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

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!

Call to action: Please we must stop this NOW

Stop Killing Dogs & Cats 

For Their Meat in the USA

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/711/635/915/stop-killing-dogs-cats-for-their-meat-in-the-usa

Please get your family to sign the petition to stop slaughtering canines and cats for meat. This is unthinkable that this is happening in the USA!

It is sad to think that dogs and cats would be slaughtered as a way to provide a food source for people and has been a common practice across the world. However, the Humane Society has recently reported that dogs and cats are often bred right here in the United States for the purpose of human consumption.

The Humane Society goes on to state that 44 states allow dogs to be raised and sold for meat, with only Virginia, California, Hawaii, New York, Georgia, and Michigan having laws that prevent such practices. Those particular states classify the consumption of dog meat as animal cruelty. Some laws are so unclear that it appears to be legal to sell and consume dog and cat meat. Some puppy mills allegedly sell to butchers around the country!

Help stop the practice of raising dogs and cats for meat by asking the federal government to step in. Sign and and share this petition to demand raising and and consuming household pets be considered animal cruelty.

Woof, woof, till later, 

Zoey