Jay Trost

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in this important conversation and have shared concerns about the selling of animals sourced from commercial breeding operations and or the use of puppy brokers. Your concerns are shared.

I want to provide some background on where things stand with this issue. The Curry County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance that doesn't prohibit pet stores from selling puppies, kittens, or rabbits outright — rather, it prohibits selling animals sourced through a broker or large commercial breeding operation, commonly known as a puppy mill. The verbiage in the ordinance was written in accordance with Oregon House Bill 2915, which was signed into law July 27, 2023. This wasn't written to target any single business; it was passed to address the mistreatment of animals in the retail pet trade.

Unfortunately, an ordinance is only as good as its enforcement. Under Oregon law, the Sheriff's Office is responsible for enforcing county ordinances, but enforcement of this has not been prevalent, which has effectively nullified its intended effect.

For residents who support the enforcement of this ordinance, I encourage reaching out to the Sheriff and expressing your concerns. I am aware that a number of residents have reached out to the Sheriff's Office directly with complaints on this issue, and a records request may surface relevant communications, including how those complaints were handled.

The Board of Commissioners has taken the strongest stance available to us in passing this ordinance to prevent the sale of puppy mill-sourced animals in our county.

Jay Trost
Curry County Commissioner