Chairman and House
Agriculture Committee Members,
As Founder of Puppy Mill
Awareness of SE Michigan and Michigan Friends of Companion Animals, I urge you to
oppose H.B. 5917 and H.B. 5916 for the following reasons:
- H.B. 5917 would
undermine local laws. In
response to growing concern for the welfare of animals trapped in puppy
mills, dog lovers have adopted two legal strategies to fight back:
stricter laws for breeders (such as Michigan’s Large
Scale Breeder law) and local ordinances banning the sale of
puppies in pet stores. The latter is what Representative Vaupel and the
industry lobbyists who are behind these bills are trying to prevent. Over
260 localities across the nation have enacted ordinances preventing the
sale of commercially produced puppies in pet stores. Some of these
include: Cook County Illinois, New York City, the entire state of
California and Maryland, and the Michigan cities of Eastpointe, Fraser,
and New Baltimore.
2. These are not animal
welfare bills. On the surface, they
masquerade as animal welfare, pledging to protect puppies by guaranteeing that
they are purchased from “USDA licensed breeders” with no current inspection
violations. It sounds good on paper, but closer analysis reveals that this
standard is nearly impossible to enforce.
- These bills
would not require pet store licensing or inspections. Michigan pet stores are not currently
licensed or inspected by any agency.
- Local
enforcement of the pet stores is not going to ensure breeders in distant
states follow the highest standards when breeding. The real problems lie at the commercial
kennels and happen long before the puppies arrive in the stores. Poor
breeding practices and lack of veterinary care are two of the biggest
problems that are not easily fixed with more regulations. In fact, puppies
arriving into Michigan from the industry’s new “showcase” kennels have
many abnormalities listing on their health certificates, including generic
issues as a result of poor breeding (see list below).
- Rep. Mike
McCready (R) already updated Act 287 of 1969 PET SHOPS, DOG POUNDS, AND
ANIMAL SHELTERS just last session. The bill was championed by the Michigan Humane Society and supported
by the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association and the Michigan
Association of Animal Control Officers. The Michigan Department of
Agriculture provided supportive testimony. The new regulations went into
effect January 2017.
Michigan’s Humane Pet
Acquisition Ordinance
In 2015, I formed a
coalition called Michigan Friends of Companion Animals to specifically address the
problems our communities have with retail outlets where families can not see
the conditions and meet the breeding parents (site unseen purchases). We have collected
hundreds of complaints from families who purchased sick puppies.
The owner of The Family
Puppy, John Stottele, testified at the 05/02/18 House Agriculture Committee
meeting stating “he was not aware of any complaints”, yet we know this is not
true. NBC 25 covered a story about a puppy
that was purchased from the store with many health problems.
“The
owner says he's worked with his breeders to ensure happy, healthy dogs. But one
of his customers claims her new puppy almost died three times.
This
spring Davison Resident Linda Dahl bought Tegan, a Shiatsu Toy Poodle from The
Family Puppy Store at the Genesee Valley Mall.
"So
then the next day she got really sick, she kept going into these seizures and
couldn't walk," said new puppy owner, Linda Dahl.
After
six doctor TMs visits and more than $1,000 in medical bills, Tegan is finally
on the road to recovery.
Dahl
says she complained to the store manager. "I called them out on it, and I
said one, you sold me a sick dog, if she has an infection, there has to be
other dogs in there with an infection, where did she get it from? And they
couldn't give me an answer," said Dahl.
The Family Puppy’s
breeders had serious direct violations to the Animal Welfare Act.
1) Marlin Bontrager, from
Rome City Indiana, was The Family Puppy’s top supplier of puppies. According to
a federal inspection, Bontrager was caging 177 adult dogs and had two serious
direct violations including not seeking veterinary care for a sick puppy.
Suffering was prolonged by not taking the puppy to the veterinarian. In
addition, the inspector also cited Bontrager for housing dogs in temperatures
in the 90’s. Dogs were observed heavily panting and puppies were stretched out
on the wire floor trying to stay cool.
Bontrager has a history of violations going back to 2008 related to
housing, shelter, primary enclosures, cleanliness, feeding and vet care.
2) Devon Schrock, another of
The Family Puppy’s breeders, was cited for accumulations of grime and hair in
the primary enclosures. This harbors diseases. In addition, Schrock’s drainage
system was cited as the upper washdown was draining into a pen on the bottom
where two dogs were exposed. There was hair and sludge accumulating.
The owner of Petland did
not testify last week, however there are two active lawsuits against his
store located in the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, MI. Twenty-four plaintiffs are
seeking monetary damages for breach of contract and multiple violations of the
Consumer Protection Act. The puppies
suffered from a range of issues, including genetic defects, infections and some
had highly contagious diseases, costing the plaintiffs thousands of dollars in
veterinary care. The lawsuits also allege fraud, claiming the store and its
owner knowingly sold animals with deformities and illnesses, as well as
misrepresenting the origins of the animals.
