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Yorkies now are a pet project

Tribune file photo by JULIE BUSCH

Sisters Melissa DiCenzo and Kayla MacCarther brought DiCenzo's three small children with them to wait for the puppies to come up for adoption.

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By KEITH MORELLI

kmorelli@tampatrib.com

Published: June 17, 2009

TAMPA - Remember the batch of Yorkies seized from a breeder the other day?

Sisters Melissa DiCenzo and Kayla MacCarther can't get them out of their mind.

About two dozen of the puppies are going up for adoption Thursday morning. DiCenzo and MacCarther were so moved by the puppies' plight they showed up outside Hillsborough County Animal Services with Dicenzo's three small children this evening.

"I've never done anything like this before," DiCenzo said.

The kids plan on naming the family's new addition Reeces.

The first batch of 24 Yorkies, from 8 weeks to 6 years old, will be available Thursday at Hillsborough County Animal Services on Falkenburg Road. The shelter opens at 10 a.m., and the dogs will go to people with approved applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hillsborough County residents will get the first crack at them, Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

"Hillsborough County tax dollars paid for us to rescue these animals," she said.

The dogs were part of two raids last week in which 62 Yorkshire terriers and one aging German shepherd mix were seized at two filthy locations in Seffner and Tampa, authorities said.

The breeders sold the dogs for up to $1,000 each, Ryan said. Most required veterinary care after they were confiscated, she said.

The investigation is ongoing, and no one has been charged, she said.

Ownership of the dogs up for adoption this week, including a dozen or so that will be available at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay on Friday, was not being contested by the breeders, Ryan said.

None of the dogs seized has been euthanized, Ryan said. Some are in poor health or are puppies or nursing mothers, she said, and they may be adopted later.

"There are no shortcuts," Ryan said. "People will just have to get in line. Dozens of people already have gotten applications and had them approved.

"This will be a celebration as always," she said. "We work very hard for all our animals, and we are very proud to assist in finding these animals a home that they deserve."

TO ADOPT A DOG

People who want a dog are screened. They can download paperwork from the Animal Services Web site at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices. They must take the application to the shelter beforehand for approval. They also must take photo identification and proof of current address.
Renters must bring in a lease agreement saying pets are allowed. If the adopters have other pets at home, they must show proof of vaccinations.

The cost of adopting a dog is less than $100. That pays for the adoption fee, spaying or neutering, vaccinations and a locater microchip implant.

People interested in adopting should not call the shelter. Instead, download the application online.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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