LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – New laws now in effect within the City of Las Vegas mean changes for pet stores and breeders and a huge fine for anyone caught dumping an animal. As on January 19, 2025, anyone caught dumping or abandoning an animal within the City of Las Vegas will have to pay a $1,000 fine. Also, pet stores and breeders will be limited in the number of animals they can sell to any one family.
“We have an alleged pet store that sold one couple 35 dogs. It is extremely concerning and a failure within the City of Las Vegas,” reported Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman in an interview with FOX5 in May 2024. Those animals ended up in a hoarding situation with 200 animals, many found dead according to Seaman. Seaman was determined to stop it from happening again and spearheaded legislation to limit the number of animals pet stores sell to one buyer.
“Nobody needs to buy 20 dogs in a year,” Seaman asserted. So now any store or breeder would be limited to selling any family 6 animals a year the max number of animals allowed in any one household. She believes closing pet stores would push more people to illegal breeders.
“I don’t believe that the right thing to do is to close pet stores, which they have done in the county. And I’ll tell you why because illegal breeding is our biggest problem,” Seaman contended. Busting illegal breeders in the Vegas Valley comes with big expenses like caring for nearly 40 Frenchies or 30 labradoodles at a time. The Animal Foundation often is scrambling to find space to care for them. Shelters are also full of dumped dogs.
“They’re taking them into the desert. They’re letting them out in different places, or they’re simply putting them in bags and there’s a dumping ground that we’ve discovered lately,” Seaman shared. Seaman says unwanted animals like Reba the bulldog are dying when they don’t have to.
“There was no reason for that when that animal could have been dropped off. There are plenty of people that would take an English bulldog…You can’t just abandon your pet. They can’t fend for themselves. You can take it to a rescue. You can call my office. You can take it to the animal shelter, the Nevada SPCA,” Seaman stated.
Seaman say she thinks the new $1,000 fine for abandoning a pet really isn’t enough but says it is the most they can do at city council level. Seaman hopes the issue will be taken up next month by the state legislature.
Seaman explained the new animal sales limit law will apply for the approximately 10 pet stores in the City of Las Vegas and to 50 licensed breeders.
In Clark County, pet stores are banned from selling dogs, cats, rabbits, and pot belly pigs. That ordinance went into effect in December 2023.
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