8-Week Old Puppy Dead - Pets Plus Employees Plead Guilty to Animal Cruelty

Photo Credit: Burlington County SPCA

Hello, Patch Pet Lovers!

The horrible but must-be-known-story was posted by the Burlington County SPCA Humane Police on their Facebook Page.

I never shop at a store that sells animals… and hope you won’t, either, especially after reading this! Thankfully someone reported the situation, or they would have gotten away with it, as with so many other animal deaths and acts of animal cruelty in pet stores! The only difference between a puppy mill and a pet store selling pets is the dog graduates to a larger cage!!!

Along with many others pet lovers and animal advocates, I would love to see the store closed -- all pet stores selling animals -- unless they bring in adoptable babies and stop selling animals!

Pets Plus employees plead guilty to animal cruelty.

The Manager and Assistant Manager of the Pets Plus store located on Rt. 130 in Delran, plead guilty to animal cruelty charges in Delran Municipal court on Wednesday.

Manager John Mezzatesta plead guilty to: Failure to provide a living creature with necessary care and causing the death of a living creature. Assistant Manager Jon Crivelli plead guilty to: Failure to provide a living creature with necessary care.
The case was heard before Judge Richard Andronici and a substantial penalty was imposed on both defendants.

On June 2, 2014, the Burlington County Board of Health contacted the Burlington County S.P.C.A. Humane Police and together conducted a joint inspection of the Pets Plus store in Delran. The inspection was prompted by a call to the Health Department regarding a sick puppy that did not receive medical attention and died as a result.

Burlington County Humane Police Officer Theresa Cooper accompanied Mr. Kurt Hendricks of the County Health Department and found that the managers of the store were in violation of New Jersey Animal Cruelty Statutes.

The investigation determined that the manager and assistant manager were told by the store’s veterinarian to take the dog to a 24 hour medical facility due to the severity of the dog’s condition. The dog was an 8 week old Yorkie Poo. The puppy was never taken for medical care. Failure to follow medical advice resulted in the death of the dog.

Officer Cooper charged both defendants on June 6, 2014 and are no longer employed at the Pets Plus location in Delran.
- Chief Cheryl Mosca

“How You Can Help? If you witness or hear about animal cruelty taking place,

please contact us immediately on our Cruelty Hotline at 1-800-582-5979.” WEB SITE

Helping to keep beloved pets healthy and safe... And pet parents informed!

Lori

I’ve Got the ‘Scoop’!, LLC, is a licensed, registered, and insured professional pet care provider offering comprehensive pet services.

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