Aquebogue puppy store under new ownership; Puppy Experience sold to Lewins of Riverhead medical supply

Puppy Experience in Aquebogue has been sold to new owners, brothers who plan to bring the the family values upon which they’ve built a well-known Riverhead business into their new venture.

Keith and Brian Lewin, brothers whose family business, Lewin Medical Supply in Riverhead has long been a mainstay in the community, took over Puppy Experience Feb. 1, according to longtime manager John Menfi, who said work has already begun on new plans, including modern and professional new grooming and boarding facilities.

“It’s been great,” he said of the change in ownership, adding that the store will carry a wide selection of top-of-the-line canine care products as well as dog toys, with training classes an option down the line.

Keith Lewin said the new store is a hobby for him and his brother, who are both dog lovers. Both will continue to work at Lewin Medical Supply. “It’s been fun,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of cleaning up.”

The bright new interior has been a magnet, drawing crowds to the store daily, with an even greater number flocking to see the pups on Friday nights and Saturdays. “Friday night is date night here,” Keith laughed.

Keith said both brothers work at Lewin Medical Supply all day and then head over to Puppy Experience, where they work late into the evening, sometimes bringing home puppies, giving them room to run and socialize.

At home, Keith has a chocolate Lab and a pit bull; Brian has two boxers and three little girls who love nothing more than coming to  visit Puppy Experience after school. His daughters, he said, “think I’m the coolest dad in the world, to have a puppy store.”

Keith said the business sometimes resembles a “petting zoo,” with “hundreds of people” coming from as far as Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to see the puppies. “It’s the only pet store where you can touch the puppies; they’re usually behind glass,” he said.

The brothers also open their doors to regular visits from disabled individuals living in group homes, as well as seniors in wheelchairs, for whom pet therapy is the best medicine. “It’s good for the dogs and it’s good for people,” Keith said.

Both Brian and Keith said the most fulfilling part of the new business so far has been watching when the rescue dogs or adoptable puppies find forever homes. “When you find a home for a dog who didn’t sell right away, even if we cut a ridiculous deal, that’s the best feeling,” Keith said.

“We always have dogs for adoption,” Brian added.

Some animal advocates maintain animals who haven’t sold aren’t true rescues. “They are not doing ‘rescue’. They are just throwing the word out there to confuse the public,” said Barbara Dennihy of the Companion Animal Protection Society.

Both Lewins, however, say the store does also help place rescues, but explained those dogs are adopted quickly.

The brothers said they screen prospective buyers to make sure they realize a puppy isn’t just a fanciful purchase but a lifetime commitment. The brothers said they hope to bring the same family values upon which Lewin Medical was founded to their new venture, and said they view dogs as part of the family.

Both Lewins reflected on the controversial past protests that took place outside Puppy Experience, when the store was owned by Scott Kaphan. After Kaphan died suddenly in 2013, the store was owned by his wife and managed by Menfi.

Protests by members of the Companion Animal Protection Society, animal rights’ advocates who carried signs and stood along Route 25 to raise awareness about puppy mills and breeders with USDA violations, have stopped over the past year, Menfi said.

Keith Lewin said he thought about those protests when deciding whether or not to buy the store. “When I saw the books, I saw that they sold triple the amount of dogs while they had protestors,” he said.

More important, Keith said, “My brother and I have a good name in the community. We want to keep it that way.” He said he and his brother buy their dogs from only the “most reputable breeders.”

The new store, Keith said, raises spirits. “This is a nice place to work. People are happy, compared to our other business, where many are sick or hurting.”

Many customers visiting the store Monday brought their children. “My kids have wanted a dog for a long time. It makes me sad because I can’t bring them all home,” Maureen Bauer of Mattituck said.