave, and rescues and shelters are burdened by the demand. Adoption and fostering are a crucial need, and our residents have expressed strongly that it’s the most ethical way of bringing an animal into their life.”

There are currently not any stores in Ferndale impacted by the ban. Rescue operations, such as Ferndale Cat Shelter, are not impacted. Neighboring cities Royal Oak and Berkley have passed similar ordinances in response to a retail pet store opening on Woodward Avenue in Berkley. The Berkley store opened before the ordinance was adopted in that city.

To learn more about The City of Ferndale, including ordinances and council meetings, visit www.ferndalemi.gov