Arcadia Pets
4371 Amboy Rd
Staten Island NY 10312
(718) 967 7387
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 08/10/2018; 12:30 p.m.
Approximate number of dogs observed at time of investigation: 17 puppies
Puppies lived in closed top cages with shredded paper on solid metal flooring. Most of these cages had handwritten cards on the front stating the breed, whether the puppy was intact or neutered, gender, date of birth, the puppies’ name and price. Some cages had two puppies in each, and the cards for these cages were placed one over the other. One cage with no card was occupied by a Yorkie. There were crushed empty water bottles in the cages, and several puppies were chewing on them. A pug in one cage had a small scab wound on the top of his/her head. Signs offering information on the source of puppies were visible and able to be read by customers.
I asked an employee named Nick if I could see one particular Yorkie. Nick removed the puppy from the cage and handed him/her to me. I saw and felt that this puppy was wet on his/her back. Nick said this puppy was two and a half months old. Nick said that the puppies come from USDA licensed breeders and that I would get inspection reports and breeder information. Nick told me that if anything happened with a purchased puppy, I would get the owner’s personal phone number. Nick told me to call the store if there are any problems with a puppy, and that anything congenital or hereditary was covered by Article 35B.
I asked Nick for breeder information on a Shorkie puppy. Nick retrieved a folder at the sales counter and said the puppy had come from Raymond Hosler in Illinois. I saw that the surname actually read “Scholer.” Nick said “no” when I asked if the breeders churned the puppies out one after the other. I then asked Nick if they skipped breeding cycles, and he said “yes.” Puppy mill owners usually breed female dogs on every heat, which it typically once a year.
Another employee, Joe, said that the puppies came from seven different places. Joe said they have worked with breeders for seven years and have never had any problems. Joe said that he hadn’t visited the breeder, but he was sure the owners had done so. This contradicts a statement by Gary Zumbach who told a CAPS investigator on 3/21/15 that, aside from Petland, no stores had inspected his facility Joe said that the owner of the store was named Tom and that if I wanted to buy a puppy from the store I would have to speak with Tom’s wife, Cynthia. Joe said that Cynthia would help me with anything having to do with the dogs. Research shows that the owner of Arcadia Pets is Cynthia Daluies, who is also the President of the New York Pet Welfare Association (NYPWA), which lost its lawsuit against New York City over its pet shop ordinance.
Ez, the manager, said that all her breeders have to be USDA licensed, and that they aren’t puppy mills. Ez said that puppies are covered by Article 35B and that the store had been in business for 28 years. Ez said that the store gets new puppies every Wednesday.
Breeder information obtained during store investigation:
Raymond Hosler/Scholer, Illinois – no record of this breeder can be found
