Puppy mill
Miami, FL (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Oct 31, 2004
County: Miami-Dade
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Peter George Katsaras
The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said it has arrested a Miami man for operating what investigators described as a puppy mill that sold consumers sick and underage puppies.
The department workers said the man, Peter George Katsaras, used phony health certificates or did not provide health certificates.
The state said it charged Katsaras, of Katsaras Kennels, at 9741 S.W. 119th St., with organized scheme to defraud, using stolen certificates of veterinary inspection and intentionally selling underage dogs.
The first two charges are third-degree felonies, while the charge involving the sale of underage animals is a misdemeanor, the state added.
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement said it made the arrest following an 11-month criminal investigation. The office said it began looking into Katsaras Kennels after it received complaints to its Division of Animal Industry.
"Consumers have the right to know what they're buying when they deal with kennels, and in this case they were deceived and lied to," Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said. "Not only do we have consumers who were victimized from a financial standpoint here, but a number of animals died as a result of this kennel's practices."
As of December 7, 2004, the Web site for the kennel showed the following message: "This site has been temporarily disabled. If you are the owner of the site, please contact customer care."
Of three phone numbers listed on another Web site advertising Katsaras Kennels, one rang busy; the person who answered at the second said the number was not correct and the third went to what sounded like a personal answering machine. The voice on that machine that did not clearly identify itself.
Under Florida's "Pet Lemon Law," administered by Bronson's department, puppies or kittens may not be sold or offered for sale if they are younger than eight weeks of age, and animals must have an official certificate of veterinary inspection (health certificate) signed by a veterinarian. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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