Roseville became the first city in the state Monday to ban the commercial sale of dogs and cats at pet stores.

The city council began discussions to prohibit sales last year after Har Mar Pet Shop, the only store in the city that sells dogs and cats, received a troubling inspection report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The City Pages newspaper reported on the inspection in June and sparked a citizen-led movement to end the practice citywide. Other pet stores in town, such as Petco and Chuck & Don’s, sell supplies but don’t sell dogs and cats. They do, however, host adoption events with area shelters.

“This is in fitting with Roseville’s values, and current conditions are not,” Council Member Lisa Laliberte said shortly before the vote to ban dog and cat sales.

The council voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance, which takes effect in six months. The only criticism came from Council Member Tammy McGehee, who felt the ordinance should extend to birds, rodents and reptiles, not just dogs and cats. Related Articles South St. Paul sex offender arrested in 11-year-old’s pregnancy

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The practice of selling dogs and cats in pet stores has been criticized by animal-rights advocates, who say keeping the animals in store cages is bad for their health, and selling them encourages unscrupulous “puppy mill” operations. It’s also a consumer-rights issue, they argue, because such animals often incur high veterinarian costs.

Gary Papineau, who owns Har Mar Pet Shop, did not speak at Monday’s meeting, but in previous hearings defended the care his animals receive. He said he personally inspects the breeders he uses and would be willing to pay a licensing fee and submit to regular city inspections for the right to keep selling dogs and cats. He said his shop is the only store in town where customers can find pure-bred animals.

People who testified Monday, however, said pet store animals were not likely to come from reputable breeders.

The Humane Society of the United States surveyed American Kennel Club breed clubs and found that 96 percent have issued statements or guidelines against the sale of dogs in pet stores, said Christine Coughlin, the organization’s Minnesota director. Most quality breeders sell directly to families, she said, so they can be sure their dogs are well cared for.

“We know responsible breeders don’t sell to pet stores,” Coughlin said. “They want to make sure it’s a good fit.”

Coughlin said cities around the country are adopting similar ordinances, but she believes Roseville is the first city in Minnesota to do so.

Steve Olson of Roseville said he bought a Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppy from Har Mar Pet Shop in January and has been dealing with expensive veterinarian bills ever since. He said the dog was presented as the healthy pup of AKC-registered parents but it has been battling diarrhea ever since it came home. He did some research on the breeder and discovered that his dog’s parents were not registered after all, and the breeder had blots on its record in other states.

“We feel like we rescued a dog, but we also feel like we supported a terrible industry at the same time,” Olson said.

— Lisa Legge contributed to this report.