Follow-up to Just Pups in Paramus

Just Pups Owner Charged With 134 Counts Of Animal Cruelty

67 puppies were found in a van outside the Just Pups store in Paramus, NJ last month.

By DANIEL HUBBARD (Patch Staff) - April 27, 2016

PARAMUS, N.J. — Vincent LoSacco and his brother Leonard were each charged Tuesday with 134 counts of animal cruelty for keeping 67 puppies in a van in near-freezing temperatures outside LoSacco's Just Pups store in Paramus, said Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.

Paramus police found the van just before 3 a.m. April 3 while patrolling the parking lot. The officers heard crying and whining coming from the van, police said. As many as four puppies were crammed into some cages. Some could not stand up and were covered in feces and urine, the prosecutor said.

The temperature inside the van was 38 degrees when police found the animals. There was a heater inside the van, but it did not adequately heat the inside of the van, police said.

The Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Animal Cruelty Task Force determined that Leonard LoSacco, who works for his brother, transported the puppies from his brother's puppy farm in Missouri, Grewal said. The trip took several days and Leonard LoSacco arrived the night before the police discovered the van, the prosecutor said.

With his brother's knowledge, Grewal said, Leonard LoSacco, 51, parked the van in the "far back parking lot" and left, anticipating that the puppies would be unloaded the next day.

Both LoSacco and his brother were charged on summonses. They are due to be arraigned in Bergen County Central Municipal Court May 10 at 1:30 p.m.

Vincent LoSacco was written up earlier this year violation Missouri state code regarding the keeping and sale of dogs and puppies. The violations ranged from having unhealthy dogs to not maintaining proper health records. He denies running a puppy mill and doing anything wrong.

There used to be four Just Pups stores in North Jersey, but two of them were shut down earlier this year amid animal cruelty allegations.

Inspectors found three dead dogs inside a freezer at the Just Pups location in East Brunswick in January. The East Brunswick Town Council voted to permanently revoke Vincent LoSacco's health license March 28 and shut the store down. The Paramus Board of Health is meeting next week and could recommend the Borough Council make a similar move at its next meeting.

Vincent LoSacco reads from a prepared statement in response to animal cruelty allegations after 67 puppies were found in a van outside his Just Pups store in Paramus earlier this month. YouTube

Top 5 myths about shelter dogs

Reprinted from Cesar's Way / https://www.cesarsway.com/


Part of Cesar’s mission is to promote rescue, rehabilitation, and re-homing of dogs. There are millions of homeless dogs in the world, and a large number of them are currently in shelters waiting for one of two options: a forever home, or death. Often, people are reluctant to adopt shelter dogs because of certain preconceived notions about them. Here, we debunk five common myths about shelter dogs.

1. They’re in the shelter because something is wrong with them

This myth comes from common misunderstandings about how dogs wind up in shelters in the first place. The perception is that dogs end up in animal shelters because they were strays, they were seized in police raids, or they were aggressive. So, they will tend to run away, they will have emotional problems because of how they were treated, or they are just vicious.

But, in reality, a big reason that dogs wind up in shelters is because they were given up by their owners for reasons that have nothing to do with the dog’s behavior. A lot of families give up their dogs because they can’t afford them anymore, or they are forced to move to a place where they can’t have dogs or, worse, can’t have a dog of a particular breed.

Related: If you can’t adopt...

Dogs also end up in shelters when expectations and reality don’t meet — that little Dalmatian puppy grew up into a large, energetic dog living in a studio apartment, or that lap dog that was so cute in the pet store became uncontrollable and dominant because its cuteness earned nothing but affection, affection, affection, so the dog never had any rules, boundaries, or limitations.

The only thing inherently wrong with a shelter dog is that it’s in a shelter and not with a loving family.

2. You’ll never know their history

While this may be true, it’s not a bad thing, because that shelter dog will never really know its own history, either — especially not once it’s brought into a loving home with good Pack Leaders. Dogs don’t dwell on the past, and we shouldn't either, especially when it comes to dogs.

There are shelters that offer a glimpse of the dog’s story, but that’s not necessarily a good thing because, again, humans like to dwell in the past. Whether the dog was abused by children, thrown out of a car, rescued from a dog-fighting ring, or whatever traumatic event she went through, it's past. Dogs live in the moment.

A dog's past will only be a problem if you constantly dwell on what happened before the shelter. The dog forgot about it once it wasn’t happening anymore, and you can help the dog forget as well by not triggering anything that resembles that early trauma.

3. They may have a disease

Yes, they may, kennel cough being particularly common. However, most shelters nowadays will also provide you with a voucher for a subsidized or no-cost first vet visit, and the more devastating diseases have vaccines that are routinely provided by the shelter, like the DHPP(Distemper/Hepatitis/Parvovirus/Parainfluenza) shot, as well as a rabies vaccination. Shelters also make sure that dogs are free of fleas and worms, and they provide spaying and neutering as part of the adoption process.

4. They aren’t purebred

And…? Unless you’re a breeder or are looking for a professional show dog, mixed breed dogs are a much better choice. They are generally free of genetic or behavioral problems that are typical of some pure breeds, like hip dysplasia in German shepherds or incessant digging by terriers.

Mixed breed dogs are also just much more interesting looking, since they don’t follow the strict standards required for purebreds. Finally, if you live in an area with breed specific laws (BSL) that ban certain dogs, like pit bulls or Rottweilers, having that other identifiable breed in the mix can avoid issues with your dog being outlawed.

5. They’re too old

Adopting a puppy can be an attractive idea — you get to start out with a four-legged blank slate, and raise it to adulthood. However, people often focus on the “cute” part and forget the reality of raising a puppy: It can be just as intense and difficult as raising a child, and it’s also a full time job.

