Opinion: Feed Bag Owner Says She Will Not Sell Animals In Her Store

I am the owner of , a pet store in Cutchogue, N.Y. I do not sell animals.

Prior to opening my store, I worked for three different Suffolk County stores that sold puppies. I recently attended a in Suffolk County pet stores. One of the store owners I worked for spoke at this hearing defending his store.

I would like to describe for you my first-hand experience in his business. The majority of puppies sold would be trucked into the store from huge Class B puppy brokers in the Midwest. Honeydew Kennels and Tracy's K and J Pets are two examples. Both of these brokers have numerous USDA violations. When they arrived at his establishment an assembly line would be set up. The transporter would grab the pups by the back of the neck and hand it to a store employee who would then pass the puppy to me.

My job would be to “inspect” the puppy. I was not a veterinarian or a vet tech. If the puppies had visible abnormalities it would be tossed back on the truck, their fate unknown. The puppies sold at his store that did not come off of these trucks were shipped by air to either La Guardia or Kennedy. They arrived in filthy crates filled with many puppies, not all of them alive.

The puppies that came into the store looking “healthy” would go right onto the show floor. If the puppy was “sick” it would go to the “Iso” room. All illnesses were lumped together — puppies with kennel cough, parvovirus , distemper, all would go in the same room. The shop owner, not a veterinarian, would then determine the medical treatment the puppies would receive.

Every morning when we arrived for work the puppies would be filthy, covered in excrement, screaming and hungry. These were the lucky ones, some just sat and shook, others were removed from their cages dead. The shop owner would be compensated by the broker for puppies dying within a certain time frame after delivery. There was no incentive to make these puppies healthy by sending them to a vet. That would cost money and affect the bottom line.

After a week or so in recovery, and as demand required, they went to the sales floor. As sales associates we were never advised to counsel potential buyers on the appropriate breed for their family. We were given bonuses based on our gross sales. The other two stores I worked in that sold puppies differed very little from this.

When I went into this business it was because I wanted to be the person who facilitates that perfect moment when a family meets their new member. I wanted to be the one who put those fabulous smiles on their excited faces when they found the perfect puppy.

I am well known and respected in the community and the animal rescue field. I work closely with the local shelter, providing high quality food at low cost for the sheltered animals, and space in my store for animals needing homes. In spite of this, I have found that there is no way for me to sell puppies from my retail establishment that does not contribute to the suffering of both the parent dogs and the puppies bred from them. Reputable breeders with high standards of care do not sell their puppies to ANY pet stores for resale. The only option for pet stores wishing to make a profit selling puppies are puppy mills.

I do not sell animals in my store because it is impossible to do so without contributing to this barbaric trade. I wholeheartedly support this legislation and thank Legis. Jon Cooper and Legis. Ed Romaine for introducing this bill

Thank you for your time.

— Amy Cirincione,  horseplayalc@aol.com