I have often witnessed these puppies being sold in the extreme heat without proper care. Also, I am a little suspicious of Mr. Pelletier's undertakings and how properly he is caring for these dogs. Why not regulate and regularly inspect these individuals that are selling these animals. There is nothing wrong with selling these animals as long as they are properly cared for.

I arrived Saturday the 4th of August, in time to see Mr. Pelletier and some puppies in the back end of his van. It was after 8 am and already hot outside. The puppies were barking and that is what got my attention. When I turned around and looked the puppies were in the back of a van in cages, but the van was totally in the sun. Mr Pelletier was setting up tables and putting cloths on them to display the puppies. Instead of leaving them in the hot van, I wonder why he did not take them out (since they were in cages) and then do his set up of the tables. I felt really sorry for the puppies in the heat and humidity.

I bought a dog from him last March and it is the best dog that I have ever had. Cooper is a half english bull dog and half brown boxer. The dog was very clean and healthy dog with papper work on all the shots that he had so far. I have owned dogs my whole life and could not be happier with the animal I purchased. I still vist the flea market weekly and inspect the puppies that he is selling and even though it is hot there are plenty of fans on the animals with lots of water to drink. Also I read in the article about the plastic around the dog cages at the Flea Market. That is at a different stand that sells Yorkies and they have an air conditioner hooked up to the cages and the plastic helps keep the cold in the cages with the animals.

As a professional dog trainer, I am appalled that this has been allowed to go on. No reputable breeder would ever force young puppies to endure the heat, noise and frightening environment that this man has. I am frequently called in to help with young dogs that have had puppy-mill type starts, and suffer extreme behavioral issues, as well as health issues. A puppy purchase should never be a spur-of-the moment thing. Responsible dog ownership starts well before purchase.

If there is such a huge pet population in this county then why is the Pinellas HS importing dogs from other states? Not only is the HS importing them but they are also importing them illegally ie without the proper health certs. It seems to be that by shutting this man down you would be eliminating competition for the local HS, rescues and shelters. You have to wonder if the elimination of competition is the real reason they want to shut this man down.

its too hot for people can u imagine having fur on? this is cruelty and not so sure he not breeding if he seems to always have puppies.

I have pictures that clearly shows NO AIR CONDITIONING unit was being used that day ,It was fans blowing over a frozen water bottle..And yes the shih-tzu pups where in another area Clearly stated in original photo..After they were confronted angerly and the pictures hit the internet, that same afternoon , Floods of complaints went to wagon wheel flea market ..That following day They heard about it I know because it changed TO A REAL AIR CONDITIONING under the plastic,,Whaahoo Improvement ONLY because of an outpor of complaints..Not in any way shape or form do I believe they suddenly had an epiphany and decided airconditioning would be better for the pups the next day..And as far as the Jerk claiming to be a savior and RESCUING these animals these are animal venders they will say anything to make it sound good..He does it for money NOT anything else,period..there's no love for the animal, what person do you know thats in the animal rescue/savior world that didn't have at least 1 friend to take in a puppy tied to a door for THREE DAYS..Hello ..The nonsense I'm reading in some of these comments giving that idiot cudo's and Covering for the other etc tells me how lucrative it must be, they will go to any bounds to protect it.."Wow "How do you sleep at night???I know I will a little more comfortably knowing this has been exposed w/ the kind of people that operate these stands and hopefully now these animals might have a chance of being taken out of harms way..

bottom line as well, pet over population!! the only reason these morons are breeding is for money! SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HOMES FOR THEM ALL!

Funny he has an answer for each cruelty charge! I volunteer at 2 rescues in the area and you can buy healthy pups from Pinellas Co Animal Services that include everything for as low as $25 because of the overpopulation! No one should be buying from this guy or any other 'breeder' until more homeless dogs have homes! And he is an opportunist that got arrested so NO he should not be allowed to abuse animals at the flea market!

