Katelyn Cerciello worked for Petland in Robinson Township in Pennsylvania for approximately a month as a teenager before she decided that she had to quit because of pet abuse that she allegedly witnessed occurring at the location.
At the time, Cerciello posted photographic proof online and spoke to local news stations.
She claimed that the store owner, Jeff Koury, purchased “puppy mill” dogs, did not follow proper veterinary care procedures for the puppies in the store and sent several sick puppies back to the Hunte Corporation broker to be killed instead of treated.
Puppies were not the only animals that Cerciello accused the Koury and his staff of abusing. She also posted photos of other animals, including white mice that had flesh torn off of them and blood splattered across their fur coats. Cerciello described their smell as “rotting flesh.” Koury eventually spoke with the press when he was forced to close several times after the story broke.
He claimed that Cerciello lied about everything. The condition of the mice was supposedly the result of putting females in with males during a tank transfer. Cerciello claimed that she had no motive beyond warning the public.
The police and local reporters eventually inspected the store and found no evidence of animal abuse, but several customers who bought puppies from Petland came forward to confirm Cerciello’s story after local media published an update.
It turned out that Koury had actually lost a lawsuit in 2012 because he sold a sick boxer puppy.
