🏪 Pet Store Dog & Cat Sale Bans in Canada
No province bans pet stores from selling dogs and cats. Several cities do — mostly in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario — usually letting stores offer only animals from shelters and rescues.
3 Banned in some cities10 No provincial ban
| Province | Status | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | No provincial ban | Alberta has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| British Columbia | Banned in some cities | No provincial ban, but several cities — including Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey — ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats (and in some, rabbits) except animals from shelters and rescues. | Official text |
| Manitoba | No provincial ban | Manitoba has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| New Brunswick | No provincial ban | New Brunswick has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No provincial ban | Newfoundland and Labrador has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Northwest Territories | No provincial ban | The Northwest Territories has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Nova Scotia | No provincial ban | Nova Scotia has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Nunavut | No provincial ban | Nunavut has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Ontario | Banned in some cities | No provincial ban, but Toronto requires pet shops to get dogs and cats only from shelters and rescues, and cities such as Cambridge ban selling them for profit. | Official text |
| Prince Edward Island | No provincial ban | Prince Edward Island has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Quebec | Banned in some cities | No provincial ban, but Montreal only lets pet stores sell dogs and cats from shelters, rescues and veterinary clinics; courts refused to suspend the rule. | Official text |
| Saskatchewan | No provincial ban | Saskatchewan has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
| Yukon | No provincial ban | Yukon has no provincial ban on pet stores selling dogs and cats. A municipality can still pass its own bylaw, so check locally. | Official text |
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General information, not legal advice. Laws change and local authorities often add stricter rules. Each row links to its source and was checked on the date shown at the top — confirm with your local authority or a lawyer before relying on it.