Cruelty is cruelty and I don't buy any of his defenses. If he was that "good" of a guy, a concerned neighbor would have taken the dog in. He has a good scam running in selling unvaccinated Heinz 57 mutts to the ignorant public as "Designer" dogs.

I too have witnessed these puppies in distress at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market. IMO this man is contributing to the pet overpopulation. Has anyone addressed the turtles, chicks, ducks and other small animals being kept in plastic storage tubs overcrowded on top of each other in the sweltering heat, literally crawling over the carcasses of those who couldn't handle the conditions!?

There are many rescues who work tirelessly to cleanup the mistakes people make in impulse buying animals, refuse to spay/neuter or even vaccinate which results in disaster, disease and more animals being dumped into shelters, dog fighting or the side of the road.

There is a VERY GOOD REASON so many other states have woken up and BANNED the sales of animals at outdoor markets and the like. It's a shame that Floriduh turns a blind eye to obvious cruelty in the name of the almighty dollar.

We have a major over-population problem with animals in the state of Florida. We euthanize hundreds of beautiful dogs everyday. Rescuing animals from people that have "too many" and selling them at a flea market is not a "problem solver" as Mr. Pelletier states. If Mr Pelletier truly wanted to be a part of "problem solving" he would take these animals and find loving homes for them. To take them to a dirty overheated flea market in Pinellas Park and I believe in Tampa also is not what someone that cares about animals does. Although I don't think I Mr. Pelletier has ever mentioned "caring" in any of his statements. He does state "I could buy dogs from Puppy Mills" thats just an asinine, ignorant statement. Is that supposed to make you a better guy because you buy from a private party, either way you are contributing to breeding! Don't tell me these people you buy from are not back yard breeders making a buck off you so you could in turn make a buck (excuse me, a few hundred bucks) at the flea market. Wake up Mr. Pelletier we see people like you everyday. We will shut you down! SOUND FAMILIAR! How dare you say "you are helping".

I am assuming that there are veterinary certificates provided (as required by law) to the "purchasers" and I would love to know what he does with the puppies that are not adopted and need their next sets of vaccinations and rabies (that is an extra cost to him) and what type of socialization they are getting. And of course, I have no idea why people would buy from a flea market, instead of from a shelter and for prices in the hundreds of dollars.

People go to flea markets to purchase anything from clothing to fruit and veg to kids toys. Buying a puppy is a huge 10-15 year commitment that needs much thought and planning before the purchase. The public buy these poor puppies on a whim, cos they are cute. 8 out of 10 of these puppies will not be spayed or neutered and will be abandoned at the animal services adding to the huge overpopulation in Florida. This guy selling these puppies at flea markets is obviously purchasing the puppies from puppy mill type set ups, he's keeping them in business and encouraging them to breed more puppies so he can make money off selling them. He is adding to the problem of the over population of dogs. He doesn't care if many end up been put to sleep. Unfortunately dogs and cats are treated as a disposable products by many, not a life long companion of upto 15 years. Animals should not be sold at flea markets and should not be forced in cages in the heat without proper air conditioning food and water and displayed as a cute toy. Please stop this practice at all open air markets.

As a former animal rescuer, I can say that the pet overpopulation is a scare tactic to stop people from breeding their dogs. Dogs go to shelters because of behavior or owner ignorance not because there are too many dogs. At one point there were so few dogs that were suitable for adoption that rescuers were getting dogs from other states. I'm not sure why overpopulation would be a relevant reason to stop these people form selling dogs since this guy stated that he gets his dogs from local irresponsible people who didn't want them. I don't agree with neglecting animals but if he is providing care for them then why is it an issue? Pet shops have been around for many years. What about the puppy stores who do buy their puppies from mills? I would protest those places since they are fueling animal cruelty. Instead of banning the sale of animals, I feel that there should be more regulations such as all puppies be spayed/neutered along with a health certificate. The spaying/neutering is not just to prevent breeding but it helps with behavioral issues that can arise that would cause the dog's new owners to dump them at a shelter. Our shelters are not full because of a person selling puppies at a flea market. They are full because people buy puppies and then do nothing as far as training so they end up with a dog that wrecks their house, is not house trained or bites visitors. Maybe people selling puppies should find good dog trainers to recommend to buyers.

