Robbinsville's Puppy Hut owner Debra Krajcsovics defended her store
ROBBINSVILLE -- Just days before Christmas, Robbinsville's Puppy Hut owner Debra Krajcsovics learned the results of an inspection by the state Division of Consumer Affairs: 153 violations and thousands of dollars in fines.
On Tuesday, a day after the citations were announced, Krajcsovics staunchly defended her business.
"They don't want to help us; they want to shut us all down," she said. "I know I'm doing the right thing by the puppies. My staff and I and everyone that works here, we care more about the puppies than anybody else."
The Puppy Hut, which topped the list with the most citations, was joined by 25 other pet stores that were issued notices of violation accusing them of violating the Pet Purchase Protection Act, which went into effect last year.
The shop was cited for having deficient information on the cage labels, including each animal's history and the names, addresses and license numbers of the breeders and brokers.
Krajcsovics said the store's violations were clerical in nature and about 85 percent of them stemmed from information not being displayed correctly.
If there are five puppies in a litter, for example, she has a tag on the pen with all of the required information as opposed to five individual tags for each puppy.
"I was supposed to have five tags which is way more confusing for the consumer than having one for the litter," she said. "It's redundant when you're going to read the same breeders' information, the same exam date, the same vet date and the same received date over and over again."
Krajcsovics said she asked the inspector about what she needed to do to comply, but was not told anything.
"If he had told me this needed to be corrected, I would've done it on the spot," she said. "I'm not trying to get away with anything."
Other violations included the poster size of the "Know Your Rights" notice, the placement of the store's return policy and failure to list a breeder's email address.
"I can't put an email address if there's no email address to be had," she said.
For the violations, the store faces between $38,500 and $76,500 in fines.
Krajcsovics, who bought the store from Gail's Pups-N-Stuff in 2010, said the store has never been cited in its annual inspections. She has already contacted an attorney.
"I'm trying to get the people the best fit for their family," she said. "Not everyone wants to adopt a puppy or rescue a dog. Some want to start from scratch and that's what I'm here for."
The puppies come from breeders in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, she said.
The store drew scrutiny last June when its name was mentioned in news articles about an accident where a van reportedly carrying puppies from a commercial breeder in Ohio crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, injuring 77 dogs and killing two.
Krajcsovics said only seven puppies were headed to The Puppy Hut, though it was the only store named. She said her husband went to the scene to help and the store housed several of the puppies until they could be brought to the other stores.
Another Robbinsville store, Puppy Palace, was sent a letter by the state to appear at an executive conference to discuss inspection violations. But owner Kevin Smith said Tuesday the issue was resolved long before the letter was sent. The issue dealt with a cage label and was resolved within 24 hours of the county inspectors visiting the store in October.
"It wasn't an issue of any ill dogs or where the dogs came from," he said, adding that he wasn't immediately notified of changes to the law when they first took effect in June. "I'm in compliance. Everything should be fine."
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.