Monday, January 28, 2013
Pet shop animal cruelty case is finally resolved
The two operators of the former Puppies Galore pet store in Brick must pay thousands of dollars in fines and restitution, and have both received a lifetime ban from engaging in animal-related businesses. Maria De Santis, 58, of Jackson, owned Puppies Galore on Hooper Avenue. Nathan "Nat" Sladkin, 72, of Farmingdale, was the store's manager. The animal cruelty cases against both were resolved last week. On Jan. 26, 2012, authorities removed 39 puppies from the store – which was already closed due to health violations – after receiving a tip from a member of the public. The puppies were found to be sick and malnourished, officials said at the time, and some were taken to emergency animal hospitals for treatment. The store's operating license…
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Trial was expected to begin Wednesday
The trial of the former owner and manager of the Puppies Galore pet store has been postponed. A court date had been set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, but court staff told Brick Patch the case had been adjourned. A new date had not yet been set. It was expected that the court date would mark the beginning of the animal cruelty trial of store owner Maria De Santis and manager Nathan "Nat" Sladkin. De Santis is facing 38 counts of animal cruelty, while Sladkin is facing four counts of the same charge. In January, authorities shut down the store, located in the Town Hall Shoppes plaza, and removed 39 puppies. Officials said 26 of the 39 puppies were sick at the time. The store, before the puppies were removed, had just stopped operating following a…
Monday, July 9, 2012
Special prosecutor assigned to case
The owner and manager of the former Puppies Galore pet shop are set to appear in court this week on animal cruelty charges. Store owner Maria De Santis, an Old Bridge resident, is facing 38 counts of animal cruelty related to her ownership of the business, which was shut down by authorities in January. A court appearance has been scheduled for Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in Brick municipal court, court staff told Brick Patch on Monday. De Santis, along with store manager Nathan "Nat" Sladkin, were both charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty after 39 puppies – 26 of which were found to be sick – were removed from the store they ran in the Town Hall Shoppes plaza near the corner of Brick Boulevard and Hooper Avenue following a complaint …
Monday, April 2, 2012
Bill comes two months after Brick store shut down
A group of Ocean County lawmakers have introduced a bill they say will eliminate the sale of dogs and cats in New Jersey from so-called "puppy mills." The proposal comes just over two months after Puppies Galore, a pet store in Brick, was shut down by authorities after 26 of the 39 dogs being held there were found to be sick. Sen. Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Dave Wolfe and Greg McGuckin (all R-Ocean) have introduced the "Healthy Puppies and Kittens Assurance Act" which the group said in a joint statement Monday will place strict regulations on pet stores that sell animals from puppy and kitten mill breeders. The bill establishes a state registry of breeders and pet dealers who will have to provide information on the health and breeding …
Friday, March 16, 2012
Pet store owner could ask for change of venue
The owner and manager of the former Puppies Galore pet store were in Brick municipal court Thursday evening. Maria De Santis, the store's owner, is facing 38 counts of animal cruelty related to her ownership of the business, which was shut down by authorities in January. The store's manager, Nathan "Nat" Sladkin, is facing four counts of animal cruelty. Municipal Court Judge Robert M. Lepore granted De Santis' attorney's request for a 45 day period of discovery, during which she and her attorney can comb through the documents that make up the state's case against her. De Santis' attorney said after the discovery period, the defense may request a change in venue due to statements that have been made by people associated with the township. …
Friday, March 2, 2012
Court date for Puppies Galore suspects now March 15
Maria De Santis and Nathan "Nat" Sladkin, the two people facing animal cruelty charges in connection with the Puppies Galore pet store, did not appear in Brick Municipal Court on Thursday. Though a New Jersey SPCA officer was on hand and ready for the planned proceedings, court staff confirmed the case has been adjourned to March 15. No specifics were provided to a reporter as to why the case was adjourned. De Santis, 57, of Old Bridge, faces 38 counts of animal cruelty related to her ownership of Puppies Galore on Hooper Avenue. In January, the store was shut down and 39 puppies were removed after months of violations culminated in a tip from a citizen that prompted a multi-agency response. Sladkin, 71, of Farmingdale, who was the manager…
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Puppies were said to be living in, consuming their own feces inside Puppies Galore
- POLICE & FIRE
- Daniel Nee
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Complaints against the Puppies Galore pet store on Hooper Avenue included reports of dogs rolling in, and consuming, their own feces, an official with the Ocean County Health Department testified Tuesday night. The testimony, as well as a track record of non-compliance with health regulations for nearly the entire time the store was open, led the Brick Township Council to revoke the store's license at a hearing. No representatives from the store came to the hearing. Ryan Griffin, acting senior public health inspector for the county's health department, said Puppies Galore opened in October and operated for just over two weeks before the first complaints about the store came in. The owner, Maria De Santis, and the manager, Nathan "Nat" …
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Pet shop hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by regular council meeting
The township council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night to conduct a hearing on the status and licensing of the Puppies Galore pet shop, which was shut down by authorities last month. After being found by the Ocean County Health Department on Jan. 24 to be unsatisfactory in its compliance with health code provisions, the owner, Maria De Santis, volunteered to close the store. Two days later, acting on a complaint from a citizen, authorities removed 39 puppies from the store, 26 of which were said to be ill at the time. De Santis was charged the following week with 38 counts of animal cruelty, and Nathan "Nat" Sladkin, the store's manager, was charged with four counts. The criminal case is separate from tomorrow's hearing, which will deal…
Monday, February 6, 2012
NJSPCA police criminally charge owners of Puppies Galore in Brick
The owner and manager of a Brick pet store that was shut down by authorities last month have been charged with a combined total of 42 counts of animal cruelty. Investigators with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed the charges late last week against Maria De Santis, 57, of Old Bridge, and Nathan "Nat" Sladkin, 71, of Farmingdale. De Santis owned Puppies Galore in the Brick Mall shopping plaza on Hooper Avenue, and Sladkin was the store's manager, authorities said. DeSantis was charged with 38 counts of animal cruelty and Sladkin was charged with four counts of animal cruelty, according to SPCA Capt. Rick Yocum. The majority of the criminal charges, Yocum said, were filed for failure to provide necessary …
Old Guy
10:21 am on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Linny, if you are serious about finding a great lifetime pal, the safest way to a healthy pet is the animal shelter. They are all checked out by professionals, and verified healthy before they are ok'ed for adoption. You can spend as much time as you need, in an isolated room with your new pal, before taking it home. Since they are mostly adults, the house breaking stage is over. Like humans, … more ›