SJ laws 'changing the culture' of puppy biz

Eight times a week Alan Braslow's Cherry Hill activists picketed against puppy mills in front of Pat Youmans' puppy shop.

Every day, sometimes twice a day, they held signs at the curb on Route 70, claiming "A Puppy Store Dog is a Puppy Mill Dog."

A year later, Pat Youmans is proving that's not always true.

Braslow, once Youmans' adversary, helped Pat's Puppies drop USDA-licensed puppy suppliers and instead sell pups from pounds, shelters and rescue organizations.

The conversion made the shop compliant with Camden County's resolution banning the sale of puppy mill pets. Similar resolutions have been adopted by seven counties and 80 New Jersey towns, the activist said.

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But not all South Jersey puppy shop owners are bending to the pressure — or new laws.

Washington Township shop owner Mark Harnish has weeks to decide if he'll convert or close under the Gloucester County township's new ordinance.

Pat's (rescued) Pups

Youmans couldn't take the picketing anymore. Braslow's crew stuck to picketing puppy mills outside, but other animal activists would storm the building and yell at shop staff inside the store, Youmans remembered.

At the time  — the summer of 2015 — Youmans didn't see much wrong with his business. His breeders were licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He abided by New Jersey state laws regarding the sale of USDA-regulated pups.

Braslow claims the United States Department of Agriculture's licensing isn't a guard against mills, breeders with multiple parent animals, running large operations that sometimes neglect animal welfare in the name of industry.

Day after day, protesters picketed that message in front of Youmans' store, asking drivers to "Honk if you hate puppy mills." Someone found Youmans' home address and posted it online and encouraged picketing at his house, the shop owner said.

"I was done," he said.

The day he decided to talk to the protesters was a "do or die moment," he remembered.

He was stuck in a three-year storefront lease, on the hook for $40,000 in rent.

"I was leaving in handcuffs, or (Braslow) was going to help me make the change," he said.

"I couldn't take it anymore."

Camden County bans puppy-mill sales

Youmans let Braslow inside. When Braslow emerged from the building, he had good news for the picketers on the curb. Youmans agreed to let Braslow help him convert to an all-rescue operation.

In a year, the men claim to have saved nearly 1,000 dogs, working with dozens of rescue organizations in New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina and Puerto Rico.

Youmans picks up Puerto Rican puppies at the airport in the middle of the night, or the men drive vans to North Carolina to collect death-row hounds from overcrowded kill shelters.

The work is fulfilling, but it's not easy, Youmans admits.

Puppies from USDA breeders used to sell in his store fore $1,000 or more. The dogs were protected by state-imposed warranties. The dogs had paperwork designating their lineage. The rescued puppies sell for just under $600 each.

Puppies at the Camden County Animal Shelter are $200.

Youmans doesn't get government grants for his work, unlike some animal rescue organizations. He pays for vans and hotel rooms on drives to Georgia shelters on top of his costs to care for the animals once they're in pens inside his shop.

The costs are reflected in the price of his puppies, he said.

"I want him to succeed because he's a good kid, and it's the right thing," said Braslow, who is "emotionally," not financially invested in the business.

"To me, there's no way we let him fail. He's the model for what should be happening and can happen."

Convert or close

Braslow believes his model works. It saves puppies in danger of euthanasia in crowded kill shelters, he says.

While he's extended his help to Harnish in Washington Township, Harnish isn't convinced he needs Braslow's help to keep The Puppy Stop afloat.

Harnish, a member of the township's Chamber of Commerce, opened the Puppy Stop in 2007. He follows the 2015 state pet shop law to a tee, he claims.

His suppliers, he said, are licensed, in good standing with the USDA and don't have any animal welfare violations. He researches his breeders through USDA databases, and in some instances, visits them himself, he said.

"From me, they get a New Jersey warranty that's the most strict in the United States," Harnish explained.

Puppy store operators are on the hook for twice the purchase price of a puppy for veterinarian bills or other costs if something goes wrong with the animals, under the state law.

Breeders "are in business," he said.

"They're not breeding to have issues or problems," Harnish explained.

"If I constantly have to pay out $2,000, I'm not going to use them anymore."

Earlier this year, Braslow gave his pitch to Washington Township Council, urging them to adopt an ordinance limiting puppy stores to selling animals from rescues and shelters.

The mayor vetoed council's first attempt to pass the measure. But in a 4-1 vote this fall, council adopted the ordinance in an override vote of the veto.

The ordinance forces Harnish to convert or close.

"I believe I should be grandfathered," Harnish told the Courier-Post.

Council wasn't willing to make that deal, according to Councilman Nick Fazzio, who voted against the ordinance in the veto override.

While Harnish can still take Braslow's conversion deal, The Puppy Stop owner doesn't know if he can fully support selling animals without knowing much about it.

"I'm not sure I can sell a 9-month-old dog without knowing its birthday, its parents' background," Harnish said.

"I can't turn on that switch right away."

Help, one way or another

Youmans, who's already mulling his own expansion, would consider taking over Harnish's shop.

"I had two puppy stores for six years," Youmans said.

"I wasn't a millionaire with it. (Harnish) was a lot more successful than I was. But he doesn't know actually how good it feels to do what we're doing here."

The township has not offered a clear timeline for when Harnish would need to be in compliance with the new rules.

Harnish has Braslow's vow to help him through a successful transformation.

"Mark has people lined up to support him," Braslow said.

Add Fazzio, Harnish's attorney and the CEO of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, to that list.

"I don't believe government should step in to tell a business owner how to run his business," said Fazzio, a township business owner.

"He was given an ultimatum. Are you helping dogs? Yes. But it really hurts Mark. Council has to sleep at night."

Fazzio spoke before council's vote, trying to sway others to vote against the ordinance.

"He didn't have any warning it was coming up until a few hours before. It was just him and everyone else against him," Fazzio said.

It's "par for the course," Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council CEO Mike Bober said.

"Because they are put forward by people who present the actions of the sellers as borderline criminal, the elected officials generally feel no obligation to let these people know these are being considered," Bober said.

The Washington D.C.-based organization follows developing legislation nationwide concerning pet shop-related issues.

Right now, Bober is watching a bill in New Jersey's State House that's undergoing its own transformation.

Early versions of the bill introduced this summer were similar to the county and local laws allowing puppy sales of rescues. It would have limited the animals from being purchased from breeders or brokers.

The bill was amended this month to include all "pet dealers" — anyone who sells five or more animals in a year — requiring them to be licensed and report like pet stores, Bober said.

"They want to reduce breeding from irresponsible breeders. This type of legislation is not the way to achieve their goals," Bober said.

Braslow, however, is proud of his success in spreading the puppy mill prohibition. It's "changing the culture."

Youmans operates his shop like a rescue, taking applications for adoptions and checking backgrounds, he said.

"That would never have happened at a puppy mill store," Braslow said.

Carly Q. Romalino; (856) 486-2476; cromalino@gannettnj.com