**You don't have to be a Clearwater resident to sign but *it is ESSENTIAL that that CLEARWATER city council hears CLEARWATER voices* Please add a COMMENT after signing if you are a resident!**

Dear City of Clearwater,

Elected officials in St. Pete, Safety Harbor and Dunedin have all banned retail pet sales to safeguard their citizens In the interest of consumer protection, welfare considerations and to foster the projected image of delight + decency to the outside world amid our courting-tourism focused market.

Yet, our "Bright and Beautiful; Bay to Beach" promise harbors a puppy mill pipeline store which subjects the public to an F- rated Better Business Bureau predator during both the lending process and damaged goods aftercare costs.

Sunshine Puppies Two bans it's own customers from taking picture & videos that would shine a light on it's bad state of 'goods for sale' or conditions the pups suffer in on it's premises.

No other public retailer in Your City engages in selling wares covertly this way.

Constituents are asking that you ban the heinous practice of imported living being inventory to afford Us, visitors and reputable business interests the same protections our neighbors enjoy right here in Clearwater.

Thank you. -Andrea Wells

Statement from Nikola Couling: As a resident of Clearwater, FL activity involved in animal welfare, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of companion animal overpopulation. Our local animal control organizations are overwhelmed and countless innocent animals suffer neglect, abandonment and and needless euthanasia . Retail stores selling commercially bred puppies, cats, or rabbits contribute significantly to this problem. 

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S shelters nationwide every year, abandoned by owners who were not prepared for the responsibility - recent studies reveal that many of these began life commercially bred for profit. 

Retail storefronts are the last stop in a puppy pipeline, where animals are held in the bare minimum of livable conditions while profits take priority over quality of life. These businesses frequently employ deceptive pricing and predatory lending practices to secure paying customers while puppies wait, days, weeks, even months, to be liberated.

By banning the sale of puppies, cats, and rabbits within our city limits we can take an important step toward controlling overpopulation, improving animal welfare in Clearwater and creating a No-Kill Tampa Bay. We can also send a strong message against unethical business practices that exploit both consumers and animals. Several cities within Pinellas county and dozens more across Florida have already established these important protections as law.

We urge our local government officials to enact legislation prohibiting these sales in our beloved city. Please sign this petition if you believe in creating a better place for companion animals and advocates in Clearwater.