Puppy Is Entitled To Sue UES Pet Store, Attorney Says

By: NY1 News  01/04/2012 06:04 PM

Two-month-old Umka is the plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Owner Elena Zakharova said Umka was sold to her with bad knees and hips by the pet store Raising Rover on the Upper East Side.

Though pets are considered “property” under state law, Zakharova’s lawyer said Umka is entitled to sue for pain and suffering.

She wants the store to pay for thousands of dollars in vet bills.

“Dogs receive love and they give love. They are not inanimate objects like a chair or a table that we throw on the street when we are done with it and wait for the garbage truck to pick up in the morning. These are living, breathing souls,” said Susan Chana Lask, Zakharova’s lawyer.

Raising Rover changed management in June, and NY1 has been unable to contact the store owner who sold the dog.