Pet store accused of selling sick puppies won’t comply with AG probe
A Extended Island pet retail outlet accused of promoting sick puppies is stonewalling the condition Attorney General’s investigation regardless of a judge’s buy, court docket papers allege.
Shake a Paw did not make it possible for the appointed veterinarians with AG Letitia James’ business to take a look at all of its pooches for the duration of a Dec. 23 take a look at to its Hicksville and Lynbrook retailers — in defiance of a court purchase, Assistant Lawyer Common Christina Bedell alleged in a letter Monday.
Nassau County Supreme Court docket Justice Helen Voutsinas issued a temporary restraining get on Dec. 17 versus Shake a Paw prohibiting its two stores from buying new pups for resale after the date of her TRO and requiring the puppies they by now had to be cleared by an impartial veterinarian right before they are bought off.
The judge also ordered Shake a Paw to supply a whole accounting of all its canines.
The buy came the day soon after AG Letitia James’ business office submitted go well with towards the pet retail outlet.
“Respondents’ staff members were being pulling canine off of the sales flooring and using them to a area, devoid of allowing for petitioners’ veterinarians to examine them,” Bedell wrote. “For case in point, just one pet had diarrhea and when [Shake a Paw’s] worker was informed that the puppy wanted to be examined, the personnel overlooked petitioners’ veterinarian.”
Bedell claims that right after the current exams, at minimum 43 canine variously analyzed constructive for the flu, coronavirus, Bordetella, herpes, bronchitis and other bacterial bacterial infections.
The canine experienced been cleared before the AG exam by one more animal physician, who Shake a Paw was trying to get to appoint as an unbiased vet in the scenario.
Bedell also alleges that Shake a Paw has since put an order for around 35 puppies, in spite of the judge’s purchase to quit revenue.
“It appears that [Shake a Paw] put in multiple orders subsequent the court overall look on December 17, 2021,” Bedell alleged.
Bedell also says the AG’s office environment however has not received a full accounting of all the Shake a Paw puppies and she is inquiring Voutsinas to end the suppliers from purchasing and providing any puppies right until they’ve been cleared by an AG vet. The AG’s workplace wishes a receiver to be appointed to oversee all profits.
Meanwhile, Shake a Paw lawyer Richard Hamburger wrote a Monday letter inquiring the judge to intervene “to quit the abusive and unauthorized conduct of the Business of the Legal professional Basic.”
Hamburger statements that it has complied with the court ruling together with canceling orders for the previous week of December and for the first week of January. Hamburger also promises the pet retail outlet offered the pet inventory the AG’s office on Dec. 22.
Hamburger states the AG’s place of work has been delaying clearing puppies for sale on the pretext that they are nonetheless awaiting lab success from the canines’ well being examinations — even although as of Monday the success experienced been pending for 11 times.
“Under these instances, [Shake a Paw stores] have experienced no decision but to sell some puppies that have been licensed by their impartial veterinarian,” Hamburger wrote.
Hamburger also statements the AG’s office wasn’t authorized to freeze the sale of all puppies beneath the judge’s get.
“Clearly, this is unreasonable, unsupported by regulation or logic, not approved by the [Temporary Restraining Order], and displays, in actuality, [the Office of the Attorney General’s] intention to shut down and damage Shake a Paw’s lawful pet keep small business without having due system of law,” Hamburger alleged.
In its lawsuit, the AG alleged that Shake a Paw purchased pooches from dog mills although professing they had been from respectable breeders and that quite a few were so ill, they died in just days or weeks of getting offered. The match also claimed that the stores gave shoppers the run all around when they sought refunds or compensation for clinical payments.
At the time, Hamburger adamantly denied all the allegations.
“Shake a Paw has never ever knowingly offered a sick puppy dog, or knowingly misrepresented the pedigree, or breeder from whom the puppy dog was acquired,” Hamburger explained at the time.
Hamburger did not immediately return a ask for for remark Wednesday.