Protect Pet Choice in Woonsocket

The Woonsocket City Council is considering an ordinance that would ban the sale of live dogs and cats in all pet stores and other local businesses within the city.

This would take away choices from responsible pet owners and push families toward unregulated online sellers, where scams and unsafe conditions are far more common.

If passed, File No. 25 O 64 will:

• Prohibit local stores and businesses from offering dogs or cats for sale
• Remove critical consumer protections like transparency, health guarantees, and traceability
• Drive families toward unregulated online sources and social-media sellers
• Lay the groundwork for broader pet-sale bans that could force several local businesses to close

Responsible pet stores provide safety, transparency, and accountability. Retail bans remove these protections while failing to stop the truly bad actors they claim to target.

Woonsocket deserves smart, effective animal-welfare policies—not measures that push families toward unsafe, unregulated sources.

Tell the Woonsocket City Council to vote NO on File No. 25 O 64 and protect responsible pet choice in Rhode Island.