The Horrible Hundred 2018

[Pages:65]The Horrible Hundred 2018

A sampling of problem puppy mills and puppy sellers in the United States

The year 2018 m arks t he sixt h year in a row t hat t he Hum ane Societ y of t he Unit ed St at es is publishing a list of 100 problem puppy m ills and dog sellers. Our past Horrible Hundred report s have garnered widespread awareness about cruel conditions at puppy m ills, which are large pet breeding operat ions t hat focus on profit over anim al welfare.

This year's report is sim ilar t o past years' report s in som e ways: Missouri cont inues t o have t he largest num ber of puppy m ills in t he report for t he sixt h year in a row ( 23) , followed by Ohio ( 13) , I owa ( 10) and Pennsylvania ( nine) . The m ost significant difference in our 2018 report is t he lack of nam es for m any of t he dealers list ed below, due t o redact ions m ade by t he Unit ed St at es Depart m ent of Agricult ure on it s public Anim al Welfare Act records; t he redact ed inform at ion conceals t he subj ect of t hese records.

Over t he 12 m ont h period since w e published

our last report , USDA inspect ors have cont inued

t o find conditions j ust as horrific as t hose in our

prior report s, including dogs wit h open wounds,

em aciat ed dogs wit h t heir ribs and spines

showing, and dogs wit h m oldy food, dirt y wat er and filt hy cages. The difference is t hat t his year, we don't always know which operat ors have been found wit h such dreadful condit ions. The suffering t hese anim als face seem s even m ore unj ust , because m ost of t he ident ities of t heir breeders have been kept secret by t he USDA?

A dog with a bulging eye was one of many with dist urbing m edical problem s found at Sam ples Creek Kennel, a Missouri puppy m ill owned by Pam ela Baldwin, w ho has been in all five prior Horrible Hundred report s. Docum ent s received in 2018 indicat e t hat Baldwin sold at least a dozen puppies t o Tiffanies, LLC. Tiffanies is a m assive dog

t he very agency charged wit h prot ect ing dogs in broker that ships puppies to pet stores across the

puppy m ills and keeping bad breeders in line.

Wit hout t his inform at ion, The HSUS and t he general public cannot evaluat e whet her USDA is

count ry, including Pet land, t he largest chain of puppy- selling pet st ores in t he U.S. / MO Dept of Agricult ure, 2017.

m eet ing it s charge. Additionally, consum ers cannot j udge whet her or not t hey are support ing an

operat ion which has been found em ploying t he harm ful pract ices described in t his report .

Moreover, t he lack of t ransparency can be a hinderance t o law enforcem ent effort s in j usrisdict ions

t hat rely on inspect ion report s t o det erm ine com pliance wit h st at e and local laws.

I n som e cases, our researchers were able t o link a report t hat had redact ed ident ification t o a likely ident it y, based on com paring cert ain inform at ion. For exam ple, w e list ed a likely nam e for som e

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dealers based upon t he fact t hat t hey were t he only breeder or dealer licensed by t he USDA in their t own on t he approxim at e dat e of t he inspect ion. I n ot her inst ances, we were able t o link a m ore recent report t hat had redact ed inform at ion t o a prior, unredact ed report using ot her specific, ident ifying det ails. Those inst ances are m arked wit h footnotes or in the text.

I n addit ion t o concealing t he identities of licensed breeders, USDA also confirm ed t o our researchers by em ail1 t hat the agency has not revoked any dog breeder licenses since t he publication of our last Horrible Hundred report in May 2017.

The USDA rem oved m ost of

t he public enforcem ent

records on puppy m ills, and

other types of regulated

anim al dealers, from it s

websit e on Feb. 3, 2017.

Over t he next several

m ont hs, t he USDA rest ored

som e records on ot her t ypes of anim al dealers, such as research anim al dealers and large public

Phot o: An inj ured and underweight dog in a licensed puppy m ill t hat USDA refuses t o nam e. Taken in lat e 2016, t he phot o was r eceived in 2017 as part of an open public records request , but t he breeder's ident it y was blacked out on t he docum ent s. / USDA.

zoos and aquarium s, but

m ost of t he agency's online inspect ion report s of pet breeders st ill have t he licensee's nam e,

business nam e and license num ber blacked out . The agency init ially claim ed t hat t he inform at ion

would st ill be available via individual Freedom of I nfor m at ion Act r equest s sent direct ly t o t he

agency, but t he Hum ane Societ y of t he Unit ed St at es subm it t ed num erous request s and, only aft er

subst ant ial delay, received docum ent s wit h sim ilar redact ions.

