Spotlight: Leash Maker Tells Company to Heel

Lafayette-based Central Garden & Pet Co. is being sued for patent infringement by the maker of a leash for iguanas, ferrets, rabbits, lizards and other small animals. RAF Trading Co. in Freeport, N.Y., alleges that Central Garden, a distributor of pet supplies to Target, Wal-Mart and other retailers, is selling pet harnesses that copy the design of an RAF leash. The suit, filed in Hauppauge, N.Y., seeks unspecified damages. Central Garden executives weren’t available to comment.