Undercover Pet Store Visit

[Guest WoobiesMom]

So I decided to do a bit of reconnaissance on the new local pet store. Luckily, the woman I spoke w/last time who was so adamant about not giving out info or paperwork was not there. One very clueless teen girl was there and another slightly more guarded one. So my dear daughter pretended like she really wanted one of the pups, playing it to the hilt. I played the cautious mother and asked about paperwork, registrations, health guarantees, etc. and let them give their spiel. Then I started asking more pointed questions about whether I could see the paperwork, did they get the pups directly from breeders, or from brokers, which ones, etc. The guarded teen told me I couldn't see the paperwork unless I bought one and then I would only get the proof of medical care, the guarantee and the pedigree. While she was on the phone the clueless girl explained that the pups were given daily nebulizer treatments "for their lungs and stuff", they were up to date on their shots, they were guaranteed for certain congenital defects (listed by breed/condition) for the first 3 years, kennel cough only if a vet diagnoses it in the first 72 hours and any other medical issues only if dx'ed in the first 3 days.

 

By this time, the girl on the phone (apparently w/the manager) said she wanted to talk to me. The manager had apparently told the girl to let me see the paperwork and then told me on the phone I could "see it but not legally allowed to write anything down or take it out of the store". Well since it was me she told and the girl was putting the paperwork in front of me and giving me a paper and pen, I didn't say a word as the manager continued to explain that they'd been dealing w/the broker for years, never had a problem, continue to work with buyers for as long as they own the pup, etc etc etc. Gave me the whole big smoke and mirrors show as I uh-huh'ed her to death and wrote everything I could frantically. Couple things she said were red flags for me. She said the nebulizer was a preventive for all the pups because of what the people who come in and handle them might bring. I asked if it would mask kennel cough, she said no, it was just a small dose of antibiotic that "kept them from catching anything brought in".

 

There were two papillions we acted interested in and they gave me that paperwork to look at. One was very lethargic ("all played out"), very weepy eyes ("sometimes the sawdust gets in their eyes when they're playing") and fairly nonresponsive.

 

The broker was Tracy's K & J Pets in Fair Grove, MO. I only found two things on them when I googled. One is interesting in that one of the owners, Jenny Tracy, apparently died in 2005 but their website http://www.tracyskjpets.com/ still presents it as though she's alive and helping run the company. And a USDA report showing that they purchased a butt-load of pups from an unlicensed breeder. It doesn't appear that they were sanctioned but the breeder was.

 

The breeder is listed as Randall Jones of Lebanon, MO. I found a USDA report on a dog breeder by that name in Arkansas who was stripped of his license, fined $8800 dollars and prevented from raising dogs for commercial purposes. I guess it's possible he's just moved states, but I'm not sure how to find out if there's identifying info that could track him from one place to the next. He has a USDA # listed in the paperwork, but I wasn't able to pull it up or find him in the USDA site (bogus #?).

 

I hope someone can tell me what all these things are. They were listed on the medical care sheet:

DOB: 5-4-07 (pup 1) DOB: 4-17-07 (pup 2) they both look nearly identical in size!

Parvo

DA2MP

CVK

Panacur

Albon & Flagyl

Progard KC

Vanguard Plus 5

Drontal Plus

Albon & Flagyl

Frontline

 

One pup also had Nemex II listed as well as a report of Left inguinal hernia repair and left umbilical hernia repair. When I asked the manager, she said 95% of puppies will have them and since it's repaired, it's no big deal.

 

SO! I strongly suspect at a minimum, the breeder is a miller AND I'm concerned about the nebulizer treatments and this lethargic pup. What next? Can I contact the USDA to find out more about this Randall Jones? How do I find out more about whether the broker has complaints/sanctions/etc. Is there a local authority to call about the health of the pups on their premises? I shudder to call my county's animal control people after getting my kitten from their facility, it's pretty abysmal. If I can connect this breeder to the one whose license was revoked, do I place a complaint w/the USDA?

 

I want to get all my ducks in a row and collect as much documentation as I can for a letter to the owner to include the info I find, like the buying pups from unlicensed breeders, if this breeder is the same one from AR, etc. and then I think I'd like to contact the local press. We have a 12 on Your Side here that might pick it up if I can give them enough hard evidence. I just want to get the word out at least in my little corner of the world and maybe keep a few innocent people from buying these pups and maybe provide some pressure for the store owner to stop carrying these dogs.

