Bark Street Puppies is set to open Saturday on Beach Boulevard, but not everyone in Jacksonville supports having another puppy store.<\/p>\n
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 A new pet store is at the center of a growing controversy in Jacksonville, even before opening its doors.<\/p>\n
Bark Street Puppies is set to open Saturday at Tamaya Market on Beach Boulevard. Some neighbors are pushing back, saying they don’t want the store in their community.<\/p>\n
Robby Weber lives in Jacksonville and started a\u00a0petition<\/a> after learning about plans for a second Bark Street Puppies location.<\/p>\n His petition calls on the property owner and leasing team to stop the store from opening, and urges city leaders to restrict the sale of puppies sourced from commercial breeders.<\/p>\n It now has more than 3,600 signatures.<\/p>\n “These animals can’t stand up for themselves,” Weber said.<\/p>\n For Weber, the issue goes beyond one store.<\/p>\n “There are states and there are places where this is illegal, so it really just takes people banding together and showing that we don’t want this type of establishment around us,” Weber said.<\/p>\n The store manager of Bark Street Puppies, Shaun Carey, is aware of the petition and a planned protest for this weekend’s grand opening. Many people opposed to the store are concerned that the puppies may be sourced from unethical breeders, but Carey says they carefully vet the breeders they work with.<\/p>\n “We do know where our puppies come from, and they always come with all their up-to-date shots, and we always get them vet checked when we do have them,” Carey said. “All the breeders we use, we’ve actually personally have been to all these breeders.”<\/p>\n He also says the store has been approved through Animal Care and Protective Services and has a City of Jacksonville permit.<\/p>\n In a May 2025 post, Animal Care and Protective Services said pet shops must have a City of Jacksonville permit. The department said it has two dedicated specialty investigator positions to crack down on illegal and unpermitted dog breeders and pet shops.<\/p>\n “If you walk into a pet shop or see someone selling kittens or puppies, look for a City of Jacksonville permit. If they don’t have one clearly displayed, let us know,” the department said in the post.<\/p>\n Local influencer and animal advocate Bethany Michel says people should look to the shelter instead of retail pet stores.<\/p>\n “Right behind me is the animal shelter,” she said. “They always have over 300 dogs specifically at a time that any month, and so I think it’s really important to just make people aware of the animals that need help right under our nose that are already existing in the community, instead of outsourcing.”<\/p>\n