NY Attorney General Sues LI Pet Store Over Sick Puppies

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced today that her office was filing a lawsuit against a Long Island pet store for knowingly selling people sick puppies, and forging paperwork to cover up the illnesses.

According to the attorney general, Shake A Paw pet store, which has locations in Hicksville and Lynbrook, purchased dogs from known puppy mills and knowingly sold sick canines to customers. James said that the stores advertised the sick dogs as healthy, faked health certificates, didn't disclose the dogs' medical issues, misrepresented puppies' breeds and then refused to reimburse people when they complained.

As part of the action, James' office filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against Shake A Paw, which would remove all the dogs in both locations and bring them to local shelters for safe keeping while the lawsuit is ongoing. It would also freeze the bank accounts of the stores and seize the funds to pay for the dogs' care.

James' lawsuit is seeking restitution for those who purchased sick dogs from Shake A Paw, as well as civil penalties against the stores. James said she is also seeking a permanent injunction that would prevent Shake A Paw from selling any animals in the future

“Shake A Paw’s actions of deceiving consumers into purchasing sick or injured dogs is unconscionable and illegal,” said James at a press conference outside the Hicksville location. “My office’s thorough investigation uncovered a series of violations by Shake A Paw that defrauded consumers and found sick puppies that came from dangerous puppy mills. When New Yorkers purchased puppies from Shake A Paw, they did not expect to bring home dogs in such heartbreaking and horrifying conditions.”

According to James, her office received nearly 100 complaints from people who had purchased puppies from Shake A Paw, only to bring them home and learn they were sick. In many cases, this led to people having to pay incredibly high veterinary bills in order to save the animals. And some of the dogs still died from the conditions days or weeks after being brought home.

James said her office analyzed more than 400 veterinary records of puppies that were sold by Shake A Paw, and found that 52 percent had coughing, sneezing, upper respiratory infections and/or breathing problems; 54 percent were infected with parasites; and 10 percent had pneumonia.

James said that her office's investigation found direct links between Shake A Paw and known puppy mills. Financial records showed that Shake A Paw knowingly purchased dogs from puppy mills, James said. In one instance, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) told the AG's office that a puppy mill indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for animal abuse had sold puppies to Shake A Paw. James said this shows that the stores' dogs came from mills, and not reputable breeders like they advertised.

It's not the first time Shake A Paw has been accused of selling sick puppies purchased from mills. Nine puppies were seized by the Nassau County SPCA from a delivery truck outside the store in 2019, and all tested positive for respiratory infections.

Erin Laxton, whose family purchased a puppy from Shake A Paw, shared her story at the press conference. She said she finally convinced her mother to get a dog, and due to COVID restrictions at the time, they purchased a puppy from the Shake A Paw in Lynbrook.

"I hardly had a month with my first dog ever before he passed from a slew of ailments that were noticeable as soon as he was brought home," she said.

"I just hope that in the future other families don’t have to suffer the same grief that we did," she added. "I’m proud that I could be involved in this because it feels like I’m getting justice for my dog Merlin."