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NBC’s Today Unveils HSUS Investigation into Huge Internet Puppy Broker Selling Sick Puppies

Consumers Nationwide are Victims of Purebred Breeders LLC’s Misleading Sales Tactics

WASHINGTON (Dec. 7, 2011) — The Humane Society of the United States has released the results of its 3-month-long investigation into Purebred Breeders LLC, thought to be the nation’s largest online seller of puppies. The investigation was featured on NBC’s TODAY this morning and highlighted the connection between Purebred Breeders and inhumane commercial breeding facilities known as puppy mills, where dogs are often stacked in cramped wire cages, with no exercise, veterinary care, socialization, or human companionship. HSUS attorneys, in partnership with Florida firm Leopold-Kuvin, have also filed suit in Florida state court on behalf of HSUS members and other consumers who received sick or dying dogs from Purebred Breeders.

The HSUS investigation found that Purebred Breeders owns nearly 800 Web domains designed to mislead consumers into believing that they are dealing with local breeders when they shop online for a puppy. Whistleblowers working for the company told HSUS investigators that the company sells approximately 20,000 puppies every year, using hard-sell, deceptive tactics encouraged by company executives.  Puppies purchased through Purebred Breeders are never seen by sales personnel even though they routinely guarantee the health of these animals who are often flown long distances directly from the breeding facility to the consumer.

“Purebred Breeders reaps massive profits by purchasing puppies from puppy mills around the country and selling them at a huge mark-up to dog lovers who would never knowingly buy a puppy mill dog," said Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president for animal protection litigation and investigations at The HSUS. "Internet puppy sellers like Purebred Breeders deceive consumers about the origins of the puppies they sell, and as a result unsuspecting families suffer great expense caring for sick dogs, or the terrible anguish of losing a beloved family pet.”

Undercover HSUS investigators obtained photographs and video footage of several large-scale commercial puppy mills that supply dogs to Purebred Breeders for re-sale. This footage reveals dogs in stacked wire cages, empty water bowls, excessive build-up of feces under cages, and other unsanitary conditions typical of puppy mills.

The lawsuit, filed by consumer justice law firm Leopold-Kuvin of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in partnership with lawyers in HSUS’s Animal Protection Litigation Section, alleges that Purebred Breeders violates state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers into believing that the puppies it sells are healthy and come from high-quality breeders. “Our goal in this lawsuit is to expose the deceptive practices of Purebred Breeders and achieve justice for the consumers and animals that the company mistreats,” said Ted Leopold, the lead attorney in the case.

Congress is considering the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, S. 707 and H.R. 835, introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and David Vitter, R-La., in the Senate, and Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., Sam Farr, D-Calif.,  Bill Young, R-Fla., and Lois Capps, D-Calif., in the House. The PUPS Act would close a loophole in the federal Animal Welfare Act regulations that allow puppy mills selling directly to consumers over the Internet to escape basic oversight and inspection. That legislation is rapidly gaining cosponsors in Congress. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is also considering taking action to regulate large-scale commercial dog breeders that sell directly to consumers online.

The HSUS recommends that when a person or family is ready they should go to shelters or rescue groups first when looking for a four-footed family member. If adoption of a homeless animal is not possible, pets should never be purchased online. For such an important decision as adding a member of the family, the living conditions of the breeding dogs should be personally inspected. And only breeders whose dogs are part of a family situation should be patronized.

Any consumer who purchased a sick puppy from an online seller is encouraged to fill out the complaint form here.

See full Today show story here.

“Dirty Dozen” Puppy Mill Posing as Dog Rescue Group

The Humane Society of the United States Asks Missouri’s Attorney General to Investigate

Aug. 5, 2011 – The Humane Society of the United States  has submitted a complaint to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster requesting an investigation of the purported dog “rescue” group operated by state-licensed dog breeder Wendy Laymon. The HSUS’ complaint contends that Laymon is violating the state’s consumer protection law, also known as the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, by deceiving the public into believing that the dogs in her operation are rescued from other facilities, when in fact many of the dogs may be coming directly from her puppy mill.