 

Help!

[AKB]

I don't know exactly how you would check- Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas have an insane amount of puppy mills but could they be breeders for the Hunte Corporation? I think they sell puppies all over the country.

[WyoBC]

I would try asking the ASPCA. They could probably tell you what to do as far as getting the animals. They would also know who to get a hold of. If he is a miller than I sure they would help.

 

It sounds like you have done your homework though. Good job

[IronHorse]

I see that Tracy's K & J Pets list 43 breeds that they broker and can "special" order alot that aren't on their "list"

 

WoobiesMom,

your reconnaissance has lead you right into the heart of the "good ol boy" network of the puppymill industry that thrives here in Missouri.

 

I think working your pet store and pressing them to not deal in puppies is a great course of action.imo

 

As far as these big miller brokers go,well all I will say in public is I would love to see them all go out of business asap.

[MaggieDog]

I interned with USDA Animal Care a few years ago - I think you should definitely contact them about the Randall Jones guy; their office deals with inspections and such and they generally do follow up on complaints or concerns although it is going to have to go through the buracracy and thus may take a while. All the people I worked with were very helpful.

 

I'll see if I can do some digging and get a phone number and name for who you need to speak with.

[juliepoudrier]

I hope someone can tell me what all these things are. They were listed on the medical care sheet:

DOB: 5-4-07 (pup 1) DOB: 4-17-07 (pup 2) they both look nearly identical in size!

Parvo

DA2MP

CVK

Panacur

Albon & Flagyl

Progard KC

Vanguard Plus 5

Drontal Plus

Albon & Flagyl

Frontline

 

One pup also had Nemex II listed as well as a report of Left inguinal hernia repair and left umbilical hernia repair. When I asked the manager, she said 95% of puppies will have them and since it's repaired, it's no big deal.

 

Parvo: parvo vaccination

DA2MP: distemper, adenovirus, etc. vaccine

CVK: (ETA: If this is Duramune Max-5 CVK then it is another distemper combo vaccine)

Panacur: dewormer

Albon & Flagyl: anitbacterials, probably to deal with diarrhea or maybe pneumonia (preventive treatments maybe)? (I've used Albon for coccidia, flagyl for giardia, but they have other uses)

Progard KC: I'm guessing this is a kennel cough vaccine (ETA: Googling reveals it is indeed a kennel cough vaccine, intranasal)

Vanguard Plus 5: I would guess this is a 5-way distemper vaccine, but would have to search it. (ETA: "Vanguard Plus 5 vaccinates dogs against distemper, adenovirus type 2(and hepatitis), parainfluenza, and parvovirus")

Drontal Plus: for tapes

Albon & Flagyl: see above

Frontline: for fleas

 

I would think that a nebulizer of antibiotics would be every vet's nightmare and every microorganism's dream (so to speak). What better way to create "superbugs" (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) than to constantly innoculate them with small doses of antibiotics? I also wonder why they would use three different brands of distemper combo vaccine when ISTM that buying in bulk one brand would be the most cost-effective route to take. At any rate, you can't point to any of the treatments and say they were unnecessary (aside from the nebulizer thing).

 

J.

[Kyrasmom]

Most of the big brokers are USDA licensed and as frustrating as it is, there's not much to be done against them. Keep in mind that NO responsible breeder would place thier pups through a pet store (especially as any responsible breeder should have the pups sold before they hit the ground or shortly thereafter - which would show planning of the actual litter).

 

You'd be surprised at how well kept the paper trail is and how completely legal the entire thing is. I remember when I was more active with an animal welfare organization that we contacted the USDA about a puppymill (which we later raided and got shut down after media attention etc etc) and they claimed that everything was in order.

 

Your best bet, especially is the pet store is a local one and not a big chain like Petland (who gets their pups from Hunte...or at least did a few years ago) is getting your facts in order about puppymills in general, pet ownership, rescue, etc etc and then having a heart to heart with the manager. Sometimes you can prevail and sometimes you get escorted out and asked not to return.

