Former village of Mamaroneck pet store owner Richard Doyle has been fined $20,000 and banned from selling pets in New York state after an investigation from the state attorney general’s office.
Both the ban and fine come after a two-year investigation from the attorney general’s office that was spurred as a result of numerous complaints from customers who had purchased sick or physically impaired pets from Doyle’s stores; some of which were sold at his former Mamaroneck Avenue storefront.
“By shutting down stores that mistreat animals… we can help ensure that consumers are purchasing healthy pets, while protecting the animals themselves from those who break the law to turn a profit,” said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
According to a statement from the attorney general’s office, the investigation revealed that Doyle had falsified documents for pets who had been sourced from unlicensed breeders in addition to performing a number of unlicensed surgeries in his stores.
In addition, the investigation revealed, Doyle had also regularly instructed teenage employees to administer intravenous medications on his pets in order to mask infections and pass audits from outside veterinarians.
Backlash over Doyle’s former Mamaroneck store has since launched a wave of public laws across lower Westchester County, where municipalities, starting with the village of Mamaroneck, have passed their own anti-puppy mill legislation.
The county Board of Legislators is currently considering its own iteration of an anti-puppy mill law that would limit where stores are able to source their pets from, in addition to placing tighter restrictions on store owners who have been issued violations from the state.
The law is currently being workshopped in the county’s Legislation Committee, where it will eventually be passed up to the Board of Legislators for a full vote of that board.
According to the attorney general’s office, $15,000 of Doyle’s fine will be distributed to customers who purchased sick pets from Doyle, and $5,000 will go to New York state.
–Reporting by James Pero