Sure, it only takes about a year and a half to raise a puppy, as opposed to eighteen (or more) for children, but that can be a year and a half of having things chewed up or peed on, having your rules constantly tested, and having a growing ball of energy rushing around the house.

You can also never be absolutely sure with a puppy what you’ll wind up with as an adult. You may want a medium size dog and the shelter thought that the puppy you've adopted was mostly beagle. What happens, then, when the other part turns out to be a St. Bernard or Great Dane and the dog you expected to weigh 30 pounds tops out at 150?

Particularly if you don’t have a lot of time to spend on training, an adult dog around 1 or 2 years old can be ideal. They usually come with all the useful features pre-installed: Housebroken, they know some tricks, they’re used to people. If they do have any behavioral issues, they will be much easier to fix at this point — assuming that they show up at all, which they may not if you do things the right way.

And don’t discount senior dogs, which are those aged 7 years or more. Senior dogs can be ideal for lower-energy households, or in situations where you don’t want to commit for ten or fifteen whole years but still want a loving companion.

So, next time you want to add a dog to your family or your pack, adopt don’t shop — you’ll save a life and find a faithful friend at the same time.

No bomb searching for me...

Woof, I can do all of this except search for bombs. My only search is for balls and stuffies that I can pull apart. Sorry, Kyla, for tearing your jaguar apart on Sunday. Mama says she will stitch him up and you won't even know where he was hurt. Can't promise I won't do it again so my advice to you is not to leave any stuffies where I can get them--like off the floor.

Anyone notice how gentle I was to the little rug rat on Sunday? I couldn't resist sniffing her while she was locked in the high chair. She smells so sweet (maybe that was the food Kyla fed her)! I think she is a baby who has a lot of hair. Note Kyla's jaguar sitting safely next to her.

Woof, woof, till later, 

Zoey

Please take a moment to read this important post

This is an usual post for my blog but Mama and I think it is very important to help spread the word. 

Rae is my Mama's long-time, good friend Joan's great granddaughter. Joan is very good to me and this is the least I can do to help her granddaughter. 

Please, if possible, make a donation to the fund. Any amount will be appreciated and all the funds will be used for Rae's care and education. Thank you in advance for your kindness.

https://www.gofundme.com/v7ytymvg

This is my grandniece, Raevyn. What an amazing story she will be able to share one day and I'm asking for everyone's help to ensure she has all of the resources available to her. I made a promise to her the night she was born that I would always be here for her and do all that I can to support her and ensure she has every opportunity available to every person fortunate enough to be born in this amazing world.

Raevyn (Rae) is not my blood but she is my family by any and all accounts. 
Her mother has been in my life since she was a toddler and I love her as much as anyone can love another human being. 

Rae's mom, my niece, is a single parent and has been recently diagnosed with avery aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and has been enduring chemotherapy as frequently as every other week.  The chemo is being delivered via a port that was surgically implanted in her head to access the tumor that is wrapped around the sacrum (lower spinal column) which infiltrated the central nervous system and cancerous cells have been found in her brain. There is another port surgically implanted into her chest to deliver the chemo to the rest of her blood stream to hopefully destroy the other masses the size of oranges within her pelvis.

If anyone has seen the effects of chemotherapy on a person, you know its not possible to take care of yourself let alone a toddler who requires constant care.
My niece is unable to work and therefore has no money to pay for daycare for Rae. 

I'm pleading with you all to help me raise enough money to pay child care for up to a year so Rae has a safe place to go during the day to allow my niece to heal and get better for Rae, for her family and for me.

The money would go directly to the facility and any excess would go into a college fund for Rae to be used to further her opportunities later in life and give her a platform to tell the story that is incredibly and uniquely, Rae.

Thank you for reading and please know that anything you are willing to contribute is a huge help and graciously accepted.

Woof, woof till later and thank you, 

Zoey Elizabeth

Snow on the way...really?

Mama is going to yell at me for posting this because of the "bad, overused word," but I just couldn't resist. I think Mother Nature has been smoking too because she certainly is not paying attention to the calendar. Anyone listening...it should not be snowing in April!

Woof, woof, till later, (Peace out),

Zoey

One day warm and then surprise!

Another reason to adopt not buy from pet stores

Just Pups owner Vincent LoSacco defends leaving 67 puppies in van

News 12 NJ / Updated April 6, 2016 5:38 PM

Vincent LoSacco is defending his actions of leaving 67 puppies in a van overnight.

PARAMUS - The owner of several pet shops in New Jersey who is facing over 250 counts of animal cruelty is defending his action of leaving 67 puppies in a van overnight in Paramus.

Just Pups owner Vincent LoSacco showed members of the media a similar van that he says he uses to ship the animals. He is arguing against a Paramus police report that says that the temperature inside the van was 38 degrees when officers found the puppies.

“You have to open that sliding door and let all the cold air rush in and all the hot air rush out,” says LoSacco. “So [the officers] looked in, then they went [into the van], door open, then they took the temperature.”

The police report also stated that the puppies did not have adequate food and water inside the van. LoSacco says that there was enough food and water inside the van when the puppies arrived at the Paramus Just Pups location Sunday night.

LoSacco is facing 267 animal cruelty charges for the poor health conditions of the animals at his Just Pups East Brunswick store. He could face more charges in Paramus.

Blogger's note: He should be left in a cage with 67 strangers in a cold van with minimal food and water and let's see how he likes it!

Use your voice to protect animals

Woof, woof, till later, 

Zoey

even dogs have to be reminded ...when I was...

Sounds like human grandparents' memories