Neglect alleged at pet store
Lakeway, TX (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jan 12, 2008
County: Travis
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Terrance Courts
A Lakeway pet store is the subject of a criminal animal cruelty investigation. Police seized several animals after finding signs that the animals were not being cared for at Flipper's Pets on Tuesday. The owner insists he was already in the process of moving out of the store and he's done nothing wrong.
"Normally if animals haven't been taken care of properly, food and water are not supplied to animals," Det. Mary Proctor with the Lakeway Police Department says.
But the store owner, Terrance Courts, says the animal cruelty investigation is off base.
"I take care of my animals. I love my animals," Courts says. "I did not abandon my store."
Courts says he said he left two rabbits, two snakes, and a gerbil in the store while he dealt with an out of town family emergency from last Saturday to Monday.
He also says a friend had been caring for an English Bulldog puppy while he was gone. He says that puppy was returned back to the store ten hours before police showed up on Tuesday.
"We don't believe him 10 hours is just too long to leave an animal by himself, it's not acceptable," Det. Proctor says.
Police say someone called in to authorities because they were worried about the animals' welfare.
Courts has not been charged with anything, but police say they're still investigating. An animal cruelty charge carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $4000 fine.
Flipper's Pets has been in business on RM 620 for the last four years.
Prima Mosi, who runs the animal rescue group Paws of Austin, says she visited Flipper's in November. Mosi says she examined a puppy with a bloated stomach that looked like it had worms. She says it was a sign the puppy had been either stepping in his feces then his dog food, or eating its own waste.
"Puppies are like babies. Babies need to be feed regularly, you can't just go to work and think that everything is fine. Puppies are the same thing," Mosi says. References« TX State Animal Cruelty Map
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