 

The pet store issue will continue as long as their is a demand for product...so basically as long as people buy from ANY unscrupulous breeder, the cycle continues.

 

I wish there were legislation that would halt mass production of puppies..any animal for that matter really but the big guys have their ducks in a row and you'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong on paper. The millers are licensed, the pups are registered.

 

Maria

[Guest WoobiesMom]

Thank you everyone! This is apparently a locally owned store, this one a new branch of one in Richmond. The one in Richmond has been around for a while, I'm just hoping to affect their sales here in my town enough to get them to shut down or at least stop carrying the pups. I want to get my ducks in a row and lots of documentation for a letter to the owner and to provide to the local press.

 

It does seem strange that they'd have so many different things administered covering the same diseases. It almost seems to my like they're "loading" the med record to make it look more impressive. I seriously doubt they actually got all that's listed. And YES, that nebulizer thing just made me think drug resistant nightmare.

[BayouBC]

I also wonder why they would use three different brands of distemper combo vaccine when ISTM that buying in bulk one brand would be the most cost-effective route to take. At any rate, you can't point to any of the treatments and say they were unnecessary (aside from the nebulizer thing).

 

In my (limited) experience with pet stores that sell puppies, usually the change of brands is a sign of where they were in the "pipeline" from breeder to pet store. By the time they get to the store, they've usually had two or three vaccines at different points, and everybody just happens to use something different.

 

I'm kind of curious as to what they mean by these nebulizer treatments, but it's also pretty common for the puppies to be on antibiotics. The place up in Maryland that I always went to (I liked to track how many Aussies and BC's they had come through) kept the puppies on a antibiotic pill that I think was Amoxicillin. It's been a while, so I don't remember if that was definitely the medication or not. At the same time, almost every puppy I knew to come out of there, including an Aussie pup that I bought when she'd been there two months and finally hit the rock bottom price where they wouldn't make a profit, ended up with some degree of a URI that took a while to clear. Was it kennel cough? Quite possibly, but not definitely. But the puppies always -seemed- healthy at the actual store. I also have to admit that in terms of pet stores, it was also probably one of the "best" I've been to, in terms of cleanliness and obvious health of the pups.

[TaliC2007]

I live in Missouri and I am long overdue for a nice road trip. If we could get actual addresses, I could go spy and see what these places are like. I can take pictures with my cell phone

 

Missouri is very bad for puppy mills. Here is an interesting, and disturbing, article from the MO-Kan Border Collie resucue if you are interested.

 

http://www.bordercollierescue.org/Floating...puppymills.html

[TaliC2007]

Here is a quote from the above mentioned article that just makes my stomach turn. It's not a law yet, so I can still take pictures.

 

The reality seems clear. The production of puppies is a major “crop” in Missouri. The annual revenue is estimated at forty million dollars in Missouri. It is also clear that the economic interest involved have significant influence in our legislature as at each session a bill is introduced to make it a felony to record or take pictures in any of these facilities. We have also learned that one of the largest “wholesalers” of puppies the Hunte Corporation has been given a loan of $900,000 by the USDA in addition to previous loans in the amount of 3.5 million dollars.

[BayouBC]

In my (limited) experience with pet stores that sell puppies, usually the change of brands is a sign of where they were in the "pipeline" from breeder to pet store. By the time they get to the store, they've usually had two or three vaccines at different points, and everybody just happens to use something different.

 

I'm kind of curious as to what they mean by these nebulizer treatments, but it's also pretty common for the puppies to be on antibiotics. The place up in Maryland that I always went to (I liked to track how many Aussies and BC's they had come through) kept the puppies on a antibiotic pill that I think was Amoxicillin. It's been a while, so I don't remember if that was definitely the medication or not. At the same time, almost every puppy I knew to come out of there, including an Aussie pup that I bought when she'd been there two months and finally hit the rock bottom price where they wouldn't make a profit, ended up with some degree of a URI that took a while to clear. Was it kennel cough? Quite possibly, but not definitely. But the puppies always -seemed- healthy at the actual store. I also have to admit that in terms of pet stores, it was also probably one of the "best" I've been to, in terms of cleanliness and obvious health of the pups.

