Dear Mr. Henderson,

Last week, during the Gov't Administration Committee meeting, Cheri Hamilton stated in her presentation describing the 8th Draft of the Animal Control Ordinance that an Animal Dealer's license would not be required of every person who sells an animal. That information was incorrect. Below is the definition of Animal Dealer taken from the 8th Draft of the Animal Control Ordinance:

"ANIMAL DEALER.  Any person engaging in the business of buying and/or selling any animal or animals for the purpose of resale to pet shops, research facilities, another animal dealer, including the sale of any animal from any roadside stand, booth, flea market or other temporary site. (Persons buying or selling animals fit and destined for human consumption and person involved in the sale of an occasional litter or animal on a random basis are not included in this definition). Animal dealers are also subject to the provisions of §§ 91.050 through 91.062 and 91.078 of this chapter."

This definition applies to every person who sells an animal that may be resold, except those selling animals for human consumption. Claiming races are technically sales of racehorses, and those racehorses are frequently resold. Any person selling a puppy, kitten, cat or dog will be required to have an Animal Dealer's license to do so. The new definition has struck the language that previously exempted occasional sales of an  animal or litter on a random basis, effectively requiring all persons selling animals other than for human consumption to have an Animal Dealer's license.

If you go to Appendix A of the 8th Draft of the Animal Control Ordinance, you will find that an Animal Dealer's license costs $300 if a person is selling domestic pets.

This problem was brought up at the final task force meeting, at which time Mr. Warner and Ms. Hamilton stated that they thought everyone wanted the ordinance to prohibit any sales of animals without an Animal Dealer's license. I have a tape recording of that meeting if you would be interested in hearing it.

I hope you will choose not to support this 8th Draft of the Animal Control Ordinance. It is so problematic that it would be easier to simply start over and make a few changes to our current ordinance.

Sincerely,

Karen Brinkley