Pet Store neglect and abuse - Woodbridge, VA

Friday, Aug 23, 2002

County: Prince William

Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Martha F. Petrizza
» Mark Anthony Petrizza

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Stafford County grand jury indicted the owners of a pet store on nearly 90 counts of animal cruelty and related offenses. The indictments accuse Martha F. Petrizza, 42, and Mark Anthony Petrizza, 38, of selling sick and dying puppies and keeping dogs in rodent-infested facilities at Puppy Love Pets and Grooming.

According to an affidavit filed in Stafford Circuit Court, search warrants were obtained after Mike Null, Stafford's chief animal control officer, received numerous complaints about the Petrizzas.

One woman told Null that she bought a Chihuahua in April from the business that the Petrizzas operated out of their home and other property. The dog soon became sick and died. The woman said she had responded to a newspaper ad that guaranteed the health of the Chihuahuas.

Another man told Null that he found the facilities "smelly and dirty" when he went there in March. The man said he was so concerned about the health of a puppy that he paid $600 for it and immediately took it to get medical care.

In June, according to the affidavit, a veterinarian contacted Null and informed him that dogs were being mistreated and neglected. The veterinarian reported severe rodent infestation, including dead mice in the dogs' water bowls. He said some dogs had died of canine parvovirus and mange due to a lack of medical treatment.

Null reported in the affidavit that he saw dead mice in the water bowls and more than 20 mice running around the premises.

Along with animal cruelty, the Petrizzas are charged with failure to provide adequate care, misrepresenting an animal's condition and obtaining money by false pretenses. No trial date has been set.

Case Updates

After two days of jury trial, both Mark and Martha pleaded guilty to animal cruelty: Martha to 11 counts and Mark to 10 counts. Martha was sentenced to two 12 month sentences to be served concurrently, and Mark was sentenced to two nine month sentences to serve concurrently. They both received 10 years probation on the suspended sentences, were ordered to pay fines and restitution and are forbidden by the court to operate any type of animal business.

Source: Stafford Animal Control Update posted on Jul 9, 2005 - 6:56AM

References

• The Virginia Pilot

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