By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — While the Township Council voted on restricting dog and cat sales, the owner of the now-closed Just Pups in East Brunswick faces charges of animal cruelty in relation to the store’s Paramus location.
The council voted unanimously at its April 25 meeting to pass an ordinance that would disallow pet shops and kennels from selling dogs and cats that do not come from animal care facilities or animal rescue organizations.
There was a public hearing on the measure, but no member of the public chose to speak.
Members of the Township Council also endorsed a similar bill making its way through the state Assembly that was introduced April 14.
“It’s something that we all should support as it helps our four-legged friends,” Councilwoman Camille Ferraro Clark said. “The sooner that gets passed, the better our entire state is.”
The bill would require breeders or other providers of dogs to pet shops to certify compliance with state breeding and care regulations. The measure would also prohibit pet shop sales of dogs without certification and require inspections and reallocation of dog license revenues to fund enforcement.
Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin (D-Middlesex), a former East Brunswick councilwoman, and Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson (D-Mercer and Middlesex) are two of six co-sponsors of the bill.
The move comes almost a month after the council voted to revoke the pet shop license of Just Pups LLC, located off Route 18 , which was one of four pet stores in New Jersey owned by Vincent LoSacco along with Paramus, Emerson and East Hanover; he also owns one store in New York.
The East Brunswick and Paramus locations have been shut down.
Just Pups LLC is also facing 267 counts of animal cruelty, which was set to be decided in the East Brunswick municipal court.
At a court hearing on April 28, lawyers for LoSacco argued for a change of venue citing a possible conflict of interest in that LoSacco was appealing the East Brunswick council’s decision in the Middlesex County Superior Court.
According to Jean Cipriani, attorney for East Brunswick, Just Pups LLC is continuing to appeal the council’s decision.
“Just Pups has filed an amended complaint in the Middlesex County Superior Court challenging this council’s revocation of their license. We, of course, will be defending this township’s action vigorously,” Cipriani said.
According to the township municipal court, Judge Edward Herman has decided to transfer the case out of East Brunswick due to a conflict of interest.
On April 26, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office announced that the Animal Cruelty Task Force charged LoSacco and his brother Leonard LoSacco with 134 counts of animal cruelty.
Two Paramus police officers discovered a van parked in the back parking lot of Just Pups located on Route 17 south in Paramus on April 4 at approximately 3 a.m. The officers were reportedly attracted by sounds and odor; they reportedly looked inside the van to discover 67 puppies stored in small cages, according to the prosecutor’s office.
According to the prosecutor’s office, several puppies were covered in feces and lacked adequate food and water.
The cages allegedly contained as many as four puppies and were so small that larger puppies could not stand up inside them, according to reports. The temperature inside the van was purportedly measured at 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
The puppies were subsequently transported to Oradell Animal Hospital, according to law enforcement.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Leonard LoSacco drove the van from Missouri where he had picked up puppies. The trip lasted several days, and Leonard arrived at the Paramus store April 3. Leonard allegedly parked the van in the parking lot behind the store and left the area with plans to unload the puppies the next day, according to the prosecutor.
Both men are scheduled to be arraigned on May 10.
According to the Just Pups website on April 29, Just Pups Paramus had officially consolidated with Just Pups Emerson.
Contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@gmnews.com.
