Of the 51 pet stores within city limits, only three sell purebred dogs and cats — Petland Vineyard, Puppyland San Antonio and Royal Pet Palace.
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But rescue organizations noted roaming dogs and cats taken to city shelters are sometimes euthanized because of lack of space and that requiring pet stores to sell rescued dogs and cats would give another outlet for those animals to find homes.
Under the changes approved Thursday, all dogs and cats sold by pet stores in San Antonio must be sterilized, microchipped and immunized.
In Texas, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth, El Paso and The Colony — a suburb of Dallas — ban all retail sales of dogs and cats at pet stores.
“It is critical to note that commercial operations that sell cats and dogs can continue the practice,” he said. »