This past Saturday, April 6th, Ms. Martha Boden tried to deny free speech to others providing educational outreach regarding the puppy mill industry. Ms. Boden’s conduct is in line with her defense of puppy mills and the retail sale of cats and dogs.
Permission has been granted to share the letter (below) detailing a summary of the events that transpired.
This kind of conduct continues to erode the reputation and integrity of not only the agency, but that of the board of directors who are ultimately responsible for her actions.
Who are these directors?
Catherine Mitchell – Co-President
Tina Thomas – Co-President
Andy Gaunce – Past President
Trevor Tillwick
Dr. Julie Kessel – Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair
Stacy Nethercoat – Governance Chair
MEMBERS
Sasha Lohn
Mark Martukovich
Erica Maxwell
Stephanie Morge
Julie Rockwell
Erin Maloney
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Dan Hester <dhesterfl@yahoo.com>
To: Martha Boden SPCA Tampa Bay <spcatampabayboard@gmail.com>; Martha Boden <martha@spcatampabay.org>
Cc: mayor@stpete.org <mayor@stpete.org>; tony.holloway@stpete.org <tony.holloway@stpete.org>; Kathleen Peters <kpeters@pinellas.gov>; Brian Scott <brscott@pinellas.gov>; Janet C. Long <janetclong@pinellas.gov>; Christopher Latvala <clatvala@pinellas.gov>; Rene Robinson-Flowers <rflowers@pinellas.gov>; Dave Eggers <deggers@pinellas.gov>; Charlie Justice <cjustice@pinellas.gov>; wobrown@largo.com <wobrown@largo.com>; Commission@largo.com <commission@largo.com>; copley.gerdes@stpete.org <copley.gerdes@stpete.org>; brandi.gabbard@stpete.org <brandi.gabbard@stpete.org>; ed.montanari@stpete.org <ed.montanari@stpete.org>; lisset.hanewicz@stpete.org <lisset.hanewicz@stpete.org>; deborah.figgs-sanders@stpete.org <deborah.figgs-sanders@stpete.org>; gina.driscoll@stpete.org <gina.driscoll@stpete.org>; John.Muhammad@stpete.org <john.muhammad@stpete.org>; richie.floyd@stpete.org <richie.floyd@stpete.org>; Anna Cooke <anna.thenewbarker@icloud.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 05:05:02 PM EDT
Subject: SPCA Tampa Bay Pet Walk
Ms. Boden, please share this email with your board.
On Saturday, April 6, 2024 the SPCA Tampa Bay held its annual pet walk at two locations in Pinellas County. One location was held at North Straub Park in the City of St. Petersburg and the second location was Largo Central Park in the City of Largo.
The animal welfare community thought it would be a great opportunity to advance education of the public of the relationship between puppy mills and retail pet stores. There are six retail pet stores in Pinellas County, all who have purchased puppy mill dogs to sell to the public. Attached is the educational piece we were distributing at the two pet walk locations.
At the Largo location two of the animal welfare volunteers were attempting to pass out the information when they were approached by City of Largo staff and told they could not pass out any information or seek signatures of support in the publicly funded city park. Instead, they were directed to the “free speech” zone, off and away from the pet walkers. Both individuals are City of Largo taxpayers and this struck a nerve. These individuals pay taxes to the city but were unlawfully removed from participating in the pet walk because they were handing out educational material on puppy mills.
At the St. Petersburg location, things became more disturbing. Ms. Anna Cooke, Editor in Chief of The New Barker magazine and other volunteers were passing out the educational information on the sidewalk beyond the park. At 9:30, they decided to go closer to the event inside the park only to observe the activities. They made a concerted effort not to hand out or discuss their mission during this time. Martha Boden, CEO of SPCA Tampa Bay, noticed Ms. Cooke and approached her, stating “since you are not going to participate in the Pet Walk, you need to leave.” Ms. Cooke replied “this is a public park,” to which Ms. Boden responded “not when we’ve rented it out.” Ms. Boden then escorted Ms. Cooke and another person out of the park and told them, “You need to stay on the other side of the sidewalk.” Several moments later, someone approached one of our Florida Voices for Animals (501-c-3) volunteers and informed them they would all be arrested if they set foot inside the park again. Two City of St. Petersburg police officers were standing in the background, nearby during this conversation.
