A Hamilton Place mall pet store will find out in a matter of days if the Tennessee Department of Agriculture will allow it to keep selling pets or if violations to the state code of animal care could lead to the suspension of the store's license.
The Pet Company gained unwelcome attention June 15 when the city of Chattanooga raided the store, removed all its animals and slapped it with 90 violations of local city ordinances that deal with animal cruelty.
The state Department of Agriculture inspected the store the same day and recommended on June 22 after a second inspection that The Pet Company's license to operate probably should be suspended.
Among the violations were an air conditioning system that hadn't worked for three weeks, improper watering of puppies, sanitation issues and questions about the training of store employees.
A hearing in Nashville on Monday allowed The Pet Company to make a last-minute showing of compliance to the agriculture department before regulators decide if it will issue a notice of intent to suspend the store's operating license, department spokesman Tom Womack said Monday.
The decision will come in two or three days in the form of a written letter to the company, Mr. Womack said.
But state veterinarian Dr. Charles Hatcher, who was the first department official to recommend license suspension, admitted after the informal hearing that the way the store operates still is an issue.
His opinion came despite evidence Monday that The Pet Company has addressed at least some glaring violations, such as the repair of the air conditioning system, Dr. Hatcher said.
"It's still a concern, and (The Pet Company) needs to prove to us improvement," Dr. Hatcher said.
The Pet Company's attorney, Andrew Pippinger, could not be reached Monday for comment.
Dr. Hatcher declined to comment on the impending fate of the store's license. Jimmy Hopper, the department's director of regulatory services, will make the final call, Mr. Womack said.
If the department does choose to start the procedure of license suspension, The Pet Company would be able to appeal the decision in front of a state administrative judge, Mr. Womack said.
Chattanooga City Judge Sherry Paty stirred anger last week after she ruled she would defer to the state's decision with regard to the store's fate.
The McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center, which enforces local animal care codes and initiated the raid on the store, insists that it, too, has the authority to issue the store's license to operate.
But Judge Paty said last week that she recognized that The Pet Company has made improvements and will not oppose the state's decision, whatever it may be.
McKamey executive director Karen Walsh attended the state's hearing Monday but could not be reached for comment.
She said last week that McKamey "still has a vested interest" in seeing that The Pet Company treats its animals humanely.
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