Target: Betty A. Rosa, Commissioner of Education, New York
Goal: Urgently investigate and, if warranted, suspend or revoke any New York veterinary license connected to a practitioner who allegedly kept parvovirus-positive puppies without treatment in unsanitary conditions, leading to two deaths.
Authorities reportedly documented grievous neglect at a small-animal practice, including parvovirus-positive puppies kept together without treatment, monitoring, food, or water, and a facility described with urine on floors, rodent feces in storage, dirty exam rooms, expired drugs, and even a dead cat stored on a crate. Two puppies reportedly died after being housed together while ill, and another dog allegedly died amid disputed care details. State officials previously suspended the veterinarian’s New Jersey license in connection with animal-cruelty accusations, with media citing claims of multiple pets dying under his care and filthy conditions inside the hospital. These publicly reported facts demand swift oversight to protect animals now.
Reports indicate this practitioner has continued seeking to work in the field despite those allegations and prior discipline. Given the gravity of the accusations — untreated infectious disease, failure to inform owners, and conditions described as hazardous — New York’s licensing authorities must act. The Office of the Professions has a mandate to safeguard public and animal welfare through timely investigations and interim protective measures when risk is apparent.
Animal companions depend entirely on licensed professionals for humane, competent care. When credible reports allege deadly neglect, regulators must move decisively. This petition urges an immediate, thorough investigation, an emergency order restricting practice if risk is found, mandatory infection-control audits, and referral to law-enforcement partners where appropriate. Animals cannot wait.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Commissioner Rosa,
We urge the New York State Education Department and Office of the Professions to immediately investigate a veterinarian who has been the subject of serious, well-publicized allegations of neglect and misconduct. According to official and media reports, parvovirus-positive puppies were kept together without treatment, food, or water in a clinic that inspectors described as unsanitary, and two died. Additional accounts describe hazardous facility conditions and disputed circumstances surrounding another pet’s death.
These allegations, coupled with prior licensing action reported in New Jersey, raise urgent questions about fitness to practice and ongoing risk to animals under care. New York’s regulatory framework exists to protect patients — including animals — and the public. When reports suggest preventable suffering and death, rapid oversight and interim protections are essential.
We respectfully request that your office open a formal investigation without delay, impose immediate practice restrictions if warranted by risk assessments, require infection-control and sanitation compliance reviews and refer any potential criminal violations to appropriate authorities
Please act now to ensure animals receive safe, humane, legally compliant veterinary care.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Klearchos Kapoutsis