On March 21, 2018, w e sued USDA for failing t o release inform at ion in t he Anim al Welfare Act records we r equest ed under t he Fr eedom of I nform at ion Act 2. The following day, Congr ess urged t he USDA t o rest ore t he records as part of a report accom panying t he agency's 2018 spending bill. But as of April 20, 2018, USDA had st ill not rest ored t he records.

As a result of t he USDA's redact ions, only about t hree quart ers of t he breeders in t his year's report are ident ified by nam e, and t he ot hers only by cit y and st at e. Our researchers w ere able t o find nam es for m ost of t he dealers list ed using ot her docum ent s, including st at e inspect ion report s from Georgia, I owa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylavania and Wisconsin ? none of which redact ed vit al inform at ion from t he st at e records we received.

The USDA m ade som e ot her very t roubling m oves in 2017 and 2018, including a pot ent ially disast rous proposal t o allow t hird part y groups t o inspect puppy m ills and ot her t ypes of anim al dealers. This m ove could allow indust ry groups t hat have a financial st ake in perpet uat ing puppy m ills t o be part of t he inspect ion process, effect ively put t ing t he fox in charge of t he henhouse. And

1 Confirm ed by a USDA represent at ive via em ail, April 6, 2018 2 As of April 20, 2018, t he lawsuit was st ill pending. See The Hum ane Societ y Of The Unit ed St at es v. Anim al and Plant Healt h I nspect ion Service, et al, No. 1: 18CV00646 ( D.D.C filed Mar. 21, 2018)

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in April 2018, t he USDA sent a let t er t o licensees st at ing t hat t hey were considering announcing som e inspect ions in advance.

Perhaps t he m ost dist urbing change of all is t hat t he USDA has virt ually st opped r ev oking problem at ic dog breeder licenses. I t is very unusual for t he USDA not t o revoke a single dog dealer license in alm ost a year. I n 2016, for exam ple, t he USDA revoked t he licenses of at least nine dog breeders who had repeat edly harm ed t he anim als in t heir care.

Despit e t hese disheart ening changes, t he inj ustices suffered by dogs in puppy m ills m ust st ill be brought t o light . The Horrible Hundred report s were never int ended t o be a list of all t he puppy m ills in t he Unit ed St at es, or even a list of t he worst puppy m ills, since m any of t he worst puppy m ills are never inspect ed at all. The report is a snapshot t hat depict s t he breadt h of t he problem . Wit h t his snapshot , we hope t o urge consum ers and policy m akers t o do everyt hing in t heir power t o st op puppy m ills.

W hat's new in this year's Horrible Hundred:

1. Missouri continues t o have the largest num ber of puppy m ills in the report, for the six t h ye a r in a r ow ( 23) , followed by Ohio ( 13) , I owa ( 10) , and Pennsylvania ( nine) . Kansas and Wisconsin each have eight dealers in t he r eport . Nebraska and New York each have six.

2. W e've organized t he puppy m ills alphabetically by t ow n or city under each stat e, inst ead of by breeder nam e.

3. More than one quarter of the breeder and/ or kennel nam es in this report are unk now n du e t o r e da ct ion s by t h e USD A. For m any of t he br eeders in t his report , w e only know t he cit y, st at e and dat e of inspect ion, along wit h t heir violations. Because t he USDA's online records are now so disordered and m ost cannot be linked t o any specific individuals, t here m ay be som e cases where we list ed a problem facilit y m ore t han once due to an inability to link related reports by nam e.

4. I n addition to approxim ately 25 breeders w ithout an identity, an additional 1 9 of t he br e e de r s or de a le r s in t he r e por t a r e list e d w it h a pr oba ble ide nt it y. These are licensees we believe we have ident ified by pairing noncom pliant inspect ion report s in a part icular t own or cit y with a license list indicating t hat t he facilit y was t he only one licensed by USDA in t hat cit y and on t hat dat e, or by sim ilar m eans of linking ident ifying inform at ion. These ent ries are m arked in t he report wit h a foot not e.

