17 New Jersey Pet Stores Fined In State Crackdown

Authorities from the state Division of Consumer Affairs announced Monday that 17 New Jersey pet stores were cited for violating the Pet Purchase Protection Act.

If the store does not pay the amount presented by the state, it will pay a higher amount of $34,500, according to information from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

According to the state:

Violations cited include a failure to label dogs’ and cats’ cages with each animal’s breeding history, medical background, and other information required under amendments made to the Pet Purchase Protection Act, effective earlier this year.

All of the pet shops that received Notices of Violations from the Division were cited for failing to include the required information on cage labels for each animal, including where and when it was bred; the name and address of anyone who brokered the sale between breeder and pet store; the date and name of vet who performed the animal’s initial medical exam; and the age, sex, and identifying marks or tags on the animal.

Several pet shops were also cited for failing to properly display reports of any federal inspections conducted on breeders and brokers in the past two years. Additional violations involved the failure to properly display the required “Know Your Rights” signs informing customers of their rights when purchasing an animal from a pet shop.

Here is the list of pet stores cited:

• Bark Avenue, Red Bank: 50 violations
• Critter Place, McAfee: 13 violations
• D & G Petite Pup’s, Patterson: 90 violations
• Fancy Puppies, Avenel: 42 violations
• Fashionable Pets, Paramus: 27 violations
• Kazmir’s Pet Shop, Hackensack: 9 violations
• Mama & Papa’s Pet Shop, Englewood: 22 violations
• NY Puppy Club, Edgewater: 31 violations
• Pat’s Pups, Waretown: 45 violations
• Pet Pourri Inc., Rockaway: 71 violations
• The Pet Shoppe, Middletown: 19 violations
• The Puppy Barn, Mount Holly: 61 violations
• The Puppy Hut, Robbinsville: 152 violations
• The Puppy Stop, Turnersville: 5 violations
• The Village Pet Shop, Williamstown: 15 violations
• Wayne’s Puppies, Wayne: 27 violations
• Whiteway Pet Shop, Elizabeth: 18 violations