Pet store neglect
San Mateo, CA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003
County: San Mateo

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Mohammed Olfat

Mohammed Olfat, owner of Laurelwood Pets, pleaded no contest Jan. 17 2006 to a misdemeanor charge of animal neglect. He reportedly sold sick animals to "dozens" of customers since he was convicted - and placed on probation - for similar charges in 2004.

Olfat was convicted of the same violation once before, on August 12, 2004. He was placed on three years probation and ordered to keep his pet shop up to legal standards. He also served five days in jail.

After Olfat was placed on probation in 2004, the humane society continued to receive complaints from citizens who purchased sick dogs and cats from Laurelwood Pets. Specifically, residents complained of unsanitary conditions in the store and said Olfat sold $800 cats falsely advertised as purebred Bengals, he sold cats and dogs with ringworm, and, in one case, he sold a cat with a hereditary disorder that could have easily been detected by a veterinarian, Delucchi said.

"I don't know if we've had another store in San Mateo County like this - that's violated the law twice in a year," Delucchi said.

Investigators spent months researching the case and close to 20 witnesses took time off work to testify, Delucchi said.

The charges don't prohibit Olfat from selling smaller animals like rabbits and iguanas at his store in San Mateo's Laurelwood Shopping Center, 1232 W. Hillsdale Blvd., but Delucchi hopes it sends a clear message to people looking to buy a pet that Laurelwood Pet Store is not the appropriate place to go.

Olfat filed for a fictitious business name license in 2002, according the San Mateo County Clerk-Assessor-Recorder's Office.

Court records show he was associated with the store since 1997, when someone filed a small claims complaint against him and the store. He was also sued on April 15 of last year by a woman seeking $5,000 in damages for a sick pet she bought from Laurelwood Pets while Olfat was on probation.

Officials began investigating Olfat in January 2004 for violation of animal welfare laws. After he was sentenced in August 2004, a PHS investigator provided Olfat with a copy of the animal welfare laws. It's especially egregious that he would simply ignore them, Delucchi said.

References

• « CA State Animal Cruelty Map

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