Help Keep PUPP's Doors Open

<p>Please, Town of Brookhaven Supervisor and Zoning Board, approve and grant a special permit/variance for home-based dog boarding for up to 10 dogs. PUPP is a legal home-based business and complies with the&nbsp;Town codes.&nbsp;</p><div id="tab_letter"><div id="letter_truncate"><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hello, my name is Suely D'Andrea Vera and many of you may know me well. For the ones who don't know me, a few years ago i was recovering from a surgery that saved my life when i was 385 lbs and I was literally dying from morbid obesity. I was also getting a divorce and facing losing my home after being laid off from work.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">I decided I needed to prevail, but I needed to be happy and wanted to do what i love most - love, be with and enjoy dogs 24/7.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Pamper Ur Poochie Boarding Parlor was designed to be a home-based environment and of course in my home. Pamper Ur Poochie Boarding Parlor is a very small business that provides to its clients not only a service, but also something priceless that even I can't get leaving <strong>my</strong> dogs anywhere: PEACE OF MIND!&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">In order to do what I loved the most,&nbsp;I&nbsp;also needed to save my house. Therefore, I&nbsp;needed PUPP to be legal to&nbsp;prove to the Bank I was able to keep making my mortgage payments.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">All due diligence measures were taken to make us legal. That including several calls on different occasions to the Town of Brookhaven zoning and building departments to inquire if boarding within the town limit of 10 dogs a kennel or special permit was needed. The response was negative. Boarding up to 10 dogs did <strong>not</strong> fall into kennel category and no other boarding permit exists.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">It was NEVER told to us by the Town that we couldn't have dog boarding in a residential area! <strong>In reality, according to Town codes, I Suely Vera, as a Town of Brookhaven resident and taxpayer can own, house, foster or have sleep-overs of up to 10 dogs without any special license or permit! In reality according to very shady town codes, nobody at the Town Office knew what to tell me.&nbsp;</strong></span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Everything seemed to be within the law...until a so called&nbsp;"anonymous neighbor" makes a false complaint that said: "One of our neighbors has an illegal dog boarding which can be harmful to our neighborhood. We don't know if the dogs are vaccinated nor how she disposes the waste. She only gets paid in cash and doesn't pay taxes. We want this place closed."</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Well, PUPP is a NYS registered home-based business that pays taxes on every single payment it gets, including all cash payments. We were inspected&nbsp;by the Suffolk County Department of Health, Brookhaven Animal Control and investigated by NYS Dept. of Taxation & Finance and passed with flying colors.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">A whole year goes by and PUPP gets 2&nbsp;summonses. We went to court 3 times and are expecting another hearing now in January. Why? Supposedly they are because of anonymous phone complaints, but we are not being told the substance of those complaints and no one has come to investigate anything. What was the crime we've committed to be treated like criminals and possibly facing closure and a very high fine?</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">I am feeling defeated and angry for believing that, coming from a very politically corrupted country, I could find justice and regularity in my ventures with my American dreams. I did everything within the law and even so I&nbsp;feel like I am being punished and may be facing the loss of what i love the most in my life.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Besides being a taxpayer, i am a registered volunteer at Brookhaven Animal Shelter and donate to it's events and shelter regularly and to many other rescues on Long Island.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Why is it OK to grant so many kennel licenses to irresponsible backyard breeders but it's not OK&nbsp;to give us boarders the same? NYS has no problems with us, otherwise PUPP wouldn't be a registered home-based business.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Town of Brookhaven says they don't&nbsp;bother us unless there is a complaint.&nbsp;PUPP has many loyal clients, thousands of followers and great neighbors that love us. Almost every other house in the neighborhood has at least one dog. Only one among thousands is a hater!!!&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Small business owners on Long Island&nbsp;keep our economy growing.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">We want and we need the opportunity to be allowed to operate&nbsp;in the Town of Brookhaven!&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1">&nbsp;</p><p class="p1">Sincerely,</p><p class="p1">Suely D'Andrea Vera</p></div></div>