A Miami business owner agreed to no longer keep his dog on the building's roof after photos of it posted online caused a public outcry, an animal services official said Friday.
Kathy Labrada, of Miami-Dade Animal Services, told NBC 6 South Florida that the owner of G & G Produce reached the agreement with the City of Miami code compliance and the police. He also asked for additional police presence in the area since he put the dog on the roof because he had been robbed, she said.
The telephone rang unanswered at the business after normal business hours on Friday.
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Authorities said they had been getting calls about the issue June 2011. On Wednesday, they were called to investigate allegations of animal cruelty again after people riding on the Metrorail saw the dog on the roof.
“It's not unlawful to keep a dog outdoors,” Kathy Labrada from Animal Services said. “It's a little unorthodox to keep a dog on a rooftop, but he's not in any danger."
Labrada said the dog is in excellent condition with shelter, food, and water. She claimed the owner has two American bulldogs who act as guard dogs, preventing theft. One stays inside, and the other – on the roof.
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But Amy Roman, president of "100+ Abandoned Dogs of the Everglades," an animal rescue organization, said she disagrees. She said the dogs have been taken down before, only to be put back up.
"The bottom line is here there is no protection for animals period in Miami," she said.
She has planned a protest for Wednesday in front of the warehouse at 11 a.m. to demand that laws be enacted to protect against such situations.
"A law needs to be put in place that no animal will be allowed to live in these conditions," she said "The dog's living on a roof. The water is not staying cool,"
People from all over the country commented on Roman's Facebook page about this story. Even Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado is asking Animal Services to revisit the matter, saying, "it concerns all of us."
