West Village Pet Store Dissuades Drunk Customers From Purchasing Puppies
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Drinking and driving doesn't mix, but apparently at one West Village pet store, alcohol and puppies don't either.
Workers at "Le Petite Puppy" on Christopher Street said that because the shop is surrounded by bars, many people come in after happy hour wanting to hold and sometimes even purchase puppies without thinking.
"The thing about the drinking thing is like...people just come here and want to hold the dog and they can drop the dog," manager Fernanda Moritz told 1010 WINS Al Jones.
1010 WINS' Al Jones Speaks With Manager Fernanda Moritz
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As a result, owner Dana Rich said the store has developed a policy to not let drunk customers buy or even handle the dogs.
"If we feel like the dog is not safe and the people are not -- you know they're not just eccentric -- they are like really drunk and they're not in their right mind, we say 'how about you come back tomorrow?'" Rich said.
While people sometimes come back to the store, workers said they would rather lose a purchase than send the precious pooches into unsafe homes.
"The most important thing for us here is to make sure that the puppies [are] getting a good home," Moritz told Jones.
Moritz said that she and others at the store want to stress how much work it is to own a dog and simply want to make sure the animals will be well taken care of.
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