Three Dead Dogs Found in Freezer of Pet Store, NJSPCA Says

East Brunswick, NJ - Officers with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA) filed a whopping 267 animal cruelty charges Monday against the owner of Just Pups, an East Brunswick pet store on Rt. 18 North. And they say more charges may be on the way.

Just Pups owner Vincent LoSacco, 50, exposed puppies in the store to illnesses, state inspectors say. Several dogs died after they were purchased, and incredibly, investigators say they found three dead dogs being kept in a freezer in the store. Patch has written about LoSacco and Just Pups before, when the store was named as potentially in violation of the Pet Purchase Protection Act, designed to prevent the sale of sick puppies.

State inspectors say LoSacco failed to prevent the spread of infection at his East Brunswick store, and failed to provide proper veterinary care. He allowed sick puppies to mingle with new puppies. As a result, illnesses ran rampant and animals were unnecessarily exposed to giardia, distemper, upper respiratory infections and other infectious diseases. Even humans were at risk from the germs and diseases crawling inside Just Pups, the state said.

Several dogs died after being purchased from the store, the state said. Most shockingly, three dead dogs were being kept in a freezer within the premises. All of those dogs were sent to the State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture for a necropsy, or an autopsy on an animal. Other dogs recently purchased from Just Pups were deemed to be sick and unfit for sale when examined by outside veterinarians.

‘Highly likely more animal cruelty charges will be filed’

The NJSPCA has been working on this case since January 22, in cooperation with the Middlesex County Department of Health and the New Jersey Department of Health. Since the beginning of this case, Middlesex County and the state have temporarily shut down Just Pups on four separate occasions.

LoSacco owns and operates four other pet shops in New Jersey, in Paramus, East Hanover and Emerson.

“We are dealing with a fairly large population of animals at multiple locations. I cannot stress enough, this is an ongoing investigation and it is highly likely that more animal cruelty charges will be filed,” said SPCA president Steve Shatkin.

Just Pups closed by restraining order

On Monday the NJSPCA filed a motion in East Brunswick Municipal Court seeking a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to temporarily close Just Pups. East Brunswick Judge Robyn K. Brown granted that TRO, which will remain in effect until further notice. A voice recording at the store said it was closed for “interior improvements.”

The animal cruelty charges filed against LoSacco carry fines in the neighborhood of $100,000.

The charges were filed in East Brunswick Municipal Court and a hearing date has been set for March 7 at 9:00 a.m.