According to general manager Benjamin Santiago, Puppy Boutique has been on 80th Street between 16th and 17th avenues for the last 30 years and employs about 12 workers, who are now concerned for their livelihoods.A new state law banning the retail sale of pets has some longstanding NYC pet shop owners worried that the law will damage their businesses while also failing to protect animal welfare.
on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, which opened in 1998, is slated to close on Dec. 14, the day before the ban takes effect. The manager called the ban “very insane and unjust” and said Zoo-Rama plans to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection while its six to eight workers file for unemployment. The store is also party to a newly filedThe manager said his store is doing everything right, even exceeding state and city standards. All puppies are checked by three different veterinarians and come with NYC pet licenses and records of vaccinations and a fecal exam, which the manager said is not required.
However, he anticipates a challenging period once the law comes into effect on Sunday and he is bracing for a huge hit to the store’s revenue. Ahmed said he would be letting go of four staff members and would reduce the number of staff at the store from five to one until he could gauge the impact that the law has had on his business.
He added that the law is a “bad way” to address puppy farming and that it would be much more effective if the state legislature implemented a practice of identifying which pet stores are using “bad breeders.”