Demonstrators who have gathered outside The Puppy Experience in Aquebogue to raise awareness about puppy mills are concerned about public safety.
Barbara Dennihy, of the Companion Animal Protection Society said this week that demonstrators who congregate on Route 25 outside the store on weekends are "very concerned" about the number of cars that cross the double yellow line to enter and leave the parking lot of The Puppy Experience.
While Dennihy acknowledged that Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said it is not illegal for cars to turn into the lot -- the turns would only be illegal if a sign were posted stating so -- she said the drivers making turns in and out of the lot across the double yellow line pose danger.
"With all the traffic, this practice is a bad accident waiting to happen," Dennihy said.
Dennihy, who has been organizing with fellow CAPS demonstrators for months, also said she noticed new tarp had been placed across the sidewalk to the entrance of the store.
"Our guess is too many customers see us and ask questions," Dennihy said. "They are trying to hide the fraudulence of the source of their puppies from the public behind the tarp. We will continue to educate consumers about the truth behind puppy mills and puppy stores. So many people have been stopping and asking questions. They are stunned to learn the truth and the facts about puppy stores and puppy mills."
Also, Dennihy said that The Puppy Experience has set up plastic pumpkins to spell out "Puppy Picking" outside the store. "This is a reference to pumpkin picking," she said. "Puppies are not vegetables. Puppies are living, breathing companion animals. Puppies cost money to keep healthy. Puppies need to be housebroken. Puppies need to be trained. Puppies take a lot of time, to properly care for them. People tend to forget these things when they are tempted by the cute puppies."
The Puppy Experience Owner Scott Kaphan has spoken out against the protestors, stating that they are unfairly targeting his business -- and that the efforts of demonstrators would be better directed at actual puppy mills across America. In addition, Kaphan has said a lawsuit would be leveled at the protestors. Kaphan said he is also helping puppies through a new adoption component at his store.
Depite threats of a lawsuit and a request to cease and desist, protestors have continued to stand outside The Puppy Experience. One weekend, police were called after a protestor parked in the Aquebogue Elementary School lot.
The Puppy Experience owner Kaphan declined to comment on Dennihy's most recent statements.
We're not asking for an in depth article about the impact that all the additional drivers coming out to the North Fork for pumpkin picking has on the CO2 levels on the area, and whether or not Harbes, Krupski, Stakey's, or others should be forced to add a Carbon Tax to the price of each pumpkin, but come on. Left hand turns? The poor electrons that gave their life for this article... makes my heart cry. PS- I love puppies, and hate puppy mills, but I marginally hate fluff reporting more.
And not that it matters, I am a huge animal lover, my opinion is based on my experience I have had with this situation and as a patron of a business there.
Out of all the businesses on the North Fork, the tackiest one is the Puppy Experience. For such a display of ugly commercial propaganda to greet all who drive past is a shame on Riverhead Town for allowing it to happen and on Southold Town for not officially protesting. How long will it take before an emancipation proclamation is made to end companion animal abuse? Puppy mills breed mothers and fathers with their children, siblings with each other. They create puppies with genetic defects. Apparently Tom and Paw are OK with that.
Would someone wake me up when Benja finally has a point. If the point of the article, as the headline says, is to express the "Safety Concerns" voiced by the protesters, then the article itself has no point. It is just another article being used by the protesters to gain additional attention to their cause. The stated point of the article bears no relation to the real reason behind the article, and thus it is fluff. The article states "Safety Concerns." The content within is meaningless to the stated point, and then goes on to effectively accuse the owner of likening puppies to pumpkins, and not being aware of the differences thereto. And now let me get this straight... You think that Riverhead should close down a legally operating business, one that is using legal advertising methods? And Southold town should waste valuable time lodging a formal protest? What next? Shall Southold invade Riverhead? Perhaps to force an emancipation of the companion animals? And then what happens? Hundreds of emancipated puppies roaming the streets starving to death? What is this, 1865? Also, out of all the businesses on the North Fork, I think Vineyard 48 takes the cake for tackiest. Any vineyard whose best reviewed wine is the "Peach Wine" should seriously consider a new winemaker. But that's a discussion for another thread. The balance of your comment fails to address either the article, or the previous posts, and as such I won't waste time commenting on it.
Puppy Experience regularly mounts huge signs on top of a Hummer. Riverhead Town code prohibits "Any sign visible from a public right-of-way that is mounted on a vehicle or trailer designed to be transported by wheels, or is mounted on a chassis with or without wheels." For this and other reasons, I do not believe that Puppy Experience is "a legally operating business, one that is using legal advertising methods". btw law does not make right. the claims of Puppy Experience to be rescuing animals are more lies. You refuse to say where your puppies are bred. It is obvious that means you are nothing but an outlet for puppy mills.
I guess alerting everyone to a safety issue is not important. Hard to believe owner of Puppy Experience went to law school and his wife has a masters in engineering, but have to make their money off the backs of puppy breeding mill dogs. You would think such educated people would know about the truth behind puppy brokers/ puppy mills and puppy stores! What does adopt to readopt mean Jessica? The chief made the right desicion not to allow this to happen. Adopting a dog to readopt is just a dumb idea. The dog has been traumatized once already being surrendered to a shelter. You can not have your cake and eat it too Jessica.You are either a humane store , rescue and adoption or you continue to support puppy mills . By the way Jessica and Scott, the shelters and rescue groups on Long Island do a great job with the resources they have. You should be ashamed of yourselves for saying anything less.