On Monday, April 8, 2024 I spoke with Denis Burns, Recreation & Special Events Supervisor, City of St. Petersburg to determine if Ms. Boden’s actions where appropriate and with authority to remove Ms. Cooke and others from the park. Mr. Burns stated that Ms. Boden did not have the authority to remove Ms. Cooke or anyone because the park is a public park and is open to the public. He went on to say if the park and event were fenced in, then it would be a private setting and Ms. Boden could remove anyone. The St. Petersburg Police Officers involved in the warning to Ms. Cooke were out of line and had no authority to remove Ms. Cooke.
I am beyond words to try and understand why Ms. Boden acted the way she did. Afterall, the information being handed out is what any responsible animal welfare advocate would support, the elimination of animal abuse in our country. After all, Ms. Boden was the person who spoke on behalf of the animal advocates at a Pinellas County Commission Meeting in support of closing the retail pet stores in the county. During Ms. Boden’s five-minute presentation to the commissioners, she pointed out the direct connection between retail pet stores and the cruel and inhumane treatment these animals receive at the hands of the puppy mill breeders. But this all changed when Ms. Boden, with the support of her board of directors at the SPCA Tampa Bay, decided to form a business partnership with a local retail pet store and a wholesale dog broker who buys animals from puppy mills. Perhaps this had something to do with her actions on April 6, 2024. Ms. Boden owes the public an explanation for her actions towards Ms. Cooke and other volunteers who were doing nothing more than trying to educate the public.
Sincerely,
Dan Hester
Former Board Member, SPCA Tampa Bay
Co-Founder, Former Board President, MEOW Now Inc. (now a program of Friends of Strays)
Former Vice Mayor, City of Seminole
45 years of working for change in the animal welfare industry
Below is the outreach educational document:
Dear Fellow Animal Lover,
Pinellas County Currently Allows Puppy Mill-sourced Puppies to be Sold in Stores
In 2022, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners voted to prohibit any new
retail businesses from selling puppies. However, the ordinance includes a clause that
grandfathers in six existing retail businesses in the county, allowing them to continue
selling puppies. The puppies are sourced from large commercial breeding enterprises,
commonly known as puppy mills.
Puppy Mills Use Inhumane Practices
It is standard practice for puppy mills to keep puppies and adult breeder dogs in cramped,
crude, filthy conditions without proper veterinary care or socialization. Female dogs are
bred over and over until they can no longer produce puppies. They are either auctioned
off or killed. No ethical breeder ever sells their puppies to a retail store that sells puppies.
Only large commercial breeding enterprises (puppy mills) do.
Selling Sick Puppies to the Consumer
Puppies are taken from their mothers before they’ve been properly weaned, then
transported across country. Puppies often arrive at their destination (retail stores)
dehydrated and/or sick; often not properly vetted prior to being placed for sale. One Case
In Point: In 2020, Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody opened a consumer
protection investigation against a Central Florida business with two retail locations that
were selling sick puppies. The investigation secured more than $200,000 in relief for the
harmed consumers.
Little to No Oversight to Regulate Puppy Mills
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) sets minimal welfare requirements for dogs in puppy
mill, yet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service has continually failed to enforce those requirements. Thousands of dogs have
suffered and died because of the USDA’s inaction.
Predatory Lending Practices
Retail stores that sell puppies partner with 3rd party lenders like Transportation Alliance
Bank (TAB) and EasyPay Finance, who utilize predatory lending practices. These
companies collect between 130% to 188% in interest rates, which is illegal in most
states. Predatory lenders like EasyPay get around state laws by laundering their
loans through “legitimate” banks, which get exemptions from state usury laws. But
interest rates this high are enough to make most banks blush, so EasyPay has to find a
bank with absolutely no values at all, like TAB Bank, chartered in Utah.
Help Us Change The Ordinance in Pinellas County
Currently, there are more than 80 Florida cities and counties that have passed bans on the
retail sale of puppy mill-sourced puppies, including Hillsborough County. Let’s get
Pinellas County to do the right thing. Please sign our petition asking the Pinellas County
BOCC to rescind the clause in the ordinance that allows six stores to continue selling
puppy-mill sourced puppies.
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION: April, 2024
To the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, RE: Retail sale of puppies and
kittens in stores. Please rescind the clause that grandfathers in six existing businesses that
are still selling puppies in their stores. Let’s join other Florida counties and cities in doing
the right thing and completely phase out the retail sales of puppies and kittens in stores.
NAME CITY EMAIL ADDRESS
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