Approxim at ely one t hird of t he breeders and dealers in t his report are " repeat offenders" ? dealers who have appeared in one or m ore of our past report s and yet have been found wit h additional violations or issues since we com piled our previous report . A few of t he dealers have appeared in all five of our prior Horrible Hundred report s, yet are st ill in business in 2018. The percent age of repeat offenders is probably m uch higher, but because of t he num ber of USDA report s t hat now have no nam es or license num bers on t hem , we were not able t o link all problem report s t o t heir dealers' hist ories.

A few st at es hav e been m aking st rides in shut t ing down puppy m ills. Of t he 12 Pennsylvania puppy m ills list ed in our May 2017 Horrible Hundred report , t hree of t hem have had t heir licenses revoked or have closed down, including Celt ic Farm s and Kennels in Mohrsville, Garden Spot Puppy Haven in Parkesburg, and Runway Kennel in Gordonville. Shockingly, t he owner s of Garden Spot Puppy Hav en, John and Bet t y St olt zfus, are now facing anim al cruelt y charges for allegedly hanging t wo dogs at their kennel.

Perhaps not hing illust rat es t he cruelt y and callousness of puppy m ills m or e t han t he hor rific act of hanging dogs sim ply because t hey were ill and needed care. According t o news report s, t he St olt zfuses claim ed t hat t hey hanged t he dogs because t hey t est ed positive for canine brucellosis, and t he owners didn't have t im e t o t ake t hem t o a vet erinarian for professional eut hanasia because t hey w ere heading t o a " fam ily event ." Their kennel was report edly under quarant ine for t he

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disease, which is becom ing m ore com m on in com m ercial breeding operat ions, and can spread t o cat t le and hum ans.

Anot her disease t hat is becom ing m ore com m on in puppy m ills is Cam pylobact er, a bact erial infect ion t hat can also spread fr om puppies t o hum ans. I n January 2018, t he Cent ers for Disease Cont rol and Prev ent ion concluded an invest igat ion int o a drug- r esist ant st rain of Cam pylobact er t hat spread t o 113 people in 17 st at es. At least 23 people were hospit alized. According t o t he CDC's out br eak advisor y, t he m aj orit y of people who w er e infect ed by t he m ult i- drug- resist ant st rain of Cam pylobact er had r ecent ly had cont act wit h a puppy from a Pet land pet st ore. I nvest igat ions by t he Hum ane Societ y of t he Unit ed St at es have repeat edly proven t he link bet ween pet st ores and puppy m ills, and som e researchers believe t hat dogs raised in com m ercial kennels have a higher incidence of ant ibiot ic resist ant diseases. This is likely due t o t he fact t hat dogs living in unsanit ary environm ent s m ust be repeat edly t reat ed, event ually developing resist ant bact eria.

Addit ional breeders who have shut down since t he publicat ion of our last report include Paul Urbanec/ Diam ond in t he Ruff of Pender , Nebraska, who had appear ed in t hree of our pr evious report s, and Gar y Felt s/ Black Diam ond Kennel in Kingsley, I owa, who appear ed in all five of our previous Horrible Hundred reports.

But for every kennel t hat has closed it s doors since our last report was published, a new one has been added t o t he list . There is no short age of candidat es. I n fact , t here will be no end t o puppy m ills until laws are st ronger, unt il swift enforcem ent becom es t he rule inst ead of t he except ion, and until t he public refuses t o buy puppies from pet st ores, online sit es or ot her sources t hat don't allow them to m eet the breeder of their puppy.

For inform at ion on our m et hodology, see t he last sect ion of t his report . For inform at ion on how t o get a puppy from a responsible breeder, see hum anesociet puppy.

CONTENTS

ARKANSAS ( t hree dealers) FLORI DA ( one dealer) GEORGI A ( t wo dealers) I LLI NOI S ( one dealer) I NDI ANA ( four dealers) I OWA ( 10 dealers) KANSAS (eight dealers) MASSACHUSETTS ( one dealer) MI CHI GAN ( one dealer) MI SSOURI ( 23 dealers) NEBRASKA ( six dealers) NEW YORK ( six dealers) OHI O ( 13 dealers) OKLAHOMA ( t wo dealers) PENNSYLVANI A ( nine dealers) SOUTH DAKOTA ( t wo dealers) WI SCONSI N ( eight dealers) METHODOLOGY

page 5 page 6 page 7 page 8 page 9 page 11 page 16 page 21 page 22 page 23 page 40 page 45 page 47 page 52 page 54 page 59 page 60 page 64

