All Pets Club – North Windham

All Pets Club
351 Boston Post Rd
North Windham, CT 06256
(860) 456-7387

Date and time of CAPS investigation: 4/23/19; 16:36

Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 8

Puppies were kept in two rooms with solid clear walls on one side for customers to see them, with about four puppies per room. Solid floorings were partially covered in shredded paper. Each puppy had a card on their enclosure with information about the puppy, as well as their breeder’s name, street address, city and state. However, no USDA license number was noted for the puppies’ breeders on the cards. A list of breeders was posted near the puppy enclosures in two places, being identical to the list at all other All Pets Club stores. Also, papers titled “Certificate or Origin” for each puppy had breeder information in folders on a wall near the puppy enclosures. A folder of USDA inspection reports on breeders, with sheets containing names, addresses, and USDA license numbers for breeders before the reports, was available near the puppy enclosures.

I spoke to an employee (Caucasian female, about 38 years old, 5’6″, 190 lbs. with long brown hair) who said that regarding the store’s puppy breeders, “They’re not puppy mills. Our owners are specifically against puppy mills. They physically go to all the breeders themselves.” She claimed that one of the store’s breeders has indoor and outdoor pens “like a daycare.” I asked her, “Do you know what most of them are like? Are they like little family places, or do they have like hundreds of dogs?” She answered, “No, most of them are family places. They have anywhere, we have breeders that only do like one kind of breed and we have breeders that do up to seven different kinds of breeds. But nothing like hundreds of dogs. None of them are through dog brokers anymore.” I asked, to clarify the point, “Oh, there’s no brokers?” She responded, “No.” I asked her, “Do they breed the dogs for like ten years, or do they have a limit on how…” She replied, “So, I know they do put the dogs on breaks. Like in winter time they don’t really breed at all, or in very limited quantities in the winter time. Spring time they start breeding again. And they do switch off moms, like they don’t breed the mom, mom, mom, mom. They’ll have like four or five separate moms and then like two studs. They don’t breed the same dog a thousand times.” I then asked, “They’re like skipping cycles?” She answered, “Yeah.”

She then discussed how all of the store’s breeders are USDA “certified,” saying “But the USDA, they’re super super strict. Some of them will have reports where they got shut down for a leaky water bottle.” I asked if someone from the store visits breeders personally before buying puppies from them, and she said, “Yeah, our owners do. He’s very very particular about the breeders.” 

Evidence of false statements and misrepresentations of breeders by store:

The employee’s claim that breeders put breeding dogs on breaks in the winter time is false. CAPS has investigator thousands of USDA-licensed dog breeders and never encountered one that puts dogs on breaks in the winter.

The employee’s claim that all of the store’s breeders are skipping heat cycles is false. Of the thousands of USDA-licensed dog breeders CAPS has investigated, only one has said they purposefully skip cycles for some of their smallest dogs, but not for the rest of their breeding dogs.

The employee’s claim that the USDA will shut down a breeder for “a leaky water bottle” is false. No such violation has ever caused a USDA licensee to have their license terminated.

The store’s website’s claim that “All Pets Club collaborates with a select handful of breeders, and we’ve worked with these same breeders for over 10 years” is false. The store’s 24 known breeders, one of whom (John Blaes, 48-A-2142) is verified by their own records as having a USDA license for less than eight years, does not match their claim. 

Breeder info:

The following were obtained from puppy information cards on puppy enclosures:

1. Teresa Berthelson, 1890 E Navajo Dr, Lincoln, KS
2. Pam Reynolds, 706 Linden St, Cuba, KS
3. Lorilee Thomas, 28859, W Rd, Whiting, KS
   Thomas’ 2015 USDA violations included the following: broken floor supports; gap between wall and floor; worn plastic coating on cage wires revealing rusted metal; deteriorated and rough surfaces from rust; broken or corroded wires in enclosures; sharp, bent metal protruding into enclosures; sharp point, due to chewing, near food trough; grease or mineral build-up on enclosures; food receptales with rough, dirty surfaces.
4. Randy & Sara Stewart, 6137 State Hwy CC, Cassville, OK
5. John Blaes, 522 North Maple, Cherryvale, KS

The following were obtained from breeder information sheets in front of inspection reports (not all breeder information sheets were documented):