Detroit Free Press
Published March 19, 2018
The Oakland Press 03/14/18
Local 4 March 16, 2018
FOX 2 Detroit MAR 16 2018
To protect families from
these large-box stores, like The Family Puppy and Petland, I worked jointly
with law enforcement in Macomb County to draft the Humane Pet Acquisition
Proposal which was unanimously supported by the Macomb County and Kent County
Commissioners. Both counties urged their local communities to pass retail bans
and promote humane outlets.
The enormous success of
local ordinances like mine across the country explains the secrecy, speed, and
deceptive language of HB5916/HB5917. Michigan has a vocal, efficient, community
of activists who have been tackling problematic pet stores for years.
The new Petland
Coalition was created to fight local bans
In response to local ordinances and
state laws banning the retail sale of commercial bred puppies, Petland
formed a coalition in an attempt to improve the industry’s image and fight
local retail bans. They had to! Petland is losing the public debate, and the
evidence against Petland is compelling. The Petland Mall of Georgia mentions a new coalition on their website:
“That’s why we formed a coalition to
improve animal welfare and work in a collaborative effort with a cross section
of the pet industry, including animal welfare organizations as well as the
veterinarian and academic community.
Who exactly is a part of this
coalition?
- Levi Graber (Blue Ribbons Puppies), Petland’s
broker.
- Purdue University Center for Animal Welfare
- Will Yoder (Blue Ribbon Puppies), consultant
to Southern Iowa breeders.
- Iowa Pet Breeder Association, Iowa Kennel Alliance
Program (IKAP) linking many stakeholders such as AKC, breeders, brokers, and transport companies.
There is no evidence
that animal welfare groups are part of this coalition.
Puppy Broker, Levi Graber
(Odon, IN) owns Blue Ribbon Puppies and is no stranger to the puppy pet trade.
He was featured in Channel 13’s investigative story exposing Indiana’s Puppy
Pipeline in 2007.
Graber is a large
stakeholder and he regularly speaks at city council meetings and state
legislatures to fight off retail bans and regulations that would protect
families from irresponsible puppy peddlers.
Graber was featured in a
recent article outlining plans the pet industry had to improve its reputation.
Amish aim to restore dog breeding rep (May 22, 2016)
“When
some people think of dog breeding in the Amish community, images appear of
puppy mills full of unhappy and mistreated dogs.
Amish
breeders in the state want to change that, and they're reaching out for help.
Commercial
breeders from Odon — a Southern Indiana town with a large Amish population — are
working with Purdue University's Center for Animal Welfare Science to establish
breeding practices that make consumers and dogs happy.”
"It
was time that we as breeders recognize that there are professionals out there
that can help us and we need to involve them in our businesses," said Levi
Graber, a member of Odon's Amish community who helps several breeders in the
area.
Will Yoder, a consultant
working for Blue Ribbon Puppies, helped coordinate efforts in southern Iowa. Yoder is featured in this recent article attempting
to expose rescues for profiting off the industry.
This attack was designed to deflect attention from puppy mill abuse.
As part of this effort to improve their reputation, ten Iowa kennels were
selected to be built, expanded or upgraded, and it appears Daniel Hochstetler
(St. Joseph County, MI), also upgraded his facility and spoke at the initial committee
hearing last week.
Iowa Kennel Name
|
Kennel Status
|
1) Cloveridge Kennels
|
2015 expanded
|
2) Daynes Ridge
|
|
3) Hillview Kennels
|
2016 New
|
4) Howling Hill
|
|
5) Oakridge Kennels
|
2015 new facility
|
6) Shadey Lawn
|
2015 updated
|
7) Shadow Valley
|
2015 updated
|
8) Stoney Creek
|
2015 new
|
9) That’ll Do
|
2015 training lessons
from AKC completed
|
10) Yoder Kennel
|
2015 new
|
Hochstetler did not
mention his USDA violations, or how large his facility is. He was cited for
expired medications and a poodle was observed with a wound on her shoulder. (USDA
report attached). He also failed to mention which retail outlets he services.
Daniel
Hochstetler’s Adult Dog Inventory:
Inspection
Date
|
# of
Individual Licenses
|
Compared
to USDA Inventory
|
2008
|
25
|
|
2009
|
49
|
30
|
2010
|
44
|
62
|
2011
|
62
|
62
|
2012
|
58
|
60
|
2013
|
|
|
The kennel buildings
might be new and spacious, but the
puppies still have problems.
While the few new kennels
offer indoor/outdoor runs and play yards, there is still little oversight and
no guarantee the puppies will be healthy. Some of these featured kennels
shipped puppies to The Barking Boutique (Grandville, MI) with abnormalities
listed on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.
