Pet store that sold sick and injured puppies will refund nearly 200 customers

The owners of a Long Island pet store accused of knowingly selling hundreds of sick and injured puppies, including some that died days after purchase, will pay $300,000 to about 200 customers under a settlement that announced Friday by the New York Attorney General.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in December 2021 by Attorney General Letitia James after an investigation by her office found that the store, Shake A Paw, purchased and sold puppies from so-called puppy mills, large-scale commercial breeders with reputation for abuse, inbreeding and filthy conditions.

Ms James’ investigation also found that the store and its owners, Marc Jacobs and Gerard O’Sullivan, had failed to disclose the animals’ serious medical conditions and had illegally refused to reimburse customers for veterinary bills incurred after they had sold sick pets. to court documents.

In addition to repaying the $300,000, Mr. Jacobs and Mr. O’Sullivan agreed to stop misleading advertising, including claims that puppies sold by Shake A Paw were the “healthiest” and came from the “most trusted breeders”; to purchase animals only from reputable breeders; and to provide customers with disclosures certifying the health of their puppies, according to court documents.

As of December 2022, all pet stores in New York will be banned from selling dogs, cats and rabbits.

Richard Hamburger, attorney for Shake A Paw, declined to comment Friday.

Erin Laxton, who purchased her chihuahua-dachshund mix Merlin from Shake A Paw in 2020, described the settlement as a “huge relief.” Ms Laxton said Merlin started coughing the day she brought him home from Shake A Paw and died five weeks later from respiratory illness, according to court documents.

“I feel I have been able to get justice for my poor puppy,” Ms Laxton said in a statement, adding: “I miss my puppy every day, but I am proud to be part of this process. ”

Shake A Paw has locations in Hicksville and Lynbrook, both of which opened in 1994, according to court documents. Customers paid an average of $2,500 to $8,000 for a puppy, along with what the attorney general’s office said were hundreds of dollars in unnecessary additional goods and services.

Ms. James said in the lawsuit that from 2016 to 2021, her office received 99 complaints from Shake A Paw customers saying puppies had been sold with serious physical injuries, congenital and hereditary conditions or infectious diseases. Similar complaints were filed with the New York Better Business Bureau, Ms. James’ office said.

A customer’s puppy died six days after a Shake A Paw employee said the pet was “fine,” according to court documents; another was hospitalized for severe double pneumonia just two days after it was purchased. Some customers said they spent thousands of dollars on veterinary bills in the days and weeks after purchasing puppies from Shake A Paw, court documents show.

An analysis by the attorney general’s office of more than 400 veterinary records of puppies sold by Shake A Paw found that more than half had upper respiratory infections or other breathing problems — both, in some cases — or were infected with parasites.

Shake A Paw also refused to reimburse customers for the veterinary care they sought for pets that were already sick when they were sold, Ms. James said in a news release.

Shake A Paw also lied about where it got the puppies it sold. The store claimed on its website that it worked with “the most trusted breeders” and hand-picked “the best of the bunch,” but financial records showed that thousands of puppies had been shipped to Shake A Paw owners from well-known puppy breeders.

Meaghan Huber bought a three-pound Shih Tzu she named Mei Mei from Shake A Paw in 2014. She said in an interview Friday that she was glad the store and its owners were finally being held accountable for the pain they caused her. others.

Mrs Huber said Mei Mei started having trouble breathing just days after bringing her home. For two years, Mei Mei was in and out of veterinary hospitals, being treated for various illnesses and birth defects. She died in Mrs. Huber’s arms just before her second birthday.

“It was so horrible,” said Ms Huber, 35, of trying to convince Shake A Paw to compensate her for selling a sick puppy.

“Dogs are our children,” she said. “We want the best for them. We did our best for Mei Mei. We loved her with all our hearts.”