New York pet store pays $300,000 settlement for selling sick puppies

New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced that a pet store chain will have to pay $300,000 to 190 customers who knowingly sold sick puppies at its Long Island stores.

As part of the settlement, Shake-A-Paw said an investigation found the pet store kept dogs in inhumane conditions and sold severely ill puppies that died within days or weeks of purchase. In response to the discovery that the company had done so, changes to its business practices will be required. Shake-A-Paw will pay $300,000 in restitution to all affected customers, many of whom reportedly spent thousands of dollars in medical bills after the puppies they purchased became ill. There is.

The company is also required to stop all misleading advertising that claims to sell the “healthiest” and “best puppies” from the “most trusted breeders,” and the company is required to stop all misleading advertising that claims to sell the “healthiest” and “best puppies” from the “most trusted breeders,” and states and local laws limit the ability to purchase animals. Only from reputable breeders or brokers that follow the law. Shake-A-Paw will be completely banned from selling dogs starting in December 2024, following a new state law banning pet stores from selling dogs.

In December 2021, James sued Shake-A-Paw. Two Long Island stores in Hicksville and Lynbrook falsely advertised sick pets as healthy, failed to disclose the animals' medical conditions, misrepresented the breeds of puppies, and refused to refund customers. This is because it was reported that an investigation revealed that Veterinarian bill for treating a sick dog.

In one reported case, a customer purchased a puppy that died six days after a Shake-A-Paw employee told him the puppy was fine. In another case, a customer's puppy was hospitalized with severe double pneumonia two days after he was purchased. One customer reportedly spent more than $2,000 on veterinary fees after her Shake A Paw puppy was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection one week after she purchased it.

The study analyzed veterinary records of more than 400 puppies sold in stores and found that more than half had upper respiratory infections, breathing problems, or were infected with parasites. It is being It is reported that nearly 10% were diagnosed with pneumonia.

Shake-A-Paw also reportedly lied to customers about the source of the puppies and failed to fully disclose to consumers that the puppies came from a facility that owned a known puppy mill.

Shake-A-Paw sold a sick puppy to a customer and then refused to give a refund when the customer called to complain. Investigators said Shake-A-Paw instead directed his customers to its own veterinarians, who often were unable to correctly diagnose the illness.

Shortly after filing the lawsuit against Shake-A-Paw, James obtained a temporary court order prohibiting the two Long Island stores from purchasing or adopting any new animals for resale in New York, and the firm appointed required veterinarians to examine all Shake-A-Paw puppies. Take possession of it before selling it and freeze your bank account.