Manatee County commission should ban retail sale of dogs, cats

After Sarasota County passed an ordinance on Jan. 27 banning retail sales of dogs and cats, Manatee County is taking note.

At their Feb. 9 meeting, Commissioner Carol Whitmore addressed the ordinance in regards to Manatee County. She made it clear that joining the 114 jurisdictions that have passed such an ordinance is the wise thing to do.

Commissioner John Chappie echoed her opinion, and suggested not dropping issue, but to address it in the near future. Commissioners Vanessa Baugh and Betsy Benac agreed that it was just a matter of time until Manatee County would take a similar ordinance into serious consideration.

When it comes to purchasing a dog or cat at a pet store, "buyer beware" seems to be the rule -- full disclosure of the origin and health of the pet are often unavailable.

The Manatee County commissioners' willingness to consider a retail pet store ordinance offers the same type of warning to any prospective investor who might think Manatee County is the next best place to open a store that sells dogs and/or cats. Buyer beware!

Joan Morgan

Sarasota

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County commission should ban retail sale of dogs, cats ."