Puppy Boutique
4343 N Rancho Dr Ste 244
Las Vegas, NV 89130
(725) 658-8820
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 6/26/25; 5:06 pm PST
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 52
Puppy Boutique is on the second floor of a strip mall. The store had three rows each of 18 cages along the left side and back side of the store as well one column of two larger cages for bigger dogs. Each cage had a glass front, bars in the back, and bare metal grates as flooring. Each cage housed one dog. There was no breeder information anywhere, nor was there a sign saying what information consumers had a right to per Nevada law. There were signs, however, prohibiting photos or videos.. Puppy prices ranged from $999 up to $3,000, except for Bulldogs, which averaged $4,000 and up.
The first employee I spoke with briefly was an older East Asian woman with salt-and-pepper hair. I asked whether photos were allowed, and she went to get the store manager, a middle-aged East Asian woman named Kathleen, who walked out of her office to say photos were allowed in the private rooms where I could interact with individual dogs. She informed me the store had been in Vegas for 19 years. After I finished speaking with the manager, another store employee named Calvin, a late 20s/early 30s East Asian male with a buzzed cut, walked in. He said that new puppies had arrived just a couple of days ago.
I asked about where the dogs come from. Calvin replied that puppies come from different states and they didn’t have any local breeders they worked with, as “the city will only allow us to deal with specific breeders.” As the conversation continued, he shared that the store requires new puppy buyers to take the puppy for a vet visit upon leaving the store, and puppy buyers are provided with a “14-days health warranty” as well as a one-year warranty from the date of birth protecting against congenital and hereditary conditions. He also shared puppies are up to date on their immunizations as per their age.
Calvin mentioned that the “majority of them are coming from the Midwest.” I asked to see a light brown 9-week-old female Poodle. I went into the playroom to play with the dog. Calvin talked about the puppy’s parents, and the puppy’s size. He noted that the puppy came from Missouri listed everything the puppy came with – health warranties, AKC papers, and microchip, as well as additional 30-day pet insurance and a dog training program. Calvin also then mentioned their two options for financing, including EasyPay and United Consumer Finance. EasyPay, he said, was the most common, offering one- or two-year terms but 0% percent interest if paid off within 90 days and only a $40 finance charge.
After talking about the financing, I asked about the background and origins of the dogs. Calvin said, “The city of Las Vegas, they will only allow us to deal with these breeders who are federally licensed. So they have USDA breeders for these dogs. They have to have clear inspections from any kind of violations in order for us to work with them.” He said inspections are “usually annually.” He continued that “before the puppies come in here, the breeders attain a health certificate for traveling.” He said before the puppies leave for transport, not only does the breeder have the puppies checked out, but the transport company also has its own veterinarian check whether the puppies are suited for travel.
When I asked if they ever visit the breeders, Calvin said that organizations set up a tour for retailers to visit breeders. When I asked whether the dogs are caged in the breeders’ homes or come from puppy mills, Calvin replied, “Especially with those activists … they don’t feel like any source is reputable when it comes to the breeding of the puppies. What their goal is they want you to rescue from the shelter…. It’s a good thing, but it’s not for everybody, especially if you’re looking for something particular.”
I asked if dogs get inside and outside access, and Calvin replied, “It depends on the breeders. Most of them are coming from farms. So they’re family-raised…. Or they’re pretty much in their home.” I inquired how many time females are bred, but Calvin said did not know anything beyond the fact that males are used as studs, and there was only a certain number of litters females can have before they retire. And when asked what happens to dogs after they’re done breeding, he said they become family dogs or are rehomed.
At this point, I asked to review the paperwork, Calvin went to put back the puppy and brought back a dark-haired, male Poodle for me to play with, along with his paperwork. Looking at the AKC registration for this puppy, I read that the breeder was Stacy Hutson. This second puppy was more mellow than the first puppy and had a hacking cough. As a result, the explained, that puppy would be “on watch” and was not “ready to go home.”
Calvin took back the second puppy, and he and I then sat down at a desk to look at paperwork for the first dog. Paperwork included everything mentioned earlier but also a USDA breeder inspection report. He mentioned the required immunizations and vaccinations as well as other health-related information. Afte this discussion, I left the store.
Breeder names obtained during investigation
Kasey Ellison, 10479 Farm Rd 2090, Purdy, MO 65734, 43-A-618, 22 adults and 20 puppies at 4/2/25 USDA inspection
Stacy Hutson, 804 S Fulton Ave, Mulberry KS 66756, 48-A-2263, 54 adults and 19 puppies at 4/23/25 USDA inspection
Broker names obtained from 2025 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Pinnacle Pet, Neosho, MO, 43-B-3871, 138 dogs and 29 ferrets at 8/18/25 USDA inspection. Pinnacle’s owner claims he runs the largest brokerage facility in the country. Pinnacle owns Puppy Travelers.
A CAPS Investigation of Pinnacle Pet
Breeder names obtained from 2025 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Boggs Creek Kennel (Jason and Delilah Wagler), Loogootee, IN, 32-A-0245, 150 adults and 48 puppies at 9/2/25 USDA inspection; 144 adults and 112 puppies at 7/15/24 USDA inspection
Wagler investigation report and video
Evidence contradicting statements made by the employee
Calvin claimed that most of the puppies are family-raised on farms or in homes. While families often run breeding facilities that are located on farms, puppies at pet shops are raised in puppy mills – commercial breeding establishments that mass-produce puppies for resale to pet shops or through online sales. Breeding dogs at puppy mills don’t run around spacious farmland or lives in homes. Breeders treat them as livestock. The Waglers, who own Boggs Creek Kennel nearly 200 dogs and puppies at their 2025 USDA inspection. This is a puppy mill. Although the CAPS investigation is older, the footage clearly showed a puppy mill. CAPS investigations of breeders selling to Pinnacle Pet prove that they buy from puppy mills. Pinnacle Pet, whose owner claims to have the largest brokerage facility in the country, is the main supplier to Puppy Boutique.
He also alleged that breeding dogs only have a certain number of litters before they retire to become family pets or get rehomed. Female mill dogs are typically bred at every heat, which is usually twice a year. When they can no longer produce large enough litters, they are euthanized (sometimes by a shot to the head) or sold at auction. Some breeders work with rescues. Pinnacle Pet is now running a rescue in Neosho, MO (near the brokering facility) for retired adult breeding dogs called A Dog’s Dream. They don’t say that the rescue is affiliated with Pinnacle Pet and the adoption fees are as much as $800 to $1,000, which is very high for any rescue, especially for breeding dogs who have not been family pets and require socialization. The website does not list the age of the dogs, which also not information omitted by legitimate rescues.
He also stated that organizations provide for trips to visit breeders. Pinnacle Pet may offer tours of their brokerage facility to store owners and managers, but this not where the dogs that provide puppies to pet shops are being bred.
