Owner May Open More Just Pups Stores

PARAMUS, N.J — The embattled owner of Just Pups is considering opening other puppy stores at some point after the situation with the Paramus store concludes.

Vincent LoSacco said that right now he “just wants to get through” his business license hearing next week.

The Board of Health is holding the hearing due to the fact that 67 puppies were found in a van outside the store early in the morning April 4. Police said it was 38 degrees inside the van and that the dogs were crammed into cages, and covered in urine and feces. Authorities are considering cruelty against animals charges against LoSacco, who has denied any wrongdoing.

The Board of Health may recommend to the Borough Council that LoSacco’s license to sell puppies be revoked. The council has the final say on whether LoSacco keeps his license or not.

LoSacco owns four Just Pups stores. The others are in Emerson, East Hanover, and East Brunswick. Officials ordered the East Brunswick store closed after three dead dogs were found in a freezer. Paramus officials ordered the store closed after the dogs were found in the van.

Although the store remains closed, LoSacco has slashed the price of the Paramus dogs by half. He said it’s unfair to just have the dogs sit there in the store.

Animal rights groups have protested at the stores in the weeks following the pups discovery in the van.

Dozens of people have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau regarding the stores. They said dogs were sick when they bought them from LoSacco and have racked up hundreds of dollars in vet bills to get them well.

LoSacco will pay for any vet bills owners incur for 14 days after purchasing a puppy. Abigail Morales bought a dog for $1,300 that was diagnosed with kennel cough, a skin infection, and parasites, which eventually turned into worms. Morales had to put her dog on medication for seven months after purchasing her. She has tried contacting LoSacco multiple times only to be hung up on by staff members and having her pleas ignored.

“Every month we’d get a new bill and It would send them over to them,” Morales said. “I haven’t received one phone call back. I’ve had to take time off of work to care for the dog.”

LoSacco insists the vast majority of his customers are satisfied with the dogs they’ve purchased.

“Out of the thousands of dogs we’ve sold, 99 percent of the people have never, ever had a problem,” LoSacco said. “I don’t feel that an apology is necessary because we do everything we can in advance to make sure the dogs are healthy. We never, ever send a dog home if we suspect the dog is sick.”

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

Related: Customer Said Dog From Just Pups Dropped Dead After 2 Months

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Related: Just Pups Owner Denies Any Wrongdoing After Dogs Found In Freezing Van