Customer Said Dog From Just Pups Dropped Dead After 2 Months

PARAMUS, N.J. – Twenty complaints against three of Just Pups North Jersey locations have been filed with the Better Business Bureau, some of which date back to 2014.

The North Jersey chain has come under fire from former customers, animal rights groups, and politicians since police found 67 dogs in a near-freezing van early Monday morning.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Paramus Police Department are investigating Just Pups for animal cruelty. The Paramus Board of Health shut down the store Wednesday while the investigation continues. The health department could revoke the store’s license Monday. Owner Vincent LoSacco has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

One complainant who purchased a Mati-Poo puppy from the Emerson store was out walking with the dog when it “collapsed and died instantly.” The dog allegedly died from a congenital lung malformation that caused the dog’s lung to fill up with blood and burst.

Store personnel told the person that their vet needed to perform a necropsy and to “keep the puppy on ice.”

“When the dog is out of my care for two months, I have no idea how it died,” said owner Vincent LoSacco. “The necropsy revealed that there was no evidence that the condition. My vet indicated that the dog could have ingested poison, which could have caused the condition.”

Ten of the complaints were filed against the Paramus location, which has an “F” rating with the bureau.

People told stories about getting sick, lethargic dogs and racking up huge medical bills as much as $1,600.

Several dogs reportedly had dislocated kneecaps. One dog was so sick she couldn’t lift her head off the ground. A few people said their dogs had pneumonia.

One complainant said the Yorkie puppy she bought was diagnosed with kennel cough and a grade two kneecap dislocation. The complainant said a store associate couldn’t find the dog’s paperwork and the manager brought out “three containers with unlabeled liquids claiming to be providing us with antibiotics.” The manager refused to show the woman the original bottle the liquids came in, according to the complaint.

Another person said another dog was diagnosed with kennel cough, had a fever of 104 degrees, was “very dehydrated” and had “severe diarrhea.” According to the complaint, the dog had “very severe pathogens” that could be “contagious to other dogs or humans.”

According to the BBB, the business failed to respond to any of the complaints filed against it.

LoSacco said he offered to pay for dogs’ vet bills past the 14-day guarantee the stores have. He estimates he’s sold between 6,500 and 7,000 dogs in the past four years.

“Percentage wise, it’s extremely low,” LoSacco said. “If I had a dollar for every customer who didn’t have a complaint, I’d be sitting on a big pile of cash.”

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Sign up for Patch N.J. email newsletters here.

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