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An arrest has been made in connection with reports of cruelty and neglect at a Florida pet store that sparked an investigation last November.
Marc Rosenbluth, 37, the owner of Boca Raton, Florida pet store, Poochie Couture, was arrested Tuesday and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and abandonment.
Last November, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officers removed dozens of dogs from the premises.
After receiving complaints of unattended dogs barking inside the locked building while mail piled up outside, officers discovered 58 puppies inside. Among them, a 3-month old puppy that had died and six French Bulldogs with multiple health issues, two of them requiring intensive care.
Palm Beach ACC officers also discovered incorrect or incomplete information regarding the breeders from which the puppies were sourced, leading some customers to speculate that their dogs came from unregistered puppy mills. Several previous customers complained after purchasing sick dogs from the store.
Rosenbluth closed the store for business in November.
According to an arrest report, Poochie Couture neglected to put in place measures to prevent injury and did not assist with ongoing veterinary care for the animals.
The only way to eliminate puppy mills is to stop buying puppies from pet stores, online retailers, or through newspaper classifieds. Adopting a puppy from your local animal rescue organization or purchasing from a reputable, responsible breeder are the only appropriate options.
Palm Beach ACC encourages residents to “Adopt, Don’t Shop,” but with 6 retail puppy stores still operating in the county—each claiming to source their puppies from reputable breeders just like Poochie Couture claimed—people are still shopping for puppies in stores.
Rosenbluth was released on bond. He is scheduled to appear in court in September.
