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New Jersey has a "lemon law" for pets. It's called the Pet Purchase Protection Act. Get details at www.njcapsa.org, the Web site of the New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse (NJCAPSA).
Barbara of Jackson NJ (05/29/08)
I am the former Manager of Pet Paradise in Manalapan New Jersey and would love to help shut them down..I have alot of information that would be helpful..
I was the manager for about 3 years..I quit after that time because I could save more puppies..I own 5 dogs myself that were sick and purchased there for full price..A few have died since I quit..
Nick of Parlin NJ (12/14/07)
My friend went to purchase a puppy, put deposit on puppy but first asked where the puppy came from. They said it absolutely did not come from a puppy mill, it came from David Zimmerman Kennel in Pa. She signed about 5 documents and gave a $600 deposit. The next day she was to pay the difference and pick up the dog. When she went home she reseached D Zimmerman Kennel to find out it indeed is a puppy mill that was actually closed down last month for animal cruelty and unsanitary conditions. She went to the store the following day and asked to see the papers on the dog again and they refused. When she told them what she found out, they denied it and refused to give her deposit back or a copy of any of the papers she signed the day before. The owner, Dana, told her to get out of her store and if she ever told anyone she would take her house away.
The police were eventually called and they agreed to give her her deposit back as long as she did not discuss the incident with anyone else. She is extemely upset and wants to report them and let other people know what they are doing, but she is too scared due to the threats made against her.
Shannon of Pueblo CO (02/26/07)
About 4 months ago I bought a Pomeranian from Pet Paradise. The sign said TOY Pomeranian on the cage. She was a pound in a half when I bought her, the owner told my mother & I she wouldn’t get much bigger than what she was & the smaller the dog the MORE you pay. I paid $750.00 for her. She already is at 4lbs and the vet told me to expect at least a 5-6 lbs dog, she still has another 6 months to grow. I have wasted a tremendous amount of money on dog clothes.
Dawn of North Brunswick NJ (12/14/05)
I purchased a Maltese puppy on 11/14/05. The paperwork showed the dog in good health with no problems (3 visits from their vet are detailed). Within days my dog was terribly sick, it turned out she had pneumonia and a dangerous case of Coccidiosis (parasite). I also found out she has a disease involving her windpipe where she has a hard time breathing and often gasps for air.
As of today 12/14 (30 Days) my vet bills total more than $700.00 with more to come. When I called and spoke to someone at Pet Paradise and told them I was concerned because I had done research and found out alot of sick dogs come from there, I was told You are wasting my time. I was further told that Coccidiosis was no big deal, What was I upset for. When I purchased my dog she was 2.5 pounds she is now 1.7 pounds - That is what I am upset for. Furthermore I was told We have so many dogs and sometimes some of these things slip thru the cracks and are not caught. I spent a week sleeping with my hand on my puppies chest becuase she was so ill my vet told she could die and I am told I am wasting their time because there have been no complaints from the owners of the other dog she was housed with.
Michelle of Morganville NJ (08/03/05)
I purchased a puppy (Jack Russell Terrier) on 7/16/2005 and was told that I had 14 days to have the puppy examined and bring the puppy back if he was unfit for sale). On 7/22/2005 I had the puppy examined and he was diagnosed with a slight cough. I was told by my vet to watch the cough and return with the dog if it worsened. The cough did worsen and actually became pneumonia on 7/31/2005. I decided that because I have a young son at home and that the dog may need further treatment, I would return the dog for a full refund (the dog was $999).
I obtained a certificate of unfitness from my vet as well as documentation of the dog's illness. When I called Pet Paradise and let them know what was going on and what I requested the nightmare began. I was told that because I obtained the certificate of unfitness on 8/1 the 14 days had elapsed and I was too late. I tried explaining to them that the underlying diagnosis was made on 7/22 which was well within the 14 days. I asked to speak with Dana and was told that she would be away until Wed. (this was Mon.). I told the employee that I was very uncomfortable having this sick dog in my house and would like to bring him back as soon as possible. She told me that Dana said that under no terms were they going to take the dog back.
