Holmdel Bans Puppy Mill Puppies From Being Sold In Town

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Holmdel Township Committee passed a fairly restrictive new ordinance Tuesday night that effectively bans pet stores from opening in the Township.

With the exception of the PetSmart at the Holmdel Towne Center, there are no existing pet shops in Holmdel. The ordinance, which was unanimously passed, would allow future businesses to open as facilities that sell animal supplies, and provide grooming, training and boarding. But they could not sell cats or dogs. They only could host adoption events with animals sourced from local shelters, similar to what national retailers like PetCo and PetSmart do.

The ordinance aims to prevent puppy-mill puppies from being sold in Holmdel. About 118 other towns in New Jersey have passed similar laws, and the Red Bank town council is about to, as well.

"We're really happy Holmdel did this," said longtime Holmdel resident Nancy Sasso. Her husband is a retired lieutenant on the Holmdel police force, and their son is currently a Holmdel police officer, as well. Sasso was instrumental in working with three groups (the Humane Society of the United States, Friends of Animals United New Jersey and NJ Residents Against Puppy Mills) to get the Holmdel Township Committee to pass the ordinance.

Sasso became involved in fighting puppy mills after her family endured a tragic event: In 2012, her son paid $1,300 for a Chihuahua puppy from a pet store in Middletown. Within days, they realized something was wrong with the dog. They took her to a vet, who told them the puppy was going blind. The animal also began having seizures, sometimes as many as 15 a day. A vet told them the dog had been exposed to cow feces while in utero at its breeder in Ohio. The dog, Lola, died before its second birthday.

"Our family went through so much with Lola. We spent $8,000 in medical bills trying to keep that dog alive," said Sasso. "And the pet store just lied to our face; they told us this dog is healthy, she's from a good breeder, etc. It was all lies. These pet stores operate on fraud."

After Lola's death, Sasso became politically involved and worked with animal groups to get New Jersey to pass the landmark Pet Purchase Protection Act, which requires pet stores in New Jersey to post all breeder information next to the dogs being sold.

With Holmdel done, Sasso said they are working to get Middletown Township to pass a similar ordinance, but they are encountering resistance.

The number of pet stores in New Jersey has markedly dropped in the past five years, due to increasing pushback from consumers, as well as municipalities and the state either revoking or suspending their licenses. There are currently only 21 pet stores that operate in New Jersey, down from about 46 a few years, said Janice Fisher, of Friends of Animals United New Jersey, a group that helped get the Holmdel ordinance passed.

"We feel strongly that pet store puppies are not sourced from responsible breeders on the whole," said Fisher. "It's an inhumane business on the whole."

The Holmdel ordinance only restricts the sale of dogs and cats. A Holmdel resident, Randy Rauscher, initially suggested it be broadened to include rabbits, as well.

Photo credit: David Allen/Patch