New York Attorney General Letitia James introduced {that a} pet retailer chain must pay $300,000 to 190 prospects who they knowingly bought sick puppies to at places on Long Island.
As a part of the settlement, Shake A Paw can even be required to vary their business practices after an investigation reportedly discovered the pet retailer saved dogs in inhumane situations and bought critically sick puppies that died inside days or even weeks after buy. Shake A Paw pays $300,000 in restitution to all impacted prospects, a lot of whom reportedly spent hundreds of {dollars} on medical payments after the puppies they purchased fell sick.
The firm can be required to cease all deceptive promoting about promoting the “healthiest” and “best of the best puppies” from the “most trusted breeders,” and might solely buy animals from respected breeders or brokers that comply with state and native legal guidelines. Shake A Paw will likely be banned from promoting dogs solely beginning in December 2024 as the results of a brand new state regulation taking impact that stops pet shops from promoting dogs.
In December 2021, James sued Shake A Paw after an investigation reportedly revealed its two Long Island places in Hicksville and Lynbrook falsely marketed sick pets as wholesome, did not disclose the animals’ medical situations, misrepresented puppies’ breeds, and refused to reimburse shoppers for veterinarian payments to deal with sick dogs.
In one reported case, a buyer bought a puppy that died six days after a Shake A Paw worker instructed them that the puppy was “fine.” In one other case, a buyer’s puppy was hospitalized for extreme double pneumonia two days after buy. One buyer reportedly spent greater than $2,000 on veterinary payments after a puppy from Shake A Paw was recognized with an higher respiratory an infection one week after buy.
The investigation analyzed greater than 400 veterinary information of puppies bought on the shops and reportedly discovered that greater than half of the puppies had higher respiratory infections or respiratory issues or have been contaminated with parasites. Nearly 10% have been reportedly recognized with pneumonia.
Shake A Paw additionally reportedly lied to prospects in regards to the sources of its puppies, failing to totally open up to shoppers that puppies originated from institutions knopwn identified puppy mills.
After promoting sick puppies to prospects, Shake A Paw refused to supply reimbursements after they known as to complain. Instead, Shake A Paw directed prospects to the corporate’s personal veterinarians, who would typically fail to accurately diagnose sicknesses, based on investigators.
Shortly after submitting the lawsuit in opposition to Shake A Paw, James secured a brief court docket order banning its two Long Island shops from buying or adopting any new animals for resale in New York, requiring a vet appointed by her workplace to look at all puppies in Shake A Paw’s possession previous to their sale, and freezing its financial institution accounts.
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