Lawsuit cites dog's 'pain and suffering'

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A New York woman has sued an Upper East Side pet shop seeking damages for the "pain and suffering" of a dog she bought there who has knee and hip problems.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Civil Court on behalf of Elena Zakharova "for herself and as representative of her dog, Umka," claims the Raising Rover shop failed to give her information about the breeder of the puppy or say the dog likely came from a puppy mill, the New York Post reports.

Zakharova bought Umka at the shop in February for $1,600.

The suit seeks money for Umka's medical costs and unspecified damages for pain and suffering.

The suit, filed by well-known animal-rights lawyer Susan Chana Lask, "requests humanity for Umka in that she be considered a living soul that feels pain, and that her pain and suffering is recognized by this state and considered as damages to her."

The Post said when Zakharova, a Russia native, bought the petite Brussels Griffon, she didn't know the Humane Society of the United States had found the store had a history of selling puppy-mill dogs.

A veterinarian recommended by the store had found the puppy healthy, but she was limping and crying in pain within months and was diagnosed with a bad knee, for which a vet said she needed surgery, as well as problems with her other three knees and her hips.