I am a resident of Fairfax Station and while I support many of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (VDACS) proposed pet store regulations, including requiring unannounced inspections of all pet shops, I think that more needs to be done and added to these regulations.

There needs to be real consequences for not meeting the standards of care, outside of permits being revoked. This could include civil penalties just like those enforcing animal shelter regulations. Additionally, a pet shop whose permit is revoked should not be permitted to immediately reapply, especially for repeated and egregious violations, and if a pet shop operator is found to have committed an act of cruelty, the regulations should explicitly prohibit them from obtaining another permit. What will prevent them from doing the same things over again without any consequences?

Finally, pet shops should be required to employ a licensed vet to develop protocols around veterinary care, medications, pre-sale exams, age-appropriate tests and vaccinations. Not only is this something our private and public animal shelters are already required to do, but it will also prevent needless suffering due to a lack of veterinary care and protect public health from potential zoonotic diseases.

In other words, pet shops should be held to the standards that other animal based businesses already have to follow.