21 pups were seized at the Oldsmar Flea Market.  Pinellas Sheriff's deputies were called to the flea market after several people complained about the barking and pungent smell coming form inside King's business.  The windows and doorway had been covered from the inside.

King, age 41, wasn't at her Bark Avenue shop at the time but the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office filed 2 misdemeanor counts against her, one charging her with animal cruelty, the other charging her with public nuisance, for failing to keep her kennel clean.

The dogs conditions are improving at the Clearwater shelter operated by the Humane Society of North Pinellas.  5 of the dogs had to be shaved because their fur was so matted from having been left to lie in their own urine and feces.  1 of the dogs required 4 baths because it was so badly stained with urine.

A boxer pup may require knee surgery;a bloodhound had a tumor on its legs, which was to be surgically drained, and a Weimaraner had an old break in one of its front paw.  In general, none of the dogs had been regularly exercise.

Kings business had been at the flea market for only a year, county records show.  She also has another pet store, on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa.

In an inspection in December 2001, all of King's paperwork at the flea market was in order.  All 32 dogs looked happy, and the 1,800 square foot shop was clean.  4 months later, an animal control officer noticed a strong odor at the business and the number of puppies had climbed to 48.

In the fall of 2002, the conditions at the shop began to deteriorate rapidly.  Rabies vaccinations weren't up to date on all the dogs, nor were their health certificates.

In September, King agreed a poodle she was selling needed a haircut but told an animal control officer she felt the county was harassing her.  King said "sales have been down, so dogs are staying longer and getting bigger."  King "feels that because she won't cut prices people are calling to complain", according to records at the county's animal services division.

In October, King was cited for unkept conditions.  And 3 days before the animals were rescued, an animal control officer reported he could smell the conditions from 100 feet away.

While the conditions at Bark Avenue grew worse over time, some customers say they found problems with the puppies they bought there almost from the moment the shop opened.

Lisa Brunton, fought with King for 10 months after an Italian greyhound puppy that cost $700 turned out to have problems with both knees.  After Brunton filed suit in small claims court, the "Judge Judy" show contacted her.

King, in replies to Brunton's complaints, said she had done nothing wrong.  She said Brunton wanted both a refund and to keep the puppy.

Update 1/12/03:

Prosecutors have charged the owner of the defunct business at the Oldsmar Flea Market with 21 counts of misdemeanor animal abandonment. That is one count for each purebred puppy found languishing in its own waste without food, water or fresh air after neighboring vendors at the flea market complained of foul odors emanating from the Bark Avenue booth.

Deputies arrived Nov. 9 to find the shop locked up, its windows covered from within. Inside were the 21 puppies, some with hair matted by feces and urine. Two bottles of bleach had been left open in an apparent attempt to cover the stench, the deputies reported.

The dogs were taken to the North Pinellas Humane Society where they were cleaned up and offered for adoption just before Christmas.

Meanwhile, Bark Avenue owner Cynthia King was cited with three local ordinance violations by the deputies who seized the dogs. But the Kings real legal troubles began Dec. 27, when prosecutors filed the 21 abandonment charges that each carry a potential penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the Humane Society, some of the dogs had been left in small cages so long that they were walking around in a crouched position, Chaboudy said. 5 had to be shaved because their fur was so matted from lying in their own waste, and 1 dog required four successive baths, he said.

A bloodhound had a tumor on its leg that had to be surgically drained, and a Weimaraner had an old break on one of its front paws, Chaboudy said.

Update 5/16/03:

Cindy Lynn King, now 42, plead no contest and was sentenced to 21 years of probation by Pinellas County Judge Sonny Im after her plea to 21 charges of misdemeanor animal abandonment.

Im imposed 20 hours of community service every month for the duration of probation and ordered King to undergo a psychological evaluation and treatment.  Im also barred King, from owning any animals during probation, "not even a cockroach," Im said.

Im ordered King to pay $5,000 restitution to the Humane Society of North Pinellas in Clearwater, which took the puppies and nursed them back to health. All the puppies were later adopted.

"We have the bad guy paying the price," said Rick Chaboudy, the society's executive director. "It's a very happy ending. The best part is that all the puppies found happy homes."

Pinellas prosecutor Pat Siracusa asked the judge to impose a jail sentence. But Im declined to jail the woman, who cares for an 11-year-old daughter.

King must also give away the three dogs she now owns to comply with her probation.

Update  8/5/05:

Our research found the following court records:

The court records also show that King was granted early probation termination on 7/30/04 and therefore had only a 2 year probation rather than the 21 years originally ordered by the court.

Reference:

St. Petersburg Times

The Tampa Tribune

Pinellas County Court Records