OK L Sap, I agree with some of what you have to say like ' I feel that there should be more regulations such as all puppies be spayed/neutered along with a health certificate.". So do you think this animal abuser does that? Ummm NO! Don't point to other places we all need to worry about, we do! Doesn't mean we ignore someone putting dogs in horrible conditions like this. It is not either or....

Reposted from a comment on Facebook:

Sandi: I used to own a booth at a flea market & let me tell you, the heat was unbearable. I wore shorts & t shirts & even that was too much clothing to stay cool. I had fans all around me, but they just brought in HOT air. I, as a HUMAN, I could do something if I were thirsty. I always had tons of COLD drinks & snack & food. I could take care of myself. & still it was so hot I would feel weak & think I might be having a heat stroke. HOW IN THE WORLD could a puppy survive that heat without some sort of weakness ? They can't Get water for themselves if they were thirsty & NOT COLD WATER, "WARM" water, if any at all. Can they just grab a snack or food if they are hungry ? NO !!!!!! They are depending on their (owners ???) SELLERS to do this for them. ALSO, they cant say, "its so hot, I wanna go home". They are stuck there until their "selfish" human in care decides its time to leave. (Waiting to get enough money for the day) If this guy has a store, why put these dogs thru all this just for more bucks ??? Makes you wonder how they treat them at the store...... Just Sayin....

This is animal cruelty. Don't breed or buy while shelter's animals die!

Really GOOD BREEDER? Are you the piece of crap out there selling dogs? GET A FREAKIN REAL JOB and quit relying on innocent animals to pay for your cigarettes and beer or pay for your legal bills for getting busted for animal cruelty! Noticed your sorry ass wasn't there this weekend...we will be there every weekend watching you!

OMGoodness people.... this guy admittedly does NOT have to buy fr: breeders and resell puppies as there's sooooooooo many "accidental" & "unintended" littered litters ripe for the picking. Need to stop the source via Spay/Neuter mandades for
all but licensed breeders then hold "adoption events" fr: Animal Services at the Flea Market instead. Since it's hard to get potential owners to Animal Services then take the animals to potential adopters. That'll save taxpayers fr: having to afford to kill and dispose of the excessive excesses while this maggot makes a mint off of the .problem instead of helping to solve it. He's opportunistic but "animal lovers" who won't stop the senseless killling required by overpopulation of the "undesireable" companion animals (en masse what's exterminated) need to take responsibility for not voting for REAL change to save lives of the innocent quadruped creatures (& taxpayer $'s while other public goods/services are being cut- AGAIN). See FaceBook page "Stop Peticide NOW!" and put this guy out of business due to lack of readily availble living "inventory" of which irresposbible people are anxious to get rid.

I work for a vendor at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market, where this particular man shown sells puppies. Being an animal lover, I visit the puppies on my breaks, just to get a fill of puppy love. I make sure the water and ventilation is checked when I play with the puppies. I have watched this vendor take the puppies to the side to rinse them off with water when they get dirty, and constantly fill the water. I also have witnessed the office of the flea market at their booth regularly. The market does inspections of each pet vendor, checking on sufficient water and conditions. Trust me, i would say something to the market if i felt these puppies were being mistreated or neglected. Just to clarify, these are not puppy mills. This vendor places advertisements asking for unwanted puppies, or overpopulated homes with puppies. He is giving them a better chance at finding a home with owners who truly care for them. As for the vendor with the A/C on the puppies, she has always put her puppies well being before profit. The plastic around the sides of the cage is to keep the cool air in the cage. I think some of the fanatics of this subject get a little carried away with the need to have a cause. They seem to ignite a frenzy amoung the activist community. Most have not even done proper research on the subject. For one, animal hair is not like wearing a fur coat, that is just ignorance talking. Do you not go in the heat because your long hair makes your head hot? Just nonsense

I just met this nice man September 2012 on a Sunday...he was very nice and the puppies looked great...they had healthy clean coats no discharge from eyes nose mouth ears..nothing..and they were all a very healthy weight. I was a vet tech for years and have always worked with animals he's doing a great job..im going to go check out his store to find a friend for my cairn poo. Id buy from him before i bought from any Petland or crap puppy mill chain store.

