SPRINGFIELD TWP. — Owners of the Puppy Barn along Route 206 have “chosen” to close for good, Burlington County officials revealed Thursday.
The decision, which came to county officials in a letter dated Jan. 30, comes after traces of the sometimes fatal parvovirus were found Monday during inspections that followed county health department and SPCA probes.
“The owners of The Puppy Barn have informed the county that they intend to permanently close their facility. The Puppy Barn has long been a member of the Burlington County business community, helping many families find loving pets over their decades in operation,” said Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio.
County officials added that management — which previously made the decision to temporarily shut its doors as the investigations continued — has no intention of re-opening the business. The Puppy Barn has been the recent target of community ire, as customers claim to have purchased deathly sick pups from the business.
“Unfortunately recent inspections by the county health department and the Burlington County SPCA have determined that canine parvovirus, a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease, is present at the facility,” Garganio said. “As a result we have placed the facility under mandatory quarantine and continue to monitor and treat the effected animals.”
Sick puppy’s owner claims store knew of issues
According to previous reports, the approximately 70 dogs at the store would be quarantined until at least Feb. 14.
Attempts to reach Puppy Barn management over the past two weeks have been unsuccessful and it remains unclear if any charges have been filed as a result of the investigations.
Burlington County spokesman Eric Arpert did not return a request for comment left Thursday morning regarding the status of the investigation.
“There’s nothing to indicate they were intentionally selling sick dogs,” Burlington County SPCA Detective Armand King said last week. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment left Thursday.
On Thursday, a Georgia man who obtained a 2-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix from the South Jersey business told NJ Advance Media that his puppy “Booger” exhibited a slew of medical maladies days after bringing her home.
His experiences appear to echo those documented on a change.org petition aimed at shutting down the Puppy Barn, which had raised more than 5,700 signatures as of Thursday. According to the petition’s author, she purchased a dog infected with the parvovirus and claims the store knowing sold the sick dog.
County officials said the animals at the store would be transported to the Burlington County Animal Shelter and later made available for adoption.
“We will continue to update the public throughout this process and remind our residents that the best place to find a new best friend is always at our shelter,” Garganio added.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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