LAFAYETTE, Colo. (KDVR) — During Tuesday night’s Lafayette City Council meeting, some members showed support for a drafted ordinance looking to ban the retail sale of puppies and kittens through both brick-and-mortar stores and private breeders.

“Pet stores often get their puppies from puppy mills, which are just awful conditions,” Tonya Briggs, a Lafayette City Council member, said.

Briggs said her goal with the ordinance is to help with the overpopulation of animals, and she said there are so many pets being euthanized each year in shelters. The ordinance would apply throughout to for-profit sales through the city limits and include private sales.

She said that during the meeting, four of the city council members were in support of the ordinance, two council members believed it shouldn’t include private sales and one other city council member was indifferent.

“I’m not trying to harm anyone. I’m not trying to put anyone out of business. I’m just trying help with the overpopulation,” Briggs said.

Lafayette has 1 pet store that sells puppies

In Lafayette, there is only one pet store that sells puppies, and it’s Gone Wild Pet and Supply. The owner, Toni Anderson, said she was shocked when she heard about the drafted ordinance.

“The city of Lafayette is wanting to ban pet stores, plural, but I’m the only pet store. Am I supposed to be the example for the state of Colorado?” Anderson said.

Anderson said her shop only sells between two and 10 puppies at one time. She said it’s also a multi-service facility offering grooming and boarding as well.

“This is just a small part of my business. The only reason I brought on puppies is because the previous owner had puppies,” Anderson said.

Anderson said she is a small-scale shop and discloses where her puppies come from. She said they come from breeders in states like Nebraska and South Dakota.

“You will not find another pet store in all of America that’s like us. We’re different, but go figure, we are the target,” Anderson said.

“I’ve never met any of the city council members. Come in, come say hi, come see what you are banning,” Anderson said.

The drafted ordinance will go for its first reading during the March 21 city council meeting. Briggs said it will go for its second reading during the April 4 meeting.