 

On their website, Tracy's K & J's Pets, the "breeder" that Woobie'sMom linked in the original post, sounds like they sell directly to the public as well. They're in MO, so it might be interesting to see if they would let you come there or how they handle selling to the general public. Unfortunately, on their "available breeds this week", Border Collies are listed. There's an address listed on their contact page, but I doubt that's their actual facility.

[Guest WoobiesMom]

Tali, that would be great if you could visit this Jones fella! If he's the same one that was sanctioned while operating in Arkansas, he's bad news. I'll PM you the address, don't want to get myself in too much trouble.

 

A little success so far!!! I called the Animal clinic the manager claimed had prescribed these prophylactic nebulizer treatments and they claimed they had not treated or prescribed anything for the animals there. They only do the vet checks and provide care for owners after purchase but could not discuss anything about that due to HIPAA. So, there's one lie confirmed.

 

The head of Animal Control called me and now that I've filed a complaint, they are able to do a full scale inspection. On a previous visit, I heard a very sick sounding dog crying in their back room, I hope they find more and can shut them down. The things that are definite criminal violations are the keeping sick animals with healthy ones and the wire bottom cages, so they're in trouble for that automatically. The hospital type collars were very tight on several larger pups, so that plus the nebulizer treatments are openings for possible animal cruelty charges.

 

Yay! A tiny bit of progress! I think once the results of the inspection are available (they'd better be public info!) I may pass them along to the press along with the USDA report of Tracy's receiving numerous pups from an unlicensed breeder.

[IronHorse]

Here is a quote from the above mentioned article that just makes my stomach turn. It's not a law yet, so I can still take pictures.

 

I don't want to rain on your parade but I will say that you would have a snowballs chance in hell of getting anywhere near anything that these people don't want photos taken of.

They have plenty of "fluff" for your photo ops but keep in mind that they hold the keys to all the doors and decide which ones they will open for you.

[IronHorse]

Yay! A tiny bit of progress! I think once the results of the inspection are available (they'd better be public info!) I may pass them along to the press along with the USDA report of Tracy's receiving numerous pups from an unlicensed breeder.

 

Congrats on the progress you have made so far

As far as this USDA report of Tracy's receiving "numerous" pups from an unlicensed breeder.

Were any specific numbers cited about how many pups?

The word "receiving" is rather vague here too,,did Tracy's Buy the pups? or did they just "receive" the pups for some other concideration or merely given to them?

In Missouri a person can breed and sale a pretty large number of dogs and puppies without any license whatsoever.

I believe the number of Puppies that can be sold in a year by a person without license is 25,but I am not 100% sure,it may even be more.

Even if its only 25 that is imo ALOT of puppies.

Then concider this,say for example john doe sales 25 puppies,,,,mrs john doe sales 25 puppies,,mr and mrs john does of legal age son sales 25 puppies,,john does brother sales 25 puppies,and his wife does the same,,,,,and so on and so on.

[TaliC2007]

I don't want to rain on your parade but I will say that you would have a snowballs chance in hell of getting anywhere near anything that these people don't want photos taken of.

They have plenty of "fluff" for your photo ops but keep in mind that they hold the keys to all the doors and decide which ones they will open for you.

 

 

I'm sure you are right. I just told someone else that it sounds like it should be pretty easy, but if it was then why hasn't someone posted pictures of this all over the internet already. Still, it will be interesting to see. I would try to sneak in at night, but they probably have a bunch of non-puppy mill Rotties and Pit Bulls that would eat me for dinner, not to mention, I have never been one for jail.

 

Do you know where Fair Grove is?

[Guest WoobiesMom]

Congrats on the progress you have made so far

As far as this USDA report of Tracy's receiving "numerous" pups from an unlicensed breeder.

Were any specific numbers cited about how many pups?

The word "receiving" is rather vague here too,,did Tracy's Buy the pups? or did they just "receive" the pups for some other concideration or merely given to them?

In Missouri a person can breed and sale a pretty large number of dogs and puppies without any license whatsoever.

I believe the number of Puppies that can be sold in a year by a person without license is 25,but I am not 100% sure,it may even be more.

Even if its only 25 that is imo ALOT of puppies.

Then concider this,say for example john doe sales 25 puppies,,,,mrs john doe sales 25 puppies,,mr and mrs john does of legal age son sales 25 puppies,,john does brother sales 25 puppies,and his wife does the same,,,,,and so on and so on.

