NYC pet store sold hundreds of illegal puppy-mill pups while posing as rescue center: suit
A Brooklyn pet store sold hundreds of commercially-bred dogs while trying to dodge a state puppy mill ban by falsely posing as a rescue center, according to a new lawsuit from the Attorney General’s office.Puppy Boutique — also known as Quality Canines Inc.— illegally advertised and sold puppies from their Dyker Heights storefront, despite retail puppy sales being effectively outlawed, the suit alleges.The operators — who allegedly masqueraded under a dizzying array of online identities like “Maxies Babies,” “NYC Maltese,” and “NYC Yorkies” — claimed their pooches were all rescues from an out-of-state charity, and that they were complying with the puppy mill ban.Investigators say it was all a ruse to avoid compliance with the law, claiming the supposed non-profits were never registered as animal rescue organizations while they were actually sourcing their puppies from breeders — including known notoriously bad puppy mills.The lawsuit demands the illegal operation not only be saddled with huge fines, but to also pay back “their ill-gotten gains,” according to court filings.“Pets are valued members of our families, and anyone who brings a new pet into their home deserves a healthy animal,” said Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the suit in June.
“Puppy Boutique illegally sold puppies to New Yorkers, exposing them to heartbreak and exorbitant veterinary bills for animals raised in inhumane conditions.”The Dyker Heights shop was already slapped with a temporary restraining order that completely freezes the shop’s bank accounts, a gag order on their advertisements, and to stop selling the pooches entirely, according to an order from Brooklyn Supreme Court judge Menachem Mirocznik.The Puppy Mill Pipeline Act was signed by Gov.Hochel in Dec.
2022 and banned selling dogs from commercial breeding facilities, often known as puppy mills, at retail storefronts. While effectively outlawing the classic “doggie in the window” sh...