TAMPA, Fla. — The wait is finally over: The 350 dogs that were seized from a breeder in September are finally up for adoption.
Hillsborough County has set up a two-day adoption event to help streamline the process. The first part beings Sunday with an application, then a lottery will be held and the selected applications will get to pick up their dog Nov. 17.
The county will accept applications from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 10 at All People’s Life Center, located at 6105 E. Sligh Ave. in Tampa. Anyone in line at 5 p.m. will be allowed to complete their application.
Fees are $300 for all dogs over six months; $450 for puppies under 6 months, according to the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. Hillsborough County residents will receive a $50 discount.
The higher fees are meant to deter the possibility of the dogs to be adopted and quickly resold for a profit. The adoption contract also prohibits the dogs from being sold for at least three years.
“So the decision to do a special process and do special pricing was a lot based on the fact that these are puppy mill dogs. They have not had a normal life," explained Scott Trebatoski, the director of the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. "So we wanted to make sure that whoever did get the opportunity to adopt them was going to keep them. They weren’t going to resell them.
"They’ve had enough stresses in their life and we were hoping to get a one time, permanent family."
All dogs will be microchipped, vaccinated, registered and spayed or neutered.
"I think people just need to realize they are going to have to be patient. Assume everything that you would see with your dog is new to them," Trebatoski said. "So the first time they saw toys was different, the first time they saw a bed they wouldn’t step in it. Now they love them. So just patience is really the big thing."
The county provided the following key questions:
OTHER RULES
One application per household, the county says. Applications will be screened to ensure residents are not on the Animal Abuser Registry or the county’s enjoined list, which prohibits them from owning pets, and that they do not have any current pet citations. The person applying to adopt a dog must be the same person who, if selected for an adoption, picks up the dog.
WILL THE DOGS HAVE AKC PAPERS?
No.
WHAT ABOUT THE PET RESOURCE CENTER?
The Pet Resource Center at 440 N. Falkenburg Road will be closed to the public Sunday, Nov. 10, and Sunday, Nov. 17, because staff will be working at All People’s Life Center.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Applicants will be selected in a random drawing later in the week. In the interest of transparency, the drawing will be streamed live online. Those selected will be notified by email.
I GOT SELECTED! HOW DO I GET MY DOG?
Adoption day will be on Sunday, Nov. 17, beginning at 10 a.m. at All People’s Life Center. Successful applicants will have been given an estimated time to arrive at the center. Small groups of people at a time will select their dogs. Important: The person picking up the dog must be the same person who applied to adopt the dog; IDs will be checked.
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