 

Thanks!

 

Here's the pdf of the report: http://www.usda.gov/da/oaljdecisions/07011...A-06-0015DD.pdf

 

I stopped counting at about 50+ dogs they sold to Tracy's. What burns me is that I don't find any record of Tracy's being fined or sanctioned for buying them, just the breeder for selling them w/o being licensed. I have a call into the USDA to ask more questions.

[IronHorse]

I'm sure you are right. I just told someone else that it sounds like it should be pretty easy, but if it was then why hasn't someone posted pictures of this all over the internet already. Still, it will be interesting to see. I would try to sneak in at night, but they probably have a bunch of non-puppy mill Rotties and Pit Bulls that would eat me for dinner, not to mention, I have never been one for jail.

 

Do you know where Fair Grove is?

 

Who's to say if pictures don't exsist?

But I guarantee if a person had/has any and they were to post them in a haphazard fasion without some very solid evidence to back up any negative claim then that person would be dealing with a very serious libel suit againt them.

These aren't a bunch of dumb hillbillies,,they are well educated, wealthy individuals and retain top notch lawyers and lobbyists to protect their interests.

 

Try and sneak in at night?

You would find out what the term "tight security" really means and you would be thinking about it real hard while waiting to get bailed out of the local jail.

 

Fair Grove is located in Greene County,,about 20 or so miles NE of Springfield on Highway 65.

[Guest WoobiesMom]

I've found quite a few pics on various websites, they just don't identify the location or breeder specifically. More like "this mill in SE Nebraska", that sort of thing. The lawsuit angle is the reason why I'm trying to use legitimate channels rather than stand outside protesting or plastering my car w/pictures. I don't want to deal with the fact that in this country anyone can sue anyone for anything and that can end up being very expensive, even if you're in the right. I hope the Animal Control inspection reveals serious enough violations for them to shut them down, seize a dog or dogs, and send the owners a message that people are watching and reporting conditions. If it gets on the news, maybe people who've bought sick dogs will get involved and shine some uncomplimentary light on this store.

[IronHorse]

Thanks!

 

Here's the pdf of the report: http://www.usda.gov/da/oaljdecisions/07011...A-06-0015DD.pdf

 

I stopped counting at about 50+ dogs they sold to Tracy's. What burns me is that I don't find any record of Tracy's being fined or sanctioned for buying them, just the breeder for selling them w/o being licensed. I have a call into the USDA to ask more questions.

As upsetting as this might be,,Tracy's IS a licensed broker and did not break any law that I am aware of by purchasing puppies and dogs from this paticular breeder.I do not know of any law that requires them to verify a breeders license.(unless they advertize that they ONLY purchase from Licensed breeders, which i saw no claims of on their site,only the same old "we are located in the beautiful hills and do it better then anyone else blah blah blah)

i.e, I am over 21,I go into a local convenice store that has beer for sale and purchase a six pack assuming the store has the proper license and permit to sell it.

I continue to do this everyday for a couple of years.

All of a sudden one day I pull in and the store is out of business because it did not have the "legitimate" right to sell me that beer.

Have I broken any laws? NOPE

I cruise on down the road to the next store i see(which happens to be owned by the brother of the guy whos store was closed down) that has beer for sale and go in and buy a six pack assuming the have the legal right to sell it to me.

Do I have the right to resale the beer I just bought?

Sure i do as long as I have the proper license/permit to do so.

Get my point?

 

Word for the day "Loophole"

[Tranquilis]

She said the nebulizer was a preventive for all the pups because of what the people who come in and handle them might bring. I asked if it would mask kennel cough, she said no, it was just a small dose of antibiotic that "kept them from catching anything brought in".

Lord, Sweet Jesus.

 

That is insanely irresponsible! As noted above, though not strongly enough IMO, this is the absolute perfect way to produce an antibiotic-resistant bug! As these animals will be in daily close proximity to humans, the opportunities for cross-species trasnfer is nearly as optimal as you can get. After all, who can resist puppy kisses? Certainly not little kids! And little kids, well, how often do you see one of them with runny noses?

 

Outside of a hospital, or deliberate labwork, I can't imagine a worse scenario for creating supergerms.