State law could close Salmon Run Mall pet store | Business

The law bans all retail pet stores across the state from selling dogs, kittens and rabbits.

For several years, the Pet Zone, a chain out of Florida with other locations in Albany, Poughkeepsie and Queensbury, has been in legal trouble with the state attorney general’s office for selling sick puppies.

The pet sales ban was implemented “to stop dangerous large-scale breeding operations known as ‘puppy mills,’ where animals are often mistreated and suffer from serious health issues,” according to a press release from the attorney general’s office.

“Puppy mills often misrepresent the health of the animals they breed and send retail stores sick pets that then cost families thousands of dollars in veterinary care,” the office said.

The local store was one of the factors that prompted the state law.

In a statement from the chain, it said the law will force the company to close the Salmon Run Mall store on Dec. 15.

Nine employees work at the Watertown location.

The company also contends that the law will not stop puppy mills from existing — the farms where hundreds of puppies are produced will go underground and dogs will continue to suffer, the statement went on to say. “Since 2006, we’ve had the privilege of bringing joy to thousands of families by providing healthy, happy puppies,” it said.

“This law fails to stop puppy mills, protect puppies or protect the livelihoods of the hardworking people who have poured their hearts into this business. Its only accomplishment is to put people out of work 10 days before Christmas.”

According to the law, retail pet stores that sell pets after December 15 can face penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. The law doesn’t apply to humane societies, animal rescues, or licensed breeders.

A store employee, who didn’t want to be identified, said the puppies aren’t from puppy mills. The store uses reputable USDA-accredited breeders, she said.

The puppies are checked for a series of illnesses, including respiratory issues, highly contagious kennel cough and worms before going home with customers.

She showed a form with a list of illnesses that are checked off before a sale is made. A local retired veterinarian comes into the store to examine puppies, she said. The puppies are also equipped with a microchip.

On this afternoon, she and a coworker were taking individual puppies out of their kennels and weighing them one by one.

Last week, half of the kennels were empty. On this day, almost all were back filled up by new puppies that arrived to the store this week.

Any puppies that are not sold by the Dec. 15 deadline will go to other stores not affected by the ban, she said.

A sign in the store indicates that customers can negotiate a price for the puppies.

Since 2017, the state AG’s office has investigated the pet store chain, claiming it misled customers about the health of pets they purchased by providing incomplete medical records and violated the state’s Pet Lemon law.

In 2023, the chain agreed to set up a restitution fund for customers who were tricked into buying sick pets.

The AG’s office arranged for Bell Pet Co. LLC, which does business as The Pet Zone, agreed to pay $2,500 in civil penalties and establish a fund of up to $200,000 to reimburse customers eligible for medical costs incurred after they unknowingly purchased a sick animal from the business.

Three years ago, the AG’s office received a complaint about a Sharpei-beagle mix that came down with kennel cough shortly after it was purchased from the Watertown store and nearly died.

The owners ended up with an emergency vet bill totaling in the hundreds of dollars. The dog survived and the owners were reimbursed for the vet bills.

Animal activists support the law.

Janea Bartlett, operations manager for the Jefferson County SPCA, agreed with the overall tactics that it takes against pet stores.

However, a component of the law involves partnerships between pet stores and animal shelters that would provide rental space for nonprofits to showcase their dogs at the businesses.

The SPCA wasn’t interested in the arrangement with The Pet Zone, she said.

While she isn’t aware of any situations in which puppies were mistreated by The Pet Zone, the dogs live in cages most of the day and don’t get enough exercise, she said.

As she sees it, it’s a quality of life issue for the puppies.

“It’s not up to the standard of care for our animals,” she said.

Whether The Pet Zone survives remains to be seen. A lawsuit has been filed by a group of downstate pet store chains to try to block the law.

Last Friday, they filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Suffolk County that would appeal the law, claiming it’s unconstitutional. It argues that laws are already on the books that protect the animals and consumers.

They are seeking an injunction so the lawsuit continues.

But employees of the Pet Zone will have to wait to see if they still have a job after Dec. 15.