The West Village Has a Drunk Puppy-Shopping Problem

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We can't say that we've never gotten tanked and then gone shopping (hey, we have a whole column on it), but our wasted remorse usually only extends as far as a ridiculous pair of shoes or spending $200 at Duane Reade. DNAinfo published an article this morning about the West Village's particular problem: Drunk puppy-shopping.

Pet shop owners in the bar-ridden neighborhood are trying to crack down on inebriated puppy-purchasing, and are even forbidding anyone who appears intoxicated to hold the dogs. Fernanda Moritz, the manager of Le Petit Puppy on Christopher Street, says that it usually starts when people stumble out of bars after happy hour and say, "let's stop by to see the puppies." In a few instances, this ends with the drunkies buying the puppies. DNAinfo adds this PSA from the manager: "The adorable sight of furry faces in the window and the effects of alcohol can be a bad combination."

And while it may seem that the worst possible scenario is that you've got a cute dog on your hands, the West Village shop-owners report that there have been a few cases where the dogs have been put in danger. Moritz remembers "selling a Chihuahua some years ago to a woman she thought might have been drunk." Upon its return, the dog was "in a near-dead state" after having swallowed five pills. Since that's a pretty depressing way to end a story, we suggest Googling "cute puppies" for the remainder of your morning.
· Drunk Puppy Buying Banned by West Village Pet Stores [DNAinfo]