SPCA forms unlikely partnership with puppy sellers

Martha Boden, CEO of SPCA Tampa Bay, spent her career fighting against puppy brokers and retailers; she is now working alongside them to ensure more dogs find a loving home.

Boden joined forces with the owners of Missouri-based Pinnacle Pet and local retailer Sunshine Puppies to create the groundbreaking For All Dogs pilot program. The SPCA now rehomes retired breeding dogs from responsible breeders.

The organization’s Veterinary Center also provides medical care for puppies throughout their stay at Sunshine Puppies’ stores in Largo and Clearwater. Boden once thought that “all breeding was done somewhat cavalierly.”

“I don’t think any of us thought we would be having this conversation two years ago,” Boden said. “Because we just felt like we were so far apart. And there was, frankly, so much history of attacks, not listening and name-calling – and it all came from a good place.”

In April 2022, Pinellas County Commissioners voted to allow the area’s six puppy retailers to remain in business. Boden fought against the measure.

She later met broker Chris Fleming, CEO of Pinnacle Pet, in Chicago at a conference. Fleming delivers puppies from over 200 responsible breeders to pet stores.

He also founded A Dog’s Dream, a nonprofit rescue organization. Fleming explained the puppy distribution process to Boden, who realized the industry’s effort to support breeders who use compassionate and humane breeding practices.

“So, this was a real eye-opener to me,” she said. “When I learned that the standards include an adoption pathway for dogs that are retiring from a breeding program, I thought that’s something that I’m really good at.”

SPCA receives and rehomes female dogs once they turn six years old or have six litters.

Fleming founded A Dog’s Dream in 2021 to help rehome female dogs when they reach six years old or have six litters – according to national standards. He said the nonprofit did “okay,” but the work went beyond his scope of expertise.

However, SPCA Tampa Bay has found homes for adult dogs for over eight decades. Fleming said that conversation with Boden led to the local For All Dogs pilot program.

He already had a longstanding business relationship with Dan Cohn, CEO of Sunshine Puppies. Cohn operates two of the county’s six puppy stores.

“We use the word ‘serendipitous’ a lot,” Fleming said. “I had no idea my delivery truck is within a mile of her (Boden’s) campus every week.”

He now brings popular purebred and mixed-breed adult dogs to the local SPCA in a customized truck. Fleming said they receive the same care as the puppies he delivers to Cohn.

Boden said she has only transferred about 20 dogs through the pilot program’s first six months. However, she said that “can have a significant impact, particularly when we’re in this learning phase.”

“Honestly, the whole idea right now is to just stay open to learning,” Boden said.

The three partners want to support responsible breeders, like the family that operates this expansive facility in Missouri.

Learning from – rather than fighting – one another is a critical aspect of the unique partnership. Cohn repeatedly stressed that he doesn’t blame the people who, “for all the right reasons,” want to shut down his business.

“They are very good people; they have very good hearts and want what’s best for the puppies,” he added. “But in the last two decades, that passion, to a certain degree, has been unintentionally misdirected.

“Because puppy mills are not shutting down.”

Cohn explained that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other agencies regulate pet stores. He said unlicensed puppy mills flourish online when the retail outlets close.

Cohn welcomes the oversight, and the three partners believe the pilot program promotes transparency. He also called Boden’s expertise “second to none.”

Boden said Cohn established stringent veterinary protocols in his stores. However, she thought the SPCA could better understand the retail process by offering those services.

Boden also noted that “means Dan (Cohn) has to be completely transparent with me. And that, I think, is really what animal advocates and animal welfare activists have hoped for.”

A Pinellas County resident poses with a retired breeding dog she adopted from the SPCA.

While Boden reiterated that her partners have impressed her with their willingness to collaborate transparently, she pledged to terminate the pilot program “if it goes the wrong way.” Cohn said concerned stakeholders should want the SPCA to visit his shop weekly.

Fleming explained he stakes his reputation on responsible breeders who complete strict certifications. He does not charge the SPCA for the retired dogs.

Boden said Fleming helped her realize there are compassionate breeders. “I don’t get called in when there’s a good breeder – I get called in when there’s a disaster,” Boden added.

She now believes the pilot program can serve as a regional and national model. “If we can slow down the rhetoric a little bit, work through our emotions, take a deep breath and come to the conversation with an open heart, there might be amazing things we can do,” Boden said.

“Is everything going to be perfect? No, that’s why this is a pilot. But we’re surely going to do a lot more good if we listen.”