At that point I made the decision that I was not going to send my dog back to that awful place and that instead I was going to let my vet (whom I truly love and trust) take the dog and find him a good home. I think Pet Paradise is the most awful, shady, unethical, establishment I have ever encountered in my entire life. I would not send my worse enemy there to get a pet. I lost well over $1000 in this transaction but my piece of mind lies in the fact that my dog didn't have to back to that awful place.
Jennifer of Monroe NJ (07/07/05)
Purchased a puppy from Pet Paradise. The dog got kennel cough (pretty common), then she had an infection in her paw where the poor thing was limping for a week, then she starts itching like crazy. The doctor says it's mange. Needless to say, the doctors bills are already adding up. I called Pet Paradise to inform them of the mange. Dana, the owner, offered to pay HALF the medical bill and give me half in a store credit. When I asked why she was giving me half in store credit she replied with What? you don't buy puppy food? You can use the credit here just like cash. I told her that wasn't the point and that it was an expensive bill and I wanted to the whole thing paid and not half of it in a store credit.
She responded with Expensive? What is it? 3,4 hundred dollars? That's nothing. Maybe to her that's nothing. So I told her I really wanted them to pay in full and she agreed as long as I RETURN THE DOGS PAPERS and just threw in at the end....by the way she cannot be bred now because she'll pass mange on to her puppies. Ok this means I now paid $3,000 for a dog with no papers. So, I called her back and said I wanted some sort of money back for a dog with no papers. She refused and was very rude to my husband. My husband then got upset and said what if he returned the dog to the store, would he get a refund now? She said yes.
About an hour later, she called my home and asked me what time I was bringing the dog in. I told her that my husband was just upset and that we are not returning the dog. She then called me every name in the book and told the whole store that I was returning a dog with mange and what kind of person was I. She kept asking the people in the store what they thought of a person like me.
Joann of Monroe Twp. NJ (03/18/05)
I purchased my puppy (shiba Inu) from Pet Paradise for $1,000. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia,& patellar luxation in both rear legs. A result of poor breeding. I traced the pup's origins back to a breeder in Kansas that relinquished all her dogs due to the AWA. I received the reports and all documentation from the Kansas Animal Health Dept. proving that in fact my dog is a puppy mill dog. Pet Paradise advertise that the dogs come from the best breeders' across the country.
My pup has endured 2 knee surgeries, lives with hip dysplasia, and suffers from arthritis at a young age. Clearly not the life I had envisioned for her. The vet fees have cost $4,000 thus far. When I contacted Dana the co-owner of Pet Paradise she was rude and refused to reimburst me any of my expenses. Still denies that her animals are from mass production. When I have the proof that they are. the reports I received will make you sick. As I was to learn that this is where my pup came from!
Lisa of Freehold NJ (08/17/04)
I purchased a puppy from Pet Paradise 1/10/04 when he was 9 weeks old. He was always sick for the first 6 months I had him. He was at the vet constantly. At the age of 6 months, I had to rush him to the emergency room one night because he was acting strange. He went blind. The vet confirmed there was no trauma to the eye and was most likely an immune related condition and that he's never seen a puppy so young go blind with no trauma caused. I contacted the store several times and they said there was nothing they could do. I have been in contact with several pet owners who have purchased their animals from there and each and everyone of them say that their animals are very sick as well with unexplained causes.
With all of my puppy's illnesses in the past 7 months, I have had to endure very expensive medical costs and I am looking for reimbursement for these costs. Three different veterinarians have diagnosed by puppy as Unfit for Sale. My puppy also has major behavioral problems. These people are selling sick animals at extremely high prices and are getting away with it. I spoke with Dana and Joe, the owners, and they claim that their pets are not from pet mills but a few veterinarians in the area have confirmed that they are. In addition, they are guaranteeing healthy animals.
