'Puppygram' store lease at Tippecanoe Mall terminated after lawsuit
LAFAYETTE, IN — Plans for a puppy store in the Tippecanoe Mall have been abandoned for now after the board president of the Humane Society for Greater Lafayette challenged the legality of its opening in a lawsuit. Sharon Dull, a longtime local animal welfare advocate, said she found out in late October about the planned Puppygram store, an Indiana-based puppy delivery franchise with locations in Indianapolis, Clarksville and Detroit. In the lawsuit, Dull said the Tippecanoe Mall's zoning code — general business — does not allow the retail sale of animals or dog adoptions, which is permitted only in I-2 light industrial zoning. Dull said that after seeing the Tippecanoe Mall post to its website that Puppygram was scheduled to open on Nov. 15, she knew she needed to "act quickly," and the lawsuit was filed on Nov. 4. "It's a lot easier to close (puppy stores) before they open then after they open the doors," Dull said. "You would think any store owner would research the proper zoning allowances prior to signing a lease agreement." Dull said she was told Tuesday that Simon Property Group, owner of the Tippecanoe Mall, had terminated Puppygram's lease agreement, so a motion to
