Embattled Danbury Pet Shop Served with Eviction Notice: UPDATE

DANBURY, CT — Puppy Kisses, the pet store under police investigation following a larceny complaint earlier this week, may have sold its last lhasa apso.

The Missouri-based owners Ray and Alysia Rothman has been served an eviction notice by their Danbury landlords Aura Showah and Doug Waterbury. The Notice to Quit Possession posted on the front door of the store indicates the business must vacate the store by Aug. 8.

Showah said the Rothmans had missed their July rent payment, and were behind on other bills. The final straw was delivered this past weekend, when employees sold off 20-30 of their animal inventory for $100 a puppy, according to a police report. The incident is still under investigation by the Danbury PD, and no charges have been made.

"I talked to Ray yesterday, and he says he doesn't think he can come back from that," Showah said. "So we started the eviction process because we need to get into the store and start cleaning it up."

Showah is expecting that the Missouri couple will be on site, or sending others, to assist in the cleanup process. "It needs a lot of work," she said.

Where are the pups in the midst of all the brouhaha? Not in her building anymore, according to the landlord.

"I was told they were taken to other pet stores," Showah said.

There is still a reckoning, even after the store is cleaned up, and the landlords aren't looking forward to the fight.

"It's kind of hard, with them in Missouri and being an LLC," Showah fretted. There was a security deposit provided at the front of the lease, but "that's not going to cover even a quarter of it," the landlord said.

Showah wanted to make sure that Patch readers knew the retail space at 128 Federal Road was available to rent again, "but no pet store should apply."