PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A surprising partnership has formed between SPCA Tampa Bay, the dog breeding industry, and a local puppy store. Working together, they hope to promote animal welfare while, at the same time, combat against puppy mills.
“This is a really neat way to challenge some old assumptions, maybe bust a few myths, and bring some people together that have historically been at opposite sides of the table, maybe not even in the same room,” said Martha Boden, CEO of SPCA Tampa Bay.
For the past year, SPCA Tampa Bay has been closely following Pinnacle Pet, researching and visiting breeders throughout the south, and they came to one major conclusion.
“I learned that we had so much more in common than we ever expected, and the more we talked, the more we realized there was a huge opportunity for collaboration,” said Boden.
Based out of Missouri, Pinnacle Pet works closely with over 200 breeders, ensuring their practices are up to snuff.
“Make sure the breeders are doing good, right, ethical standards, and then pair those breeders with stores that match those same standards,” said Chris Fleming, CEO of Pinnacle Pet.
One of their trusted partner stores is Sunshine Puppies in Largo.
“We want to change the industry, we want to change the world, we have been doing things the right way, but the stigma is very hard to break through,” said Dan Cohn, owner of Sunshine Puppies.
“People are going to get the animal that most match their vision of a pet, and if I don’t have it at my shelter, they are going to find it somewhere else, so what I can do as an animal welfare organization is I can support those breeders that are doing it really well,” said Boden.
So SPCA Tampa Bay, Pinnacle Pet, and Sunshine Puppies decided to team up for this pilot program For All Dogs.
“We’re working with a puppy distributor and a puppy store to see if we can help the community understand there is another way to combat puppy mills,” said Boden.
SPCA Tampa Bay has begun taking in purebreds from these Pinnacle Pet-approved kennels.
“Because currently, it is a problem, what do we do with those dogs, how do we keep a kennel young, how do we keep a kennel healthy, and yet still find homes and address the dogs that are done working,” said Fleming.
“So these are animals that are somewhere typically between four and six years old that are ready for the next step in life, they are done breeding, they’ve raised their families, now they want to go into a home, we are putting those animals up for adoption,” said Boden.
While over at Sunshine Puppies, SPCA Tampa Bay vets are working closely with pet store staff to ensure the puppies coming in continue receiving the highest quality veterinary care.
“I’ve always wanted to have a partnership and start a pilot program with an animal welfare group, but it had to be the right one, and SPCA was by far the right one,” said Cohn.
The hope is to offer the public the best education possible when picking out their next pet.
“This gives us an opportunity to bring the consumer along on the journey and say, ‘you know what, if you get a dog through this program, or a responsible store like Sunshine Puppies, you are actually taking business away from those who are not doing it well,'” said Boden.
Boden says right now, they are accepting just a few purebreds a week, and so far, those dogs have had a high adoption rate, often within 48 hours.
SPCA Tampa Bay is the first shelter in the country to try this program, and they’re confident others will soon follow their lead.
“I’ve already talked to a few of our peers, and they are definitely intrigued; they want to come visit and see it first hand; if it spreads nationwide, I think it can really be phenomenal,” said Boden.
For more information on all animals currently up for adoption at SPCA Tampa Bay, go to https://spcatampabay.org