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THE HORRIBLE HUNDRED

ARKANSAS

Mount ainburg, Arkansas: Nam e w ithheld by USDA; believed to be Frank Peck 3, South Forty Kennel ? Dog had a "deep, open lacerat ion," another had m issing fur and sores, a t hir d dog ha d cloude d, cr ust y e y e s. The USDA cit ed Sout h Fort y Kennel in Decem ber 2017 for t wo " direct " violations involving a t ot al of t hree dogs who had severe vet erinary problem s t hat had not been t r eat ed r ecent ly by a vet . The dogs included a fem ale Cavalier King Charles spaniel who had cloudy eyes t hat were crust ed, and one eye had discharge; t he licensee said t he dog had been t reat ed for t he issue " several years ago" but not recent ly; a fem ale bichon who had t hinning fur and " several m oist red sor es" ar ound t he base of her t ail; and a fem ale Yor kshire t er rier who had a collar " hooked" under her front leg. The collar had clearly been like t hat for an ext ended period of t im e, because " when t he collar was rem oved, inspect ors not iced t hat t he collar had rubbed a deep, open lacerat ion int o t he right arm pit , approxim at ely 2 inches long and 1 inch wide." I nspect ors not ed t hat t he dogs' conditions could be painful and t he issues needed t o be addressed quickly.

Sout h Fort y Kennel has a B license, which allows it t o sell puppies bred on it s own pr opert y and also by ot hers t o pet st ores all over t he Unit ed St at es.

New Hope, Ark ansas: N am e w ithheld by USDA; believed to be Desiree and Lee Bogan, Bogan Ranch and Kennels4 ( REPEAT OFFEN DER) ? Puppy on w ire flooring w as chilled and lethargic; three ot her dogs needed m edical care; inspectors found dirty conditions. Desiree and Lee Bogan first appear ed in our 2014 report aft er r eceiving t wo official warnings from USDA due t o repeat ed issues wit h sick anim als and dirt y conditions. More recent ly, t hey were cit ed for a num ber of violat ions in Oct ober 2017, when a USDA inspect or found t wo dogs wit h eye problem s t hat had not been t reat ed by a vet ; a cairn t errier who was badly m at t ed and had " debris caught in the m at s and had m at t ing under t he t ail wit h feces caught in t he m at s; " sm all puppies on wire flooring, one of whom was let hargic, which t he inspect or not ed could be a result of " excessive cooling" aft er being on wire flooring inst ead of in a warm , shelt ered area; feces and " st anding wast e" t hat wasn't being properly drained; and clut t ered conditions.

I n 2013 and earlier, t he USDA cit ed t his facilit y for repeat ed problem s wit h anim al care and sick anim als, including dogs wit h severe ear infect ions, badly m at t ed dogs and dogs wit h m oldy food and dirt y wat er. During one USDA inspect ion in April 2013 alone, 13 different problem s were found, including a dog wit h " a t hick accum ulat ion of blackish colored m at erial" in his ear who was seen repeat edly shaking his head, five severely m at t ed dogs, excessive feces, " wet , caked and m oldy food" and filt hy condit ions. I n July 2013 and Sept em ber 2013, t he USDA issued an official warning t o t he Bogans for unsafe housing, dirt y condit ions and a lack of adequat e vet erinary care. USDA # 71- A- 0962. SECON D TI M E I N TH I S REPORT.

Paris, Arkansas: Nam e w ithheld by USDA ? USDA inspector found 1 3 dogs in need of veterinary care in one day; one dog had "labored breat hing," t w o shih tzus had eyes crust ed shut w ith greenish discharge; others w ere severely m at ted or had signs of infect ion . I n May 2017, a USDA inspect or found a t ot al of 13 dogs in need of vet erinary care at a Paris, Ar kansas, br eeding facilit y, t he nam e of w hich USDA has concealed fr om it s inspect ion

3 Alt hough t he USDA had redact ed t he nam e on t he inspect ion report , t he report was for a dealer ( B license) , and, t o t he best of our knowledge, Frank Peck was t he only dealer licensed by USDA in t his t own and st at e on t he dat e of t he inspect ion. 4 Alt hough t he USDA had redact ed t he nam e on t he inspect ion report , t o t he best of our knowledge, t his breeder was t he only one act ively licensed by USDA in New Hope, Arkansas, on t he dat e inspect ed.

