Clearwater pet store's dealer permit gets yanked after sick puppies found in unsanitary conditions: PCAS
Pet store permit revoked after sick animals found
Blue Sky Puppies in Clearwater is no longer allowed to sell animals after Pinellas Animal Services found several violations and now more than 170 puppies need to be relocated. FOX 13?s Kailey Tracy reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Blue Sky Puppies in Clearwater had its pet dealer permit pulled by Pinellas County Animal Services Monday after officers with PCAS found "an overwhelming number of violations" at the store, according to county officials.
The backstory:
On July 9, PCAS received a complaint alleging that Blue Sky Puppies had sold sick puppies and was keeping animals in unsanitary crowded conditions.
PCAS officers went to the store the next day. They said they found 177 puppies at the location on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater, kennels with empty water bottles, kennels without a water bottle or bowl available, 34 puppies in kennels that were too small, enclosures housing multiple sick puppies and puppies in the isolation ward too close to healthy puppies.
The officers stated that the conditions at Blue Sky Puppies violated Pinellas County Code Section 14-29 Retail Pet Store Regulations and Pinellas County Code Section 14-36 Animal Care & Manner of Keeping.
"It was very concerning to our staff to see the puppies being co-housed in isolation, since that is against our ordinance," Jennifer Renner, Pinellas County Animal Services director, said. "They need to be housed individually. They also need to be seen by a licensed veterinarian within 24 hours, and that wasn't being done. The staff informed us that they were diagnosing and treating the puppies based on their symptoms, and they did not receive veterinary care within 24 hours."
Dig deeper:
When the officer asked for veterinary records for 23 puppies being kept in isolation, they stated that the store manager had explained that staff had diagnosed and begun treating the puppies despite not having a veterinary degree.
According to PCAS, when the officer was examining treatment sheets for the medical isolation area, they found one for a Yorkie puppy showing three days of treatment, but the puppy was not in the store. When the officer asked where the puppy was, Renner said staff explained that the puppy had died and was taken to a local veterinary hospital for cremation.
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Officers followed up with the veterinary office about the Yorkie and discovered Blue Sky Puppies had turned in more than 70 deceased puppies for cremation over the last two years. The store did not notify PCAS and could not provide veterinary medical records upon request, both of which are required per Pinellas County Code.
Renner said whenever there is a complaint, PCAS investigates. There are currently six retail puppy stores in Pinellas County.
The county ordinance recently changed to grandfather in current puppy store locations, but no new stores can open in Pinellas.
"That is to be able to have additional oversight into the retail pet store business to ensure that we are able to properly investigate and ensure animal welfare in the county," she said.
What they're saying:
"As the director of Pinellas County Animal Services, my main duty to our citizens, to our taxpayers, is to protect animal welfare. And so, when I hear that an organization that is bound by our ordinances is not fulfilling that duty, we take that very seriously. And our dedicated enforcement team, they're highly trained. They investigate, they inspect, they cite when any of those locations willfully violate our ordinance," Renner said.
"I am encouraged by the professionalism of our Animal Services staff," Board of County Commissioners Chair Brian Scott said. "They acted swiftly to investigate a complaint and took prompt action to protect animal welfare in our county. It hurts to learn about potential mistreatment of puppies, but that's why we have an ordinance regulating pet stores and a trained staff of Animal Control officers to ensure they meet the standard."
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What's next:
According to PCAS, the permit holder can request a review from the county administrator within five business days, which started Monday. Blue Sky Puppies previously received one citation for not having Official Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for five puppies at the store in 2024.
The case report from PCAS shows a few other complaints over the past few years about how the dogs were cared for and the health of the dogs, but there were no violations when officers visited the store.
Without a valid Pet Dealer Permit, puppies cannot be housed at the store and must be transported out of Pinellas County within five days. This means the dogs have to be out of the store by Friday at 5 p.m.
"When we revoke their pet dealer permit, they can no longer house the puppies in that type of situation in the county, so they have to be moved out," Renner said.
Monday, crates were seen being delivered in a box truck to the store. Renner said the puppies are being moved to Blue Sky’s other locations in Florida and Tennessee. County officials are keeping tabs on where they end up, and Renner says they’re letting officials in those areas know why they revoked the pet dealer permit at the Ulmerton Road location.
A PCAS officer was sitting outside the store to make sure they were in compliance.
"The puppies in those locations, in any retail pet location, need to have a current OCVI, an official certificate of veterinary inspection. It's a health certificate. A veterinarian needs to perform a physical exam, sign off that the puppy is healthy, and that has to be done every 30 days while the puppy is in their care. So, all the puppies being transported should have current OCVIs," Renner said.
People unloading the crates at Blue Sky Puppies Monday gave Fox 13 the middle finger, and closed the door when we asked for a comment. When we called, they referred us to the customer service email. Fox 13 emailed and hasn’t heard back.
Renner said they’re working with multiple agencies right now, and it would be up to law enforcement to determine if there are any charges.
What you can do:
If a resident purchased a puppy from a retail pet store, PCAS recommends having a licensed veterinarian examine the puppy as soon as possible and follow the guidelines in Florida’s Pet Lemon Law. If the puppy is diagnosed with a contagious or infectious disease within 14 days of purchase or a congenital or hereditary disease within one year of purchase, the pet owner has rights and can seek a refund, reimbursement for veterinary fees, or an exchange. They can find more information regarding this law on the Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s website or contact the Pinellas County Office of Consumer Protection.
If residents have concerns about animal welfare conditions anywhere in the county, they can contact PCAS at (727) 582-2600, option 4 or email: PCASEnforcement@pinellas.gov.
Residents in other counties should contact their local animal enforcement agency.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Pinellas County Animal Services.