Manatee County Animal Services pets may be adopted from Petland Bradenton

MANATEE -- Manatee County residents could soon start to adopt Animal Services dogs from a new location.

Petland Bradenton has offered to house up to 15 dogs at its store, 3530 53rd Ave. W., Bradenton, and charge the same amount as if the animal was adopted from the Palmetto shelter, 305 25th St. W., Palmetto. All money would be then given back to Animal Services, and Petland Bradenton would not charge any additional fees for adoption.

"We are very excited to begin bringing in adoptable pets from the shelter and helping find homes for them," Petland co-owner Stephen Benecke said. "Part of the reason we wanted to own a Petland was not only for its emphasis on animal welfare and the health and well-being of pets, but also because of their belief in being strong community partners. Petland has always maintained that your actions in the store and in your community must all be focused on doing the right thing for the pets in the store, the pets in the shelter and for the community in general."

Petland Bradenton sent Manatee County Animal Services an email Sunday afternoon detailing the proposal just two days before the Manatee County Commission was to discuss an

ordinance to ban pet stores from selling animals from puppy mills.

Many Petland employees came to speak at Tuesday's commission meeting, where they denied claims they get animals from puppy mills.

The commission elected to not move forward with the measure.

"Petland Bradenton would like to help Manatee County Animal Services find wonderful homes for the dogs housed at the Manatee County Animal Services kennels," the email sent from the store owners reads. "We have a great deal of foot traffic through our store and would like to present our customers with the option of adopting an unwanted shelter dog. ... Petland Bradenton looks forward to developing this partnership with the Manatee County Animal Services in our shared goal of finding loving, lifetime homes for all dogs."

Bill Hutchison, interim director of Animal Services, said he planned to call the store Friday to find a time to talk about the proposal in more detail.

"On the surface, it looks like a great opportunity," Hutchison said. "We just need to develop it."

This proposal is something Animal Services has "been hoping for and working toward for years," Hutchison said.

"It's going to be a great opportunity for the both of us," he said. "Anything that results in the rehoming of our animals from the facility to forever homes is a great thing and a great day. It's probably not without its issues but if we sit down and work through them, we should be able to do it."

According to the email, Petland Bradenton would pay for all veterinary care in addition to feeding the animals. The store could pick up the animals from the Palmetto shelter. Benecke said they will work with Luke Berglund, veterinarian at Beach Veterinary Clinic, to screen adoptable pets brought into the store to ensure they are properly vaccinated and work with him on a spay/neuter program.

"The only stipulation is Petland Bradenton cannot take in aggressive dogs or dogs with a history of biting people," the email reads.

The program would be part of Petland's national Adopt-A-Pet program. Petland stores have placed more than 350,000 homeless or abandoned pets since 1998, according to Benecke.

"This is a cooperative program between pet stores and local shelters and rescues and can also include donation drives and fundraisers," he said.

Petland Bradenton has already been working with All Kitty Korner to bring in adoptable kittens, Benecke said. More than 50 kittens and cats have been adopted so far, he added.

While the Palmetto shelter isn't overcrowded with smaller dogs, this would free space for other animals, Hutchison said.

"The sooner we can move them out, the sooner we make room for a new one to come in," he said. "I look at this as another avenue to make that happen."

Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who had asked fellow commissioners to consider the puppy mill ordinance, said the county will meet with Petland Bradenton. She's heard from people in the animal community who want to make sure older dogs don't make puppies sick.

"I just want to make sure all the dogs are healthy no matter who they are," Whitmore said. "I am excited about it. We have been trying to get this going for a few years now. With this happening the other day, they want to work with the community in some ways. It's really in their best interest to work with the county. Anything to get more animals adopted I'm fine with."

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter @Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County Animal Services pets may be adopted from Petland Bradenton ."