“This is only one example of the corruption that is prevalent in the high-volume dog breeding industry,” said Barbara Schmitz, Missouri state director for The Humane Society of the United States. “This puppy mill operator is not only profiting from breeding dogs in an inhumane manner, but now is also profiting by misrepresenting her operation and playing on the emotions of people who care about dogs and want to rescue them.”

The HSUS named Laymon’s breeding facility, Shadow Mountain Kennel, as one of the worst licensed puppy mills in the state in its 2010 and 2011 “Missouri’s Dirty Dozen” reports. The kennel received a “dishonorable mention” in both reports based on consumer complaints about sick and dying puppies Laymon allegedly sold over the Internet, as well as USDA and state inspection records citing Laymon for numerous violations of federal and state welfare standards. The violations included excessively matted dogs, inadequate veterinary care, and dirty housing conditions. In 2009, the USDA fined Laymon $7,125 for repeated violations and suspended her license for three years. However, Laymon continues to be licensed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture even though she has been cited by that agency at least 36 times for animal care violations.

HSUS’ complaint to the Attorney General explains that in April 2010 Laymon created the non-profit “rescue” operation, “Rescue A French Bulldog.” The “rescue” primarily operates through the website, rescueafrenchbulldog.com, where Laymon offers French Bulldogs to the public for “adoption fees” that range from $500 to $950. Laymon also uses the website to solicit “donations,” ostensibly to help feed and care for the dogs. Based on inside information HSUS received from a former consultant of Laymon’s, it appears that Laymon created this “rescue” to entice dog-lovers into buying dogs from her facility that she might not otherwise be able to sell, and to circumvent anticipated changes in state laws regulating dog breeders. The HSUS believes this situation has become more common as consumers are becoming aware of the abuses that occur at puppy mills.


Update on Missouri's Dirty Dozen  - Click here 

“Dirty Dozen” Kennel Shut Down in Missouri

May 18, 2011 - HSUS Press Release

The state’s Attorney General has ordered S&S Family Puppies of Milan, Mo. to shut its doors and remain closed for at least eight years. The Humane Society of the United States named S&S Family Puppies as one of the worst puppy mills in the country in its 2010 and 2011“Dirty Dozen” reports. The kennel received this dubious honor based on 500 pages of USDA records stretching back to 2006, including violations for dogs found with oozing sores and untreated injuries, filthy and unsafe conditions, underweight animals, and inadequate protection from harsh weather conditions.

In addition to being featured in The HSUS’s “Dirty Dozen” reports, last year several plaintiffs sued Diana Stephenson and her daughter Brandi Cheney in Missouri state court alleging that the puppy dealers violated the Missouri consumer protection law by selling sick and dying puppies. USDA records list Stephenson and Cheney as co-owners of S&S Family Puppies.  The duo has operated several other puppy selling businesses over the years under a litany of ever-changing names, including C C Family Puppies, Dichas Kennel and Unitedpuppies.  In fact, Cheney has recently obtained a USDA license for a new kennel, Circle B Farms, LLC, which has also been cited for animal care violations as recently as January 2011.

“We applaud Attorney General Koster for taking action in this case, and hope this is just the beginning of his efforts to crack down on chronically problematic breeding kennels in Missouri” said Melanie Kahn, senior director of the Puppy Mills Campaign for The HSUS. “We are pleased that the cycle of abuse at S&S Puppies has finally ended, but saddened that it took years of documented abuse to shut this facility down. This is another example of why stronger puppy mill laws are needed in Missouri.”

Approximately 40 of Diana and Charles Stephenson’s dogs are scheduled to be auctioned off on Saturday, May 21 at Southwest Kennel Auction’s “consignment sale” in Wheaton, Mo. It is unclear at this time whether the Stephensons will be permitted to keep the profits from the sale.