Well said SRN! There is NO EXCUSE to EVER buy a pet! I volunteer at animal services and help other rescues, so Whinnie go put some time in around homeless animals that sit in cages for months or the ones that have 5 days to get a home or they die. But they may not be 'designer' enough for you, but I will bet Poo would not care and would love them anyway. If only people were more like dogs! So yes, walk though Animal Services, Pet Pal, the Humane Society, etc. and see if any are good enough for you. And we are so happy you are thrilled with a person charged with animal cruelty. Because you talk to someone for 5 min. doesn't mean they are actually 'nice'. He saw dollar signs, how did you expect him to act?

I am on your FB page already, I have friends very involved in Mandatory Spay/Neuter and Trap and Release :-). Yes before anyone buys an animal they should have to volunteer at a shelter. The reason so many are there to begin with is greedy breeders like this guy and so many others, as well as irresponsible pet owners not fixing their pets. But if no one bought from breeders, they would stop breeding and selling them, plain and simple! And I want so say thank you to the Humane Society of Pinellas, who took TEN dogs from Pinellas Co Animal Services since we were so full. And many were older and pit mixes, so I am getting a bit tired of the importing stuff. It was in the paper a while back but they also just took some of the almost 700 Caboodle ranch cats and got hundreds of them homes. They PERSONALLY rescued a Pitbull from an organization that was days away from being euthanized and they stepped forward when no other 501 3c did. No organization is perfect but they have helped us out more lately than anyone, we can not thank them enough!

I really am not going to get into a discussion about what HSP did with you, I can only talk about what I know personally and before the new management got there, I got turned down every time I asked for help. Now they helped me in the past month 3 times alone. Maybe you can give them another chance. Like I said they were the ONLY 501 3c that stepped up for me with Diamond and she is in a happy home now. Like I said, no shelter is easy to run or perfect but I feel, no I KNOW the people I have worked with there recently care.

Good to know! perhaps w/ all that's occured (w/in their organization) and w/ the new PAAC - they've had a change of practice/policy. I'm tickled to hear the you (who too had previous lack of success w/ HSP) have as of late received assistance! I'm all for that and relieved to hear. Wish they'd be more vocal at the meetings, etc. but now if
they're getting more involved in actually problem resolution, they'll have more to say re: problems that need to be solved. I'm aware who Diamond is and glad they got her! I know several people in significant positions there and am anxious to give them another chance. Thanks for the FYI and I look forward to their working for animals here (as well as everywhere else they can too). I couldn't be more pleased than to have a positive report about them for a change! Whew, it's a start and I'll take it!

Great! They are open to your opinion. Talk to Sarah at the next event, she has been wonderful and very helpful whenever asked and like I said even volunteered to help Diamond when no one else stepped up :-). Keep up the good work, we will keep spreading your message as well :-)

I'm reading all these posts... The point here is .. IS HE A REGISTERED RESCUE? doesn't appear to be.. therefore needs a legitimate Health Certificate (not a copy from online).. Is he having the pups spayed/neutered before placement .. NO.. Is he making people accountable to having it done? NO he could care less.... He's just selling dogs and making more issues for the pet over population issues... If he's not a rescue and being responsible then he needs to be sure to have legitimate HC from a VET (with a number to call the vet) AND he needs to show proof of Filing taxes on all this money he's making.. I'm sure the IRS has no idea he's making money off these poor animals....

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