On Eagle Pet Center, Shakopee Mayor Says City Cannot Take Acton

Eagle Pet Center in Shakopee has become the focus of public concern and frustration over store conditions that many believe are unsafe and neglectful to animals.

Ed Dressen, the owner of Eagle Pet Center, opened his store on August 8, 1970. He bought the building with cash in 1976, he said with a smile. The business has been open nearly 43 years and Dressen says that he has a loyal customer base.

See: Eagle Pet Center at Center of Intense Public Fury

Dressen said that he doesn’t use air conditioning at the store because it costs about $600 a month. He admitted that the ceiling, which was peeling and had water spots, needs fixing. The roof is flat, he explained, and there are problems when it rains, especially after storms like the one that dropped almost five inches of rain on Shakopee last weekend.  

“The roof did not do well in the last rainstorm,” Mayor Brad Tabke told Patch, “but it doesn’t make the building unsafe.”

City building and fire inspectors have found nothing that violates code or ordinances, Tabke said.

He continued, “There is nothing actionable the city can do... I wish he would make his store look and feel better.” The city, however, cannot force Dressen to make changes to his store, he said.

Tabke addressed the issue in a video chat on Thursday and invited questions from the public.

“It is messy and gross,” Tabke said, and he agreed that he would not shop at the store.

He explained that the city has ordinances governing private businesses that are in line with state law, which set the bar high for city involvement in private business and for criminal charges of animal neglect. Tabke wishes the city could do more, but even with an ordinance change, Eagle Pet Store would be grandfathered in and the ordinance would not apply.

The city can look at enacting ordinances that will prevent similar problems with other stores in the future, said Tabke.

Dressen has the materials and money to fix the roof, Tabke said, and will fix it soon. Since the problems with the roof do not pose an imminent risk, the city has to give Dressen time to make the repairs.

“We have been working on this problem for a long time,” Tabke said, “and haven’t found any solutions to the problem.”

What You Can Do:

There is action that concerned citizens can take, Tabke said. Whenever people see a problem in the store, such as a dead animal or animal covered in the feces, they should report it to the Animal Humane Society. 

If investigators can establish a track record, perhaps something could be done in the future. You can contact the Animal Humane Society investigations department at 763-489-2236, or investigations@animalhumanesociety.org.