City of Las Vegas, NV

01/15/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/15/2025 17:47

Preventing Animal Abuse And Neglect

New Bills Address Animal Abuse

Two new bills adopted by the Las Vegas City Council on Jan. 15 will help prevent animal abuse and neglect.A limit was placed on the number of animals that can be sold by a pet shop or breeder to one person or household during a calendar year to: 6 dogs, 6 cats, 4 ferrets, 4 rabbits or 2 guinea pigs. Penalties were also established. The primary intent of the bill is help prevent animal abuse and neglect that sometimes occurs in connection with animal hoarding or other circumstances where too many animals are in the care or control of one person or household.The penalty for animal abandonment was also increased to $1,000. The community has expressed concern that this amount should be higher.

Under state law, we can only issue misdemeanor penalties up to a $1,000 fine. The state Legislature could decide to give us additional power to set a higher fine. Anyone interested in seeing that happen should contact their representatives in the Nevada Legislature.

Stopping IIlegal Breeding

Our Department of Public Safety and other departments continue to address illegal breeding. Recent operations by city enforcement departments have targeted illegal puppy sales have resulted in dozens of citations issued, rescued dogs and a sharp drop in illegal puppy ads.

Why this matters:

  • Protects animals from neglect
  • Removes community threats like illegal weapons
  • The decline in puppy ads proves proactive steps work, deterring future harm.
Thank you to Animal Protection Services, our FLEX and POP teams in the Department of Public Safety and the City Attorney's Office.

Need Help?

If you need support to keep your pet, the Animal Foundation offers a variety of services from a food pantry to training boot camps.