In addition, when I went there to purchase my puppy, there were dogs who were crammed in cages, some two or three to a cage. There was no water in some of the water bowls. In the cage of the dog that I purchased there was no water in the bowl, two of the puppies that were in the cage were curled up in a ball in the bowl. The cages were not clean, there was no food in some bowls. THe dog we bought looked so scared when we took him out of the cage. He sat in the corner of the room for about 25 mins. shaking. The puppies are out in the open for anyone to come over and pick up. I saw some small children picking up puppies. These dogs are not healthy.
The store claims that they do not get them from puppy mills, but vets in the area have confirmed that they are coming from mills. There are a number of people I know that have nothing but sick animals from this place. My puppy is now blind and has behavioral problems. I have endured $992.00 in medical bills so far and they are ongoing.
Bernadette of Howell NJ (6/2/03):
I purchased a puppy on 5/29/03 which I was told was a purebred Mini Golden Retriever. When I took it to the vet 4 days later, I was told it wasn't a purebreed because of the white markings on its face and chest, and the vet also informed me that there isn't any such breed as a Mini Golden Retriever.
So when I got home I called the manager of Pet Paradise, Dana, who stated this was a special small Golden Retriever, and she told me if I bring her in writing a letter from the vet saying a golden retriever is not purebred because of white markings she will refund my money, and then sue the vet for saying her puppies aren't purebred.
She suggested I go online to look for myself to see if it's ok for Golden Retrievers to have white markings so i did, and according to the AKC Golden Retriever puppies should NOT have white markings. So I called Pet Paradise back and spoke to Dana, who began calling me crazy, and began making remarks that her staff warned her I was crazy.
I could have purchased a mixed breed puppy for less, and now I have a puppy that will be much larger than I wanted.
Elaine of Sayreville NJ writes (1/8/01):
I bought a dog in September of 2001, the puppy was 12 weeks old at that time. In about 8 weeks of having the puppy I noticed a problem -- the puppy became vicious. He can not eat food or water with anyone in the room or close to him or he will attack.
I hired a prfessional trainer to come into my home to help us they say he is on the extreme aggression level and he will be like this for life -- it is in him and he wont change so now I have a bigger problem. He is now 6 months old, getting worse. I have 2 young children in the house and we are all scared of him not knowing what he will do next.
I know that sounds crazy, but I called the pet store and they were not willing to try and work with me. She (Dana) said the dog had to have a genetic problem.
I am in search of some answers do you know what the law is on buying a puppy that has mental problems or any laws on returning the dog. I know there's a puppy lemon law I need help finding out what the regulations are?
I spent $1,000 on the dog $205.00 on the trainer vet bills for tests to check for diabetes. Next week he is going to the vet for blood work to see if there is a problem with the kidneys. I just want the store to take this nasty dog back and refund me.
Mo of East Brunswick NJ (9/9/03):
I just read Ellen's complaint about Pet Paradise and would like to add to her frustration. I bought an adorable Boston Terrier puppy about 2.5 years ago. It seemed like they made me all these promises about paying for vet bills if the dog needed shots or had any problems. Well it took me 6 mo-1 year to have my dog be healthy. She had a list a mile long of ailments that I (as a student) could barely afford to fix.
I love my dog and she is fine now. But that's what we get for going to a pet store. I feel your frustration and have made the promise to never get an animal from a pet store again. Pet Paradise, what an ironic name.
Donna of Old Bridge NJ (1/9/04):
I bought my daughter a hamster, we had it 3 days and we noticed it was sick. We went back to the store to get another hamster and the store manager said they have no more hamsters and they can't take this one back nor give us store credit. So basically, they sold us a sick hamster (wettail, they call it) and won't do anything about it. Now we have to buy medicine for the hamster, who knows what else. I would never step foot in Pet Paradise again. Also, my girfriend bought a bulldog that was sick as well.
My daughter and other kids are so upset seeing this sick hamster, waiting for it to die, they go to bed in tears, thanks a lot pet paradise.
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