Hudson Valley Pet Store Owner Barred from Selling Animals

LARCHMONT, NY — A pet store owner who mistreated animals and sold ones that were sick has reached an agreement with New York State.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced Monday that Richard Doyle will be barred permanently from working as a pet dealer.

He has been fined $20,000 in fees and penalties.

Doyle owned and operated three retail pet stores in the Hudson Valley: American Breeders, Inc., in Wappingers Falls, Puppies and Kittens in Mohegan Lake and Best Breeds, Inc., in Larchmont. He also owned American Breeders on Federal Road in Danbury, CT.

Schneiderman’s office started an investigation into Doyle’s businesses in 2015 after receiving numerous complaints from people who bought pets from his stores and subsequently found they were sick.

“By shutting down stores that mistreat animals — and sell sick animals — we can help ensure that consumers are purchasing healthy pets, while protecting the animals themselves from those who break the law to turn a profit,” Schneiderman said.

Doyle had certified his pets were healthy, but consumers reported their own veterinarians found the animals to be suffering from serious health conditions such as parvo, giardiasis, pneumonia, intestinal parasites and kennel cough.

Doyle also falsified the names and license numbers of his suppliers to make it appear as though he purchased the animals from reputable sources.

Schneiderman said that Doyle, who is not a veterinarian, performed surgery on animals in the back rooms of his stores and also ordered high school-age employees to routinely administer injectable medications and intravenous fluids to mask rather than cure diseases and infections in sick animals.

Doyle would then lie or ask his young employees to lie to the inspecting veterinarians regarding the illnesses so the veterinarians would not mark the animals unfit for sale.

These procedures were not carried out in a sanitary environment, and there was no veterinarian supervision or approval. Syringes were re-used and pre- and post-operative infection control was not practiced. In some cases, when Doyle was unable to “cure” an animal himself, he let the sick animal suffer and, in some cases left it to die, rather than paying for routine veterinary care.

Per the terms of the voluntary agreement, Richard Doyle is permanently barred from operating a pet sales business and must surrender all licenses relative to the sale of animals. Furthermore, he is required to pay $15,000 in restitution which will be distributed to the consumers who purchased sick animals from his stores and $5,000 in penalties and costs to the state.

The Attorney General urges those interested in bringing home a dog or cat to adopt, not shop for their new best friend. By adopting from a local SPCA or shelter, an animal in need gets a home, and space and resources are freed up for the facility to take in more homeless dogs. In turn, the new owner can ensure that they are receiving a healthy pet, as these dogs have been fully vetted, immunized and given a clean bill of health.

Photo caption: Richard Doyle. Photo credit: Danbury Police Department.