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report s. Am ong t he 13 anim als in need of vet erinary care, nine of t he issues were list ed as " Direct ," indicat ing t hat t he dogs needed t o see a vet erinarian as soon as possible. The issues included a Malt ese wit h " labored breat hing," who had so m uch dark m at erial in his ears t hat it was blocking t he ear canal, and who was also badly m at t ed, wit h " m at s around t he lower legs [ t hat ] were st ained yellow with m at t er st uck in t he m at s" and ot her areas t hat had " feces caught in the m at s." I n addit ion, several dogs had oozing eyes, including t wo shih t zus whose eyes were in such bad condition t hat t hey were crust ed shut , and m any dogs were badly m at t ed or had signs of dent al or eye infect ions.

I n addit ion, according to t he inspect ion report , " Upon ent ering t he puppy building t he inspect or not iced a st rong odor of dog feces and urine. Aft er about t en m inut es t he inspect or could feel a burning in t he eyes and back of t he t hroat from t he odor and am m onia. Two adult dogs were observed wit h t earing of t he eyes which could be at t ribut ed t o t he st rong odor and am m onia in t he building." The inspect or also not ed a Yorkie who could not st op spinning in circles, st at ing t hat t he Yor kshire t er rier " was observ ed spinning in it s enclosur e alm ost cont inuously for t he dur at ion of t he t im e we w ere in t he building [ which was] about one hour. This is not norm al behavior and can be a sign of physiological dist ress."

Due t he USDA's redact ions of vit al inform at ion on t he agency's public records, our researchers were not able t o link a nam e, business nam e or license num ber t o t his kennel.

FLORIDA

M ia m i, Flor ida : Be v e r ly H ills Pu ppie s, I nc. ? Online se lle r a nd "AKC" br e e de r k e pt pa n t ing bulldogs in sw eltering 9 9 .6 degree building; inspectors found underw eight and injured dogs; one dog w as frantically spinning in circles; cited repeatedly for inadequate ve t e r in a r y ca r e . Bev er ly Hills Puppies, I nc. sells puppies online, via , and on social m edia, including Facebook .

During visit s in Februar y, March, May and June of 2017, USDA inspect or s found a num ber of serious violat ions at Bev erly Hill Puppies, including dogs who w er e pant ing in buildings t hat wer e alm ost 100 degr ees Fahrenheit wit h high hum idit y, dogs wit h t heir ribs showing and dogs wit h visible inj uries. I nspect ors also found a fem ale bull t errier who was spinning frant ically in her enclosure in an abnorm al m anner, and who wasn't t reat ed for her dist ressing condit ion even aft er t he business was warned about t he problem . During a June 2017 inspect ion, t he operat ion had 55 dogs at t he facilit y, and was cit ed for having no vet erinarian visit t o t he facilit y since March 2016. Quot es from USDA inspect ion report s include t he following:

" The single housed adult fem ale Bull Terrier is exhibit ing abnorm al repet it ive ( st ereot ypic) behavior. During t he inspect ion on June 28, 2017, & June 29, 2017, t his dog was observ ed spinning in circles repeat edly in a fast m ot ion. The care t akers were unaware of what care t his dog has r eceived fr om t he last inspect ion..."

" During t he February 7, 2017, inspect ion t he adult fem ale English bulldog nam ed Elizabet h ( m icrochip # 900085000072610) had an inj ury she received about t wo weeks prior by going under som e dam aged fencing wit h sharp edges. The wound was approxim at ely 1/ 2'' deep and 3'' t o 4'' long and an inch wide is locat ed at t he left front rib area behind her shoulder appears t o be healed. The wound now appears t o be healed, however t here was no writ t en docum ent at ion available t o show t his dog was seen by t he at t ending vet erinarian as cit ed during t he February 7, 2017, inspect ion."

" During t his inspect ion on June 28, 2017, and June 29, 2017, t he adult French bulldog nam ed Madonna ( m icrochip # 9000085000072632) and an adult fem ale French bulldog

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nam e Rim a had an occurr ence of diarrhea in t heir enclosures. Madonna was observ ed t hin, dull coat , and ribs [ visibly] showing. The care t akers w ere asked by [ t he visit ing vet erinary officer] how long t hey had diarrhea and t hey st at ed about 2 weeks off and on."

