TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – For dog owners, going out of town can be stressful.
Many times, people choose to board their pets at a kennel, trusting that whoever they pay to care for their beloved pet will take good care of them.
But, what if they don’t, and the dog ends up neglected, hurt or worse?
Who keeps an eye on and regulates boarding kennels in Florida, and specifically Leon County, to ensure that the facility meets safety and health standards and complies with animal care regulations?
The answer, in short, is no one.
In July, WCTV’s Ava Van Valen spoke to Tallahassee man Brandon Fabozzi, who was seeking answers after he picked up his dog, Jack, from a local kennel in a rapidly declining state.
“You could see every bone in his back legs,” he said. “There was nothing there anymore. No muscle or fat. It looked like fur stretched over a skeleton.”
He said the employee working at the kennel said Jack hadn’t eaten for the entire week he was boarded. Yet, no one called to inform Fabozzi about his dog’s condition, which constituted a medical emergency.
Jack couldn’t walk when he was picked up from the kennel, and the next day had to be put to sleep.
Fabozzi posted on the NextDoor app to tell other pet owners about his experience with the kennel. His post garnered hundreds of responses, many of them claiming alleged neglect under that same kennel’s care.
His heartbreaking story begs the question: How does a pet owner know if the kennel they are taking their animal to is properly licensed and that the facility meets safety and health standards and complies with animal care regulations?
Ralph DeMeo has been an animal lawyer and advocate in Florida for 40 years and is active with the City of Tallahassee animal crimes task force.
“Unfortunately, there are no state laws that require registration of animal boarding kennels, and there are only a handful of local governments in the state that require a specific license or regulate such activities and Leon County and the City of Tallahassee do not,” he said.
According to DeMeo, anyone can open a boarding kennel in Leon County. All they need is an occupational license, which is easily obtained, and the facility needs to be in an area that is zoned for such an activity.
Besides that, they’re good to go, and there are no specific regulations for these kennels. So why is this a problem?
“It’s a problem because there are a number of abuses that end up in animal injury or death,” Demeo said.
DeMeo said that while no entity regulates boarding kennels in Florida or Leon County, there are a few counties in Florida that have stepped up to try to better regulate kennels.
He says Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, Levy County and a couple of others have varying degrees of regulations.
“But in terms of intense regulation that makes it necessary to meet qualifications – even those ordinances are not that strong and they need to be strengthened,” he said.
Kate MacFall is the Florida state director of Humane World for Animals. She calls implementing ordinances to protect animals, businesses and consumers “common sense.”
She says many people are surprised such protections aren’t currently in place.
So, where does a pet owner turn if they suspect neglect or a safety issue?
“If there are abuses, it would fall within the general animal cruelty laws of which there are state statutes and local ordinances, both county and city,” Demeo said. “So, I would start with animal control, which is located at the animal services center, but there is limited authority for them to act. They may come out to investigate. They may issue a civil citation, but they don’t have criminal enforcement authority.”
He goes on to say that if it’s a serious problem, it should be reported to either the Leon County Sheriff’s Office or the Tallahassee Police Department.
If it’s a particularly severe case of cruelty, it will be investigated and possibly charged, but he says there aren’t a lot of resources to pursue that fully.
According to the state animal cruelty statutes, if an animal in your care is harmed and it reaches the definition of cruelty, there can be criminal charges brought, or in some cases civil charges for negligence and failing to adhere to a standard of care.
So, what is the first line of defense for any pet owner when choosing a kennel?
“I would avoid kenneling my animals under any circumstances – but if you have no choice, you have to thoroughly investigate the kennel,” Demeo said. “Visit it. Talk to them at length, take a look at their operations, ask them if they have a veterinarian on call. Ask them what their practices are for notifying you. If you have a dog or cat with special needs make sure they are aware of those – but other than that there is only so much you can do.”
WCTV reached out to the City of Tallahassee and Leon County about the need for boarding kennel regulations and if there are any discussions in local government about creating any regulations.
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