Lexington enforces ban on the sale of puppies, kittens after judge dismisses suit
Fayette Circuit Court Judge Lucy VanMeter dismissed a lawsuit Dec. 2 against the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government seeking to overturn an ordinance banning retail sales of dogs and cats in city limits.
The ordinance was adopted by the Urban County Council in July 2024. Stores in violation fined $500 for each available pet in the store.
Susan Straub, a spokesperson for the city, said Dec. 8 the city has begun enforcing the ordinance since the lawsuit’s dismissal. Enforcement is complaint driven. The Herald-Leader has requested data on the number of citation issued to date.
Lexington residents can still adopt pets from nonprofit animal rescues, like the Lexington Humane Society. Additionally, many retailers partner with such groups by keeping rescue animals in stores for adoption. Those partnerships are still permitted under the ordinance.
The lawsuit was filed in October 2024 by retailer Petland, a national pet store chain with a location in Lexington. Petland argued the new ban would put the Lexington store out of business.
Lexington city officials had not enforced the ordinance until the Judge VanMeter dismissed the suit this month.
Petland’s Lexington location at 2909 Richmond Road closed in September. The store’s closure led to the suit’s dismissal, according to Petland’s attorney Richard Getty.
Getty told the Herald-Leader even though the ordinance was not being enforced, it is still to blame for the business shutting down.
“Irrationally, we couldn’t keep employees because they thought the city was going to come in and close it down,” Getty said. “We explained again and again that we had an injunction in place and that the city couldn’t enforce until the case was over.”
But due to low employee retention and tight profit margins, the chain ultimately decided to shutter the location.
“We think the ordinance was invalid, unconstitutional, and it’s unfortunate that they had to close the door because we’re firmly convinced that we would have prevailed in the litigation,” Getty said.
Lexington bans the retail sale of puppies, kittens
Petland argued the ordinance was unconstitutional as it unfairly nullified existing business contracts between Petland and its animal suppliers and wrongfully restricted interstate commerce. Petland’s suppliers were largely based in other states, according to court documents.
The Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the U.S., advocated for the ordinance’s passage. It argues retail pet stores typically sell pets from inhumane breeding operations, often called puppy and kitten mills. By banning the sale of these pets, mills lose business and breed fewer animals, the Humane World argues.
Todd Blevins, Kentucky state director for the Humane World, said the ordinance was never meant to put local stores out of business.
“No one was looking to shut down (a pet store). We just didn’t want there to be puppies and kitten sold in pet stores in the city,” Blevins told the Herald-Leader.
According to court documents, more than 80% of Petland’s revenue came from selling puppies. The company argued before the court it could not sustain business by selling only supplies or animals unregulated by the ban, like birds, reptiles and hamsters.
Eleventh District Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds, who sponsored the pet sales ordinance, said it was important the city prioritized rehoming rescue animals from local shelters.
“We have an overabundance of cats and dogs, and it’s really important that we’re not breeding them just to breed them, and then turning around to sell them for a high price when we already have so many that need homes,” Reynolds told the Herald-Leader.
Court documents show Petland sold puppies in the range of $1,800 to $5,000, depending on the breed.
Blevins said what the Humane World calls “responsible breeders” only produce and sell a few litters a year. Under the ordinance, individual dog and cat breeders can sell directly to buyers. Puppy mills, though, are meant to supply many pets to several different stores. The high volume of litter births are unsafe for animals, which are often already housed in unclean environments, Blevins said.
The Humane World official described puppy mills as “stacks of wire crates on top of each other, with the dogs never being able to get out, never being able to touch grass, never being able to, in some cases see sunlight.”
While the city has ordinances regulating the use and maintenance of kennels, it has no ordinances specific to puppy mills.
Getty said Petland only acquired pets from U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified breeders that have had no safety violations recorded by the agency in the past two years.
“Every pet that (Petland) sells is acquired by federally approved sources. They don’t deal with fly-by-night operations at all,” Getty said. “People are happy with the pets that they’ve attained through Petland.”
At the time the ordinance was passed, Petland and Most Valuable Pets were the only two Lexington retail stores that sold non-rescue cats and dogs.
Most Valuable Pets, which is still open, did not respond to the Herald-Leader’s request for comment. The store does not have any dogs or cats currently listed for sale on its website or Facebook page.
This story was originally published December 15, 2025 at 1:06 PM.