" This facilit y has not provided adequat e vet erinary care for it s dogs under t his sect ion 2.40( b) ( 2) during previous inspect ions on 11/ 24/ 14, 7/ 16/ 15, and 2/ 7/ 17."

" On June 28, 2017, at 11: 00 am , t he indoor k ennel was not being sufficient ly cooled t o prot ect t he dogs from high t em perat ures and hum idit y for t heir healt h and well being. The am bient t em perat ur e in t he indoor kennel was 99.6 F, wit h high hum idit y level of 70% . Most all of t he dogs during t his inspect ion wer e pant ing..."

" During t he inspect ion on June 29, 2017, at 12: 30 pm , t he am bient t em perat ur e was fr om 98.7 F and 99.6, wit h a high hum idit y level of 75% . Again m ost t he dogs were pant ing som e heavier t han ot hers. The adult fem ale English Bulldog Elizabet h (# 9000850000072610) was panting [ and] laying down in the kennel with foam around her m out h and on t he floor from heavy salivation."

" During t his inspect ion on June 28, 2017, and June 29, 2017, nearly all enclosur es at t his kennel had [ ...] 3 t o 5 occur rences or m ore of soft piles of st ool. Ther e are m any dogs at t his kennel appear t o be slightly t hin wit h dry and dull coat s and som e were observed scrat ching."

" During t his inspect ion of t his kennel on June 28, 2017, and June 29, 2017, t her e were excessive am ount s of excret a in m ost of t he dog enclosures."

Despit e ident ifying it self as a breeder on it s websit e, t he operat ion is licensed wit h USDA under a B license, which m eans it m ay breed som e of it s own dogs and also re- sell puppies bred by ot hers. One inspect ion in March 2018 was com pliant . USDA # 58- B- 0615.

GEORGIA

M e igs, Ge or gia : Pa t t i W e st , Lor r a in s [ SI C] Yor k ie s ( REPEAT OFFEN D ER) ? Cont inu e d t o have overw helm ing odor and m atted dogs despite w arnings from inspectors; offers t o ship puppie s t o bu ye r s sight - un se e n but is not lice nse d t o do so by USD A. Ev en aft er appearing in our 2017 Horrible Hundred report due t o overwhelm ingly foul odors, m at t ed dogs and ot her pr oblem s, Lorrains Yorkies cont inued t o be cit ed for som e of t he sam e pr oblem s as r ecent ly as August 2017. An August 2017 st at e inspect ion show ed t hat t he Geor gia Depart m ent of Agricult ure r enew ed Pat t i West 's kennel license ev en t hough an overwhelm ing sm ell perm eat ed t he room and m any of t he dogs were m at t ed ? issues t hat West had been warned about in t he past . The inspect or wr ot e, " [ Regarding] t he st r ong am m onia odor in t he puppy r oom . We hav e discussed t his in t he past . [ Ms. West ] is current ly leaving t he windows open at night until 12: 00 t he next day. At t hat t im e she t urns on t he AC and closes t he window. The sm ell is overwhelm ing, and I have inst ruct ed her t o consult an HVAC cont ract or befor e m y ret urn [ visit ] ." Ev en aft er not ing t hese violations, t he inspect ion report ed st at ed, " t he license has been renewed." We could find no evidence t hat a follow- up inspect ion ever occurred, as of March 2018.

As w e not ed in our 2017 report , in June 2016, st at e records show t hat Lorrains Yorkies was inspect ed and invest igated by several individuals at once, including represent at ives from t he Georgia Depart m ent of Agricult ure, count y anim al cont rol, local law enfor cem ent and t he direct or of a local hum ane societ y. A report fr om t he Georgia Depart m ent of Agricult ure st at es, " [ I nspect or] was accom panied by law enforcem ent because t hey were looking for, and had a search warrant t o look for, st olen dogs. Upon inspect ion/ invest igat ion six ( 6) of t he st olen/ m icrochipped dogs were

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recovered by law enforcem ent . Upon m y inspect ion it was not ed, and violations were issued for t he following: t he sm ell of am m onia [ urine/ feces] was so overwhelm ing in the puppy room out side t hat m asks had t o be worn for t he inspect ion. [ I t ] is not ed t hat m ost of t he adult dogs are m at t ed and filt hy. The out side am bient t em p of t he pens w as 95 degrees. There are no records kept at all according t o Ms. West . There are no records at all indicat ing where t he dogs have com e from , and wher e t hey hav e gone t o. I have issued a STOP ORDER unt il t hese issues ar e r esolved. I t is not ed t hat Ms. West was ar rest ed by Colquit t Count y Sheriff's Dept ." ( June 28, 2016.)

