Community Corner
Bergen County Town Bans The Sale Of Dogs From Puppy Mills
Emerson is one of two towns where a Just Pups store is located. The store's owner, Vincent LoSacco, has been charged with animal cruelty.
The Emerson Borough Council voted Tuesday to ban the sale of dogs bred in puppy mills, the first municipality in Bergen County to enact such a law.
Police found 67 puppies crammed into cages and covered in urine and feces in a near-freezing van outside Vincent LoSacco's Just Pups store in April. LoSacco also owns the Emerson store. The Paramus store was shut down after the dogs were found.
The East Brunswick Town Council voted to permanently revoke LoSacco's health license March 28 and shut the store down as well. Inspectors found three dead dogs inside a freezer at the East Brunswick location in January. LoSacco also owns a Just Pups store in East Hanover.
LoSacco and his brother have each been charged with 134 counts of animal cruelty as a result of an investigation into the April incident.
Animal rights activists have protested at the Emerson store for weeks.
Other North Jersey municipalities are working on similar ordinance. Wyckoff unanimously introduced an ordinance June 6. The Township Committee is expected to vote on it June 21.
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