Pet Store Owners Speak Out Against Just Pups Owner

Members of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) issued a statement speaking out against Just Pups, calling the allegations of animal abuse brought against the business and its owner "extremely disturbing."

The statement, issued on Monday, is signed by six people from five different pet stores around the state, and condemns Just Pups' "continued violation of the state and local laws protecting animal welfare."

Just Pups' owner Vincent LoSacco has been a controversial fixture in New Jersey's pet store community. The last of his four stores has been placed in quarantine by the East Hanover Board of Health for allegedly importing dogs illegally.

LoSacco has denied any wrongdoing in that case.

"Owners like Vincent LoSacco and stores like Just Pups do not reflect the true pet retailer industry, which cares both for and about pets, and aims to provide pets loving homes," members of PIJAC wrote. "We applaud state and local officials for enforcing the law to weed out bad actors."

The other three Just Pups locations have been shut down for various reasons. The East Brunswick location was shut down last February by the town after three dead dogs were found in the freezer.

Outside of the Paramus Just Pups location, 67 puppies were found freezing in the back of a van last April, police said. The Paramus Health Department closed that store pending an investigation, and LoSacco did not attempt to renew that store's license.

The Paramus Board of Health issued more than 400 summonses against LoSacco and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office filed 134 animal cruelty charges against him and his brother after the dogs were discovered. LoSacco's brother, Leonard, admitted leaving the dogs in the van outside the store after transporting them to New Jersey from out of state, authorities said. LoSacco paid a fine as a result of the Paramus summonses. He has plead not guilty to the animal cruelty charges.

A fourth location in Emerson closed last July after its license was not renewed.

RELATED: Year In Review: The Just Pups Case

“PIJAC would like to thank the Township of East Hanover, the NJSPCA, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs for shining a light into Just Pups’ illegal and unethical business practices,” said PIJAC President and CEO Mike Bober. “We’re grateful for these authorities’ continued efforts to enforce the most stringent animal protection laws in the country.”

Customers whose dogs died after being purchased from Just Pups filed several complaints with the Better Business Bureau against the business.

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Pictured: Some of the puppies found in the van outside of the Paramus location, courtesy of the Paramus Police Department.