Consum er com plaint s, which we have not v erified, are online at Ripoffr eport .com .

We could find no record t hat aut horities ever charged West wit h receiving st olen propert y, t heft or any ot her crim e relat ed t o t he allegedly st olen dogs, but a news report on t he case st at es t hat t he dogs were linked t o West aft er a DNA t est : ht t p: / / / st ory/ 32349311/ st olen- dogsrecovered- t hanks- t o- dna- t est .

As of April 12, 2018, West advert ises puppies for sale on and on her own w ebsit e ( ) , w hich offer s t o ship a puppy t o t he airport of t he buyer 's choice--but West does not appear t o have an act ive USDA license, which would be required t o legally ship puppies as pet s sight - unseen. GA # 36104933. SECON D TI M E I N TH I S REPORT.

N a shv ille , Ge or gia : Cr a ig Gr a y, Ge or gia Pu ppie s ? M a ssive de a le r w it h 4 5 0 dogs w a s cited by st ate for dogs housed perm anent ly in tem porary enclosures; dogs found w it hout a de qu a t e spa ce . Geor gia Puppies is a m assive dog dealer t hat had approxim at ely 450 dogs, according t o t he m ost r ecent available st at e inspect ion r eport ( Februar y 2018) . I n February 2018, a st at e inspect or failed t he dealer for st ruct ural issues, not ing t hat dogs in a large out door building had " out grown t heir provided space" and required " larger perm anent enclosures." The inspect or also not ed t hat " t here are several buildings at t his facilit y [ where] dogs are housed in t em porary enclosures perm anent ly." The dealer was given a violat ion for " st ruct ural st rengt h" and inst ruct ed t o t ransfer dogs t o perm anent enclosures. This appears t o indicat e t hat a num ber of dogs w ere found living perm anent ly in crat es or crat e- like enclosures rat her t han in adequat e dog runs. There are significant concerns t hat such a m assive operat ion could be overcrowded.

Georgia Puppies offers puppies for sale via it s own w ebsit e, and t hr ough online breeder classified sit es like . The operat ion's PuppyFind page, as of March 28, 2018, had m any different puppies list ed, along wit h an offer t o ship t hem t o " select areas." The operat ion also has a Facebook page where it r egularly post s phot os of puppies for sale and answers inquiries by privat e m essage. The operat ion does not appear t o hav e a USDA license. GA license # 36102005.

ILLINOIS

H um boldt , I llin ois: N a m e w it h he ld by USD A; be lie ve d t o be Cliff or d E. H e r sch be r ge r 5 ? Thin puppy w ho had diarrhea for a w eek had not been t aken to a veterinarian; inspectors found "buildup of dir t a nd gr im e ." I n July 2017, a USDA inspect or found a sickly puppy at Herschberger's facilit y who had not been t reat ed by a vet erinarian. " There is a Boxer puppy ( approxim at ely 8 wks old) t hat is t hin in appearance and had loose diarrhea, t hat appeared t o have som e blood in it ," t he inspect or wrot e. " While t he diarrhea had been not iced over t he past week, t here has been no t reat m ent , or cont act wit h t he vet erinarian for proper diagnosis or t reat m ent ." The inspect or insist ed t hat t he licensee t ake t he puppy t o a vet erinarian. I n addit ion t o t he underweight puppy, t he inspect or found dirt y condit ions, not ing: " There are several prim ary enclosure walls and 4 feeders t hat have a m oderat e buildup of brown dirt / grim e on t he walls, and

5 Alt hough t he licensee's nam e was redact ed on t he inspect ion report , t o t he best of our knowledge t his breeder was t he only pet breeder licensed by t he USDA in t he t own specified on dat e( s) of t he inspect ion.

8 ? The Hum ane Societ y of t he Unit ed St at es, 2018

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