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Hundreds Of People Visit Dogs Seized In Riverview Raid

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By KRISTA KLAUS

News Channel 8

Published: November 19, 2008

Updated: 11/19/2008 03:56 pm

BRANDON - People started lining up at 5:30 this morning outside the Hillsborough County Animal Services shelter in Brandon, eager to adopt animals rescued this month in what authorities say was a raid on a puppy mill.

Animal control officers seized the pets during a raid at the PM Tinies breeding facility in Riverview. Three people were arrested and face dozens of counts of animal cruelty. Most of the dogs were signed over to the county, which cleared the way for immediate adoptions.

By the time the shelter opened at 11 a.m., there were about 75 people in line to adopt 30 dogs, including Poodles, Malteses and Yorkshire terriers. By the end of the day, more than 400 people had looked at the dogs, said Marti Ryan, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Animal Services.

"This is a party. This is as good as it gets. We're so happy to be giving these animals homes," she said.

The opportunity to adopt one of the dogs is attractive because expensive, full-bred dogs are a rare find in animal shelters, Ryan said.

Dozens of people peered into chain-link cages, trying to find the perfect pet for their family. Shelter workers cautioned people that signing up for a specific pet doesn't mean they'll get it.

As she looked around at the crowd trying to adopt the puppies, Kim Garrick-Brown was circumspect.

"If it's meant for us to have one, we'll get one; if not, we won't," said Garrick-Brown, who was hoping to adopt a poodle.

Angel Scott arrived 2 1/2 hours before the shelter opened. She said she was appalled after watching television news stories showing conditions at PM Tinies.

"Horrible, absolutely horrible," Scott said. "Those people should never be allowed to own an animal again as long as they live."

Also finding new homes today were 11 dogs and cats that were not seized in the raid. Ryan said 100 strays are brought to the shelter every day.

For adoption guidelines and other information, go to www.hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices.

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