Kennel
Name
|
Veterinary Inspection Date
|
Abnormality Noted
|
Cloveridge
Kennel
|
4/13/2017
|
Luxating Patella Grade 1 L Latfral
|
|
5/24/2017
|
Small
open font.
|
|
|
Open
font
|
|
6/8/2017
|
Moderate
open font (all 3 dogs)
|
|
8/31/2017
|
one of
the three female cockapoo had mild underbite
|
|
12/20/2017
|
Puppy
174655-04 has a moderate open font
|
|
1/10/2018
|
Puppy
174656-06 has a mild open font
|
Oakridge
Kennels
|
11/22/2017
|
Unilateral
Crypt Orchid
|
|
2/7/2018
|
Crypt
orchid neuter done 1-31-18
|
Shadow
Valley
|
Not
provided
|
Left knee
grade 5 patella not in trochlergroorse
|
|
5/15/2017
|
Open Font
~ 3mm
|
|
6/2/2017
|
Double
inguinal hernial repaired
|
|
|
Castrated,
double inguinal hernia repaired
|
|
7/13/2017
|
Underbite
|
|
7/19/2017
|
Very
small double inguinal hernia
|
|
|
Unbilical
hernial repaired by Dr. McClintock
|
|
10/18/2017
|
Umbilical
Hernia and double inguinal hernia
|
|
10/25/2017
|
Umbilical
hernia repaired by Dr. McClintock
|
|
|
Castrated
by Dr. McClintock
|
|
11/1/2017
|
Neutered
by Dr. McClintock had an abscess on right side of chest - healing
|
|
11/8/2017
|
Right
testical not fully descended into scrotum
|
|
12/6/2017
|
Very
small open font, left knee grade 2 patellar luxator, right knee grade 1
patella lux
|
|
|
Umbilical
hernia repaired by Dr. McClintock
|
|
12/19/2017
|
Grade 1
right knee, small open font
|
|
12/27/2017
|
Umbilical
Hernia repaired Dr. Mcintock, Umbilical Hernial repaired Dr. McClintock
|
|
1/31/2018
|
Double
inguinal hernia, open font ~ 4mm, extremely small underbite 1 mm
|
Walnut
Ridge Kennel
|
1/3/2018
|
Puppy has
a moderate overbite
|
Ervin Lee
Mast
|
7/13/2017
|
Overbite
|
|
1/17/2018
|
Grade 3
knees right and left
|
David
Troyer
|
6/16/2017
|
Castrated
by Dr. McClintock
|
|
1/31/2018
|
Umbilical
Hernia..small amount of fat on the outside.
|
Melvin
Nisley
|
1/24/2018
|
Puppy had
crypt orchid neuter done 1/10/18
|
Michigan’s Newest Puppy
Store: The Barking Boutique (Grandville, MI)
It appears that The
Barking Boutique, who was sitting front row at last week’s
committee meeting, is also following Petland’s business model and featuring
their “showcase” kennels on their website. This misleads families as to the
true source of some of the puppies, as the store is actually sourcing from 40+
other undisclosed breeders with recent USDA violations.
Learn more about The Barking Boutiques’ undisclosed breeders.
Cloveridge is one of the
“showcase” kennels that changed their name and business license for a clean
inspection history.
Many of The Barking
Boutique’s suppliers have violated the Animal Welfare Act…
The Barking Boutique used
no discretion when choosing these breeders. Many of the suppliers have violated
the Animal Welfare Act, yet the store ordered puppies from them anyway.
One breeder with
violations, Shady Oak Frenchies owned by Jonathan Detweiler (Princeton, MO),
housed 177 dogs in 2014 and was not disclosed on the store’s website.
- A Golden Retriever was
observed limping on his right front leg. Applicant said "he may have
been in a fight." (April 23, 2013).
- Multiple Animal Welfare Act
violations related to attending veterinarian and inadequate veterinary
care program. (April 11, 2013)
- A Bulldog with a bottom jaw
sticking out 2 inches more than her top jaw causing her tongue to stick
out and be exposed, dry, wrinkled and reddened (April 11, 2013)
- Two adult Golden Retrievers
were seen wet and shivering in the outdoor enclosures with no way of getting
inside unless the breeder propped the door open. (April 23, 2013)
Another supplier of The
Barking Boutique, Melvin Nisley of Seymour, IA, was cited for not having a
complete program of veterinary care (April 2013). This kennel is not disclosed
on The Barking Boutique’s website.
The Barking Boutique owner
stated he only works with breeders with no violations in the last two years – which
is the new requirement outlined in HB 5916 -- yet breeder David Nisley
(Drakesville, IA) was cited for a direct violation of the Animal Welfare
Act in 2016.
- DIRECT VIOLATION: A Boxer was extremely
emaciated, very little fat covering her frame causing her flanks to sink
behind her rib cage. (August, 2, 2016)
Unless all breeders make
huge investments and agree to higher standards, these kennels will simply be
used as “showcase” kennels while the pet stores continue to source from
sub-standard breeders.
Michigan pet store owners,
local law enforcement and the MDARD have no control or oversight of USDA commercial
breeders --the only way to protect families is to end the puppy mill pipeline to
our communities.
Please do no support these
bills which would overturn all the progress we have made to protect families
and pets from the cruel pet trade.
Thank you for your time in
this matter.
_______________________________
Pam Sordyl
Founder of Puppy Mill Awareness of Southeast
Michigan
Founder of Michigan Friends of Companion
Animals
cell: 734-718-7100
http://michiganpuppymills.com/
http://mfca.yolasite.com/
_______________________________
