TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Commissioners have taken another step toward outlawing stores that sell puppies from breeders.
Commissioners have accepted a staff recommendation that would give the county’s two remaining puppy stores six months to switch over to selling rescue animals only.
In 2017, Hillsborough County passed an ordinance banning stores that sell pets from breeders. But they grandfathered-in two stores - All About Puppies, and Puppies Tampa.
“We’re talking man’s best friend here,” said Tom DeSilva, asking commissioners to get rid of the county’s last two puppy stores.
Critics say the shops are nothing but outlet centers for unscrupulous puppy breeders.
“The mills are concentration camps for dogs,” said a woman addressing the board. “And, sometimes they call it dog farming.”
Opponents say the shops are still purchasing animals raised under cruel conditions, but store owners strongly deny that accusation.
Critics who want Hillsborough County Commissioners to do away with the grandfather clause also point to the case of nearly 300 puppies seized from an East Tampa breeder in September.
Pet store owners say that has nothing to do with them, and that information and images provided to the commissioners are misleading.
All About Puppies invited 10News in to see store conditions, which they say meet strict guidelines.
The breeding facilities where the puppies are raised, they say, include sunlit enclosures with heated tile floors and plenty of outdoor space.
Most of the puppies are purchased from states like Ohio, where breeders face much tougher regulations.
“That’s who we buy from. That’s who our store buys from,” said Michael Lamprea, who owns Puppies Tampa. Lamprea shared images of the facilities with commissioners as well. “So, those are our actual puppies. Not pictures from 2013,” he said.
Local pet store owners say putting them out of business won’t end demand for purebred puppies, so, unscrupulous breeders will still be out there. And, with no stores left meeting regulations, buyers of those dogs would have far less recourse.
Luke Lirot, an attorney for the two remaining puppy stores in Tampa, said if the county forces the shops to sell shelter animals only, it would put the pet stores out of business.
Lirot asked commissioners to wait to see what the Florida legislature comes up with during this year’s session, when lawmakers are expected to introduce several bills to regulate the industry.
“Both the House and the Senate in the state of Florida have very elaborate bills that are going to be presented in this session that addresses all of the concerns that have been expressed to you,” said Lirot. “I would suggest that that would be the best solution, because then it would be a statewide regulation that would be consistent and not different in counties.”
Despite that plea, Hillsborough Commissioners accepted a staff recommendation to do away with the grandfather clause and give puppy stores six months to convert to selling rescues only.
But, it’s not a done deal just yet. There will be another opportunity for public comment at the next commission meeting, but a vote has been set for February 19.
All About Puppies sent 10News this statement:
“It was not a win for animals in our county yesterday. The Board’s decision to move forward with an ordinance that removes our grandfather privilege not only puts our small family business that has been in the area for 25 years, and our employees out of a job, it also removes the last regulated source consumers have to purchase a puppy from in our county. The demand for purposely bred dogs does not go away by forcing us to shut our doors, and it certainly does not make it easier or safer for consumers to go out and find the type of dog they believe is best suited for their family. Hillsborough County citizens have been wonderful to us these past 25 years and we had hoped for many more years of a partnership with them. We did nothing to provoke this change in the ordinance and have been in 100% compliance with our current ordinance since it began in 2017. Our local government seems to think you, the citizens, are not educated enough to make an informed decision on where to obtain YOUR family pet from so they have decided to make the decision for you and it will not just stop with putting us out of business. We will fight any changes that seek to force us to close and we caution anyone who is thinking about opening a small business in Hillsborough County to think twice….it might be your livelihood they are after next. We urge you to email the County Commissioners if you want to protect your right to choose where you get your pet from: pet store, rescue, shelter, hobby breeder……MY PUPPY, MY CHOICE!”
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