- Shake A Paw Pet Store Caught Selling Sick Puppies to Unsuspecting Customers
New York Attorney General, Letitia James, has announced the settlement of $300K with Shake A Paw, a Long Island pet store. Followed by an investigation that revealed they sold sick puppies to unsuspecting New Yorkers.
Highlights of the Investigation
According to the investigation, Shake A Paw was found to have engaged in harmful and deceptive practices. They sold sick puppies, over half of which had respiratory infections, pneumonia, and parasites. The pet store falsely advertised the puppies as healthy and acquired from trusted breeders. When customers with sick puppies contacted Shake A Paw after being saddled with heavy financial burdens, the pet store refused to cover the veterinary bills.
Although the store claimed to have sourced the puppies from reputable breeders, the investigation revealed that they obtained the puppies from facilities renowned for poor animal welfare practices.
Investigations by the Office of the Attorney General also revealed that the pet store kept dogs in poor conditions and pawned off sick puppies that died days or weeks after being bought. The store will be required to change its business practices and stop using misleading advertising about selling the best and healthiest puppies. In December 2024, the ruling also stated the pet store will be banned entirely from selling dogs because of the new state law, which prohibits pet stores from selling dogs.
In December 2021, Attorney General James, sued Shake A Paw after an investigation revealed that the two Long Island locations in Lynbrook and Hicksville deceptively advertised sick pets as healthy and failed to disclose the accurate medical conditions of the animals.
After filing the lawsuit against the pet store, AG James obtained a temporary court order prohibiting the stores from buying or adopting new animals for resale. AG James also appointed a vet to examine the puppies in the stores before their sales and froze their bank accounts.
The announced settlement of $300k resolved the Office of the Attorney General case against Shake A Paw. The settlement will be distributed among affected customers, and the company is expected to comply with all state and local animal welfare laws, including infection treatments, enclosures, adequate housing, and other measures required for proper care.
The settlement elicited appreciation from customers and animal rights groups, including Meaghan Huber, a former customer of Shake A Paw. Attorney General Office also appreciates the cooperation of Dr. Diane Levitan and Dr. Julie Fixman, DVMs; Kathleen Summers, Director of Outreach & Research of the Humane Society of the US Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, among others.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Nassau Regional Office, Valerie Singleton, Deputy AAGIC Toni Logue, and others.
