State says Furry Babies in Rockford is operating without proper licensing
ROCKFORD — The Illinois Department of Agriculture is alleging three Furry Babies pet shops, including the store in CherryVale Mall, are operating without proper licensing.
The state agency said the Furry Babies stores in Rockford, Aurora and Lombard are licensed as "dog dealers" but do not have a "pet shop operator" license as required by law.
"Under the Animal Welfare Act, only pet shop operators are permitted to sell dogs at retail to the public, and all dogs sold at retail must be obtained from an animal control facility or animal shelter. Dog Dealers are not permitted to sell dogs at retail to the public," said Illinois Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Krista Lisser.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare has the statutory authority to license and inspect pet shop operators, dog dealers, kennel operators, cat and dog breeders, animal control facilities, and animal shelters.
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The fee for for the first pet shop operators license is $350, and the fee to renew the license is $100.
Lisser said Furry Babies "voluntarily relinquished" its pet shop operator license in April.
Furry Babies President Ana Soskic said all three stores are in compliance with the law and does not need pet shop operators license. In a statement to the Register Star, Soskic said:
"There is nothing in the dog dealer statute that states you cannot sell dogs. There are 33 licensed dog dealers in the state, all which sell at retail to the public and none of them received a notice like the one we did.
"Furthermore, the department not only issued us the (dog dealers) license after inspection but renewed our license just a month ago for all three locations. We do not have a pet shop operator license because that is not the license required for our business model."
Lisser said the Furry Babies stores were notified of the applicable licensing requirements and restrictions when their dog dealer licenses were issued.
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A pre-hearing conference involving both parties before an Administrative Law Judge is set for Aug. 31. The business can continue to operate as is until the hearing.
It was this time last year that Gov. JB Pritzker signed a piece of legislation aimed at curtailing the operations of so-called “puppy mills,” which are large-scale, for-profit pet breeding business that raise animals in less-than-safe humane conditions leaving the animals susceptible to disease.
The law limits the retail sale of dogs and cats to animal control and shelters only, meaning stores can't take and sell pets from certain breeders.
State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, proposed the law and is aware of the licensing disagreement between the state and Furry Babies.
Friday, he said, "We just encourage Furry Babies and any other pet shop facility to come in compliance with the state law that was supported in a bipartisan effort and signed by the governor. And if they're not, I have full confidence that the Department of Agriculture will take needed action, which in this case, it appears they have."
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Illinois: Furry Babies in Rockford operating without proper licensing