1. John Blaes, 522 North Maple, Cherryvale, KS, 48-A-2142, Active Since 2012, (620) 252-8337
2. Dawn Bryant, Everything Pets LLC, 1303 195th St, First Scott, KS 66701, 48-B-0333, (620) 224-0599
3. Gayley Baker, 2593 Rifle Rd, Minneapolis, KS 67467, 48-A-1989
4. Double D Kennel, Derek Doughtery, 1668 E 900 Rd, Agra, KS 66428, 48-A-2178, (785) 476-5688
5. Randy E Stewart, SGS Fanci Pets, 6132 State Hwy CC, Cassville, MO 65625 43-A-5815

The following was obtained from USDA inspection reports in the store (not all reports were documented):
James Stewart, Kassie Stewart, 11632 E Center Star Rd, Pittsburg, KS 66762, 48-A-2109

The following was obtained from a certificate of origin sheet (not all certificates were documented):
Lorilee Thomas, 28859, W Rd, Whiting, KS 66552 (the USDA # was left blank of the form)
See above.
The following were obtained from a list of breeders posted near puppy enclosures:

1. J&B Premier Puppies, John Blaes, 522 North Maple, Cherryvale, KS 64335, 48-A-2142
2. Lindley Creek, Lacey Kauffman, 20092 300th Rd, Portis, KS 67474, 48-A-2189
3. Becky & David Flanders, PO Box 363, 705 Park St, South Coffeyville, OK 74072, 73-A-2556
4. JC Ranches, Jeanna & William Johnston, 37149 County Rd 1790, Coalgate, OK 74538, 73-A-2788
5. Vickie Duryea, 183 T Rd, Goff, KS 66428, 48-A-2118
6. Rocky Ridge Kennel, James & Kassie Stewart, 11632 N E Center Star Rd, Pittsburg, KS, 48-A-2109
7. Double D Kennels, Derek Doughtery, 1668 E 900 Rd, Agra, KS 67621, 48-A-2201
8. Everything Pets LLC, Dawn Bryant, 1303 195th St, Fort Scott, KS 66701, 48-B-0333
9. Gayle Baker, 2593 Rifle Rd, Minneapolis, KS 67467, 48-A-1989
10. Twins Country Pets, Pam & Nick Reynolds, 706 Linden St, Cuba, KS 66940, 18-B-0270
11. Ronnie & Lovina Graber, 6623 N 1025 E, Montgomery, IN 47558, 32-A-0564
12. Puppies Extraordinaire, Lorilee Thomas, 28859 W Road, Whiting, KS 66552, 48-B-0329
    See above.
13. Sugarfork Kennels LLC, Abby Anderson, Route B Box 2941, Goodman, MO 64843, 43-A-6038
14. Quality Paws, Ruthie & Virgil Snodgrass, 1248 SW 100th Rd, Asbury, MO 64832, 43-A-0799
15. Bloom Kennel, Lewis Bloom, 1901 Frontier Rd, Clay Center, KS 67432, 48-A-1316
16. Boggs Creek Kennel, Jason & Jean Wagler, 4525 N 1050 E, Loogootee, IN 47553, 32-A-0245

The Wagler’s 2015 USDA violations included six litters of puppies with improper identification, no record for privately sold dog, build-up of graim and dirt in and around feeders and on walls of whelping pens.

17. Monark Puppies, Judy Miller, 14501 Depot Drive, Neosho, MO 64850, 43-A-5175
18. Caltams Puppy Love, Tammy Cantrell, 2756 Canning Factory Rd, Anderson, MO 64831, 43-A-6352
19. Loe Kennels, Kathy Loe, 3812 N Road, Beloit, KS 67420, 48-B-0246
20. Forever Friends, Alice Shafer, 2398 25000 Road, McCune, KS 66753, 48-A-2177
21. Family Lane Pets, Angela L. Smith, 7 Family Lane, Elkland, MO 65644, 43-A-6114
22. Sally Suschnick Kennel, Sally Suschnick, 416 N Hwy 43, Liberal, MO 64762, 43-A-5987
23. SGS Fanci Pets, Sara & Randy Stewart, 6132 State Highway CC, Cassville, MO 65625, 43-A-5815
24. Homestead Kennel, Teresh Berthelson, 1890 E Navajo Dr, Lincoln, KS 67455, 48-A-2160