Livingston Council Bans Sale Of ‘Puppy Mill’ Dogs, Cats

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Livingston Town Council has approved an ordinance that would ban local pet shops from selling dogs and cats that suffer “inhumane breeding conditions” such as those found in puppy mills.

During their Monday public meeting, the Livingston Township Council approved an ordinance on second reading that will only allow local pet stores to sell dogs and cats that come from animal control centers/shelters or animal rescue organizations.

In addition, Livingston pet stores will not be allowed to sell puppies or kittens younger than eight weeks old.

The ordinance takes effect 90 days after passage.

According to the ordinance, current federal and state regulations “do not adequately address” the sale of puppy and kitten mill dogs and cats in pet shops.

“A significant number of puppies and kittens sold at pet shops come from large-scale, commercial breeding facilities where the health and welfare of the animals are not adequately provided for… Restricting the retail sale of puppies and kittens to only those that are sourced from shelter or rescue organizations is likely to decrease the demand for puppies and kittens bred in puppy and kitten mills, and is likely to increase demand for animals from animal shelter and rescue organizations,” the ordinance asserts.

The ordinance states that the law “will not affect a consumer’s ability to obtain a dog or cat of his or her choice directly from a breed-specific rescue organization or a shelter, or from a hobby breeder where the consumer can see directly the conditions in which the dogs or cats are bred.”

Read the full ordinance here.

'JUST PUPS' SCANDAL

Livingston’s new law reportedly comes in response to complaints from local residents in regard to the recently closed “Just Pups” pet store on Route 10 in East Hanover.

East Hanover Police first investigated owner Vincent LoSacco in January for allegedly bringing a number of dogs into New Jersey from Texas without the proper paperwork, something he also got in trouble with the Missouri Department of Agriculture for involving at a puppy farm he owns there.

LoSacco has been the subject of intense criticism from North Jersey residents and animals rights groups since health inspectors found three dead dogs inside a freezer at the Just Pups location in East Brunswick last January. Inspectors also found puppies inside the store being kept without enough fresh water, and healthy puppies mixed in with very sick, contagious dogs.

The closing marks the fourth and final of LoSacco's stores to close since police discovered 67 puppies inside a van in near-freezing temperatures outside the Paramus store last April. LoSacco and his brother Leonard were each charged with 67 counts of animal cruelty in connection with the incident.

LoSacco also had stores in East Brunswick and Emerson, both of which are closed.

The East Brunswick Town Council voted to permanently revoke Vincent LoSacco's health license March 28 and shut the store down. The Paramus Board of Health also revoked LoSacco's license. Emerson denied Just Pups' business license, a decision that a Superior Court judge upheld, NorthJersey.com reported.

The final store in the Just Pups chain was placed in quarantine by the East Hanover Board of Health last month.

• See related article: Last Just Pups Store Put In Quarantine
• See related article: Pet Store Owners Speak Out Against Just Pups

Patch File Photo: Some of the puppies found in the van outside of the Just Pups Paramus location, courtesy of the Paramus Police Department

Additional reporting by Daniel Hubbard and Katie Kausch

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