The Puppy Hut was one of 26 establishments cited in January by the state Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs
ROBBINSVILLE -- More than four months after state authorities cited it for 153 violations, The Puppy Hut in Robbinsville has closed its doors.
Rumors of the closing spread on Facebook after a customer learned her puppy was sick and tried to go back to the store, but township officials confirmed Monday that the store has shut down.
Pet stores are required to submit a report every year by May 1, but owner Debra Krajcsovics returned the renewal form to the clerk's office with an attached note that read "The Puppy Hut is permanently closed. No need for renewal."
The closing comes only months after The Puppy Hut was one of 26 establishments that was cited by the state Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs for violating the Pet Purchase Protection Act.
The Puppy Hut, which faced between $38,500 and $76,500 in fines, was cited for for having cage labels that lacked some information on the puppies' history, breeders and brokers and for failing to have the refund policy in a conspicuous location, among other things.
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Krajcsovics had said in January that most of the violations were clerical in nature.
"They don't want to help us; they want to shut us all down," she said at the time. "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."
She could not be reached for comment for this story.
Katelyn Covington, who bought a puppy from the store on April 25, shared her concerns on Robbinsville's Facebook page. She said she took her puppy to the vet last Thursday because he was coughing and sneezing only to find out that he had a throat infection and an undeveloped testicle that would require surgery.
"I was not informed about this when buying the pup," she wrote. "My vet gave me a not fit for sale sheet to return to the store."
The store was closed on Thursday and Friday, and when she peeked through the window, everything had been taken down from the walls, there were no puppies in the store and the pens were scattered.
"Why would they shut down overnight?" she wrote. "I am lucky my pup doesn't have major problems, but still, there has to be answers out there. Where did all those other puppies go?"
On the form Krajcsovics had mailed to the clerk's office, the names and addresses of the breeders and brokers were listed. Of the 71 breeders, 68 were from Ohio, two were from New York and one was from Pennsylvania. The two brokers were from Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
