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Flea market pups lived in squalor
By MEGAN SCOTT OLDSMAR -- The stench seeping from the puppy booth at the Oldsmar Flea Market had been growing stronger for six months, but that didn't prepare Babe Wright for what she saw Saturday when authorities broke down the door at Bark Avenue. Twenty-one puppies sat in their own feces in small separate cages. The pungent odor of bleach and ammonia filled the 1,600-square-foot booth. There was no sign of any water or food. "The stench coming out of there was so bad, you couldn't stand it," said Wright, who manages the Oldsmar Flea Market. "The place was filthy dirty. The animals were dirty. They were never cleaned." Pinellas County deputies plan to charge the booth's owner, Cynthia King, 41, of Tampa, with 21 counts of animal cruelty, a first-degree misdemeanor. King did not return a call for comment Monday. When deputies called her Saturday she refused to come to the flea market and insisted the puppies were fine, Pinellas County sheriff's spokesman Cal Dennie said. Dennie said officers are working to locate her. This isn't the first time King has been in trouble for neglecting animals. Last month, she was charged with four violations, including two counts of animal cruelty, and paid a total of $344 in fines, according to court records available online. Further details on those cases were unavailable Monday because the Pinellas County courthouse and the county Animal Services department were closed for Veterans Day. Two weeks ago, Wright sent King an eviction notice. King had until the end of November to move out. "If it had been totally up to me, I would have shut her down a long time ago," Wright said. "I don't have anything against pet stores. I have something against a pet store that's not properly supervised and cleaned." Meanwhile, the puppies, which range in age from 4 to 10 months, are recuperating at the Humane Society of North Pinellas. But they are far from fine, said Rick Chaboudy, executive director of the agency. One dog has hip problems, another has a tumor and others are at increased risk for bone disease because they have grown up in cages. There are behavioral concerns, as well, he said. "Most of the dogs we had to carry out because they don't know how to walk on a leash," Chaboudy said. "They don't have a clue what it's like to walk around and take a run around the yard. These dogs have never really had the opportunity to be a puppy." Wright said she will spend Thursday cleaning out Bark Avenue, which she said has been selling dogs at the flea market for 10 years, the past year under King's ownership. The vendor previously operated as Yuppie Puppy. "We did everything we could do," Wright said. "We called. We had people call. We had everyone we could think of to call. The law just doesn't leave you that much leeway." The dogs included a German shepherd, beagle, boxer, bloodhound and other breeds, and were expected to undergo a series of medical tests today, Chaboudy said. The agency also is working to obtain custody of the animals, a necessary step before any of the dogs can be adopted. The Humane Society has been swamped with calls about the dogs, he said. "Every time you go into something like this, it seems to be worse than the last time," Chaboudy said. "You're mad, you're angry, and you're sad. But then you start to see the tail wag and you feel really good about what you did." -- Megan Scott can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or mscott@sptimes.co .
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Letters |
