CAPS’ partnerships with other animal advocates benefits animals in pet shops, puppy mills and shelters
A few months ago, CAPS’ incredibly brave investigator of 23 years, Pete, was outed by another nonprofit’s executive director, who gave Pete’s real name and cell number to a USDA-licensed dog broker. This was especially surprising given that CAPS had assisted this nonprofit in the past. While this was deeply disturbing, it also made me reflect on the many true partnerships that CAPS has created over the years. Today, I want to share how some of our current partnerships have been helping to save animals in pet shops, puppy mills, and shelters.
Pet Shops and Puppy Mills
Petland Protest Group, St. Louis, MO area
After serious internal discussions at CAPS, we agreed that it was important for Pete to tell the story about his identity being exposed. Animal advocates shared the subsequent blog he wrote for CAPS, and some of them reached out to us, including dismayed volunteers for the nonprofit in question. One former volunteer is now a key CAPS pet shop and puppy researcher. Another runs a group in the St. Louis area that is protesting Petland Fenton Crossing. CAPS partnered with the group by investigating this Petland, generating a report and video exposé about the store’s consumer fraud.
Texas Humane Legislation Network
Texas currently has 47 pet shops, including 10 Puppy Dreams and nine Petlands. Pet shops proliferated after the state legislature passed a law in 2023 that restricts municipalities from generating ordinances that differ from or exceed state law in specified areas. Although the law grandfathered in the 17 existing pet shop ordinances, a statewide ban is now critical. CAPS has been working with the Texas Humane Legislation Network on statewide legislation to prohibit pet shops from selling dogs and cats. While a retail ban has been unsuccessful so far, we are continuing our investigative efforts to provide legislators with comprehensive and persuasive evidence.
New York Attorney General
CAPS has been partnering with the Office of the New York Attorney General since 2005, when we worked together to stop the illegal activities of European Kennel Club Hungary, which was selling Hungarian-bred puppies with fraudulent pedigrees to New York pet shops. After investigating all 100 New York pet shops in support of the retail ban law, which went into effect in December 2024, CAPS investigated violators of the law. After stopping Vanity Pups in Queens from selling puppies, the AG is now suing Puppy Boutique in Brooklyn. You can read Pete’s blog about our investigation of New York pet shop violators.
California’s Municipal Animal Shelters
Kern County Animal Services, Bakersfield, CA
CAPS has been working with Kern County Animal Services for 4.5 years to help save the shelter’s many dogs at risk for euthanasia. During this time, our extensive outreach efforts, which include advertised social media posts and a Petfinder page, have saved the lives of 455 dogs and six cats (cats are not at high risk due to limited intake). Three of these dogs now live with me, the most recent addition being Tucker, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who was at high risk because of an upper respiratory infection. Half of the dogs at the shelter come down with URIs, which results in Kern County Animal Services putting them on the at-risk list.
Sustain Our Shelters
CAPS is producing a documentary entitled The Crisis at California’s Municipal Shelters. We are also creating shorter documentaries about individual shelters in California, including one about San Jose Animal Care, a well-funded but horribly mismanaged facility. Sustain our Shelters is a local nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the animals at San Jose’s shelter. I interviewed the founder of this group, a former shelter employee, for our documentaries. We also persuaded ABC7 to cover a Sustain Our Shelters rally at San Jose City Hall in a story that included footage from CAPS’ upcoming documentary. The San Jose documentary is currently in production, but you can watch the trailer.
Walter Clark Legal Group
The Walter Clark Legal Group in Southern California is suing (pro bono) the Riverside County and Apple Valley animal shelters, which are among the worst municipal facilities in the state. For our documentaries, I interviewed Dan Bolton, the attorney handling the shelter lawsuits, as well as the firm’s founder, Walter Clark. Like CAPS, Mr. Clark is advocating for California’s municipal shelters to have state funding and oversight. Mr. Bolton, in his interview, discussed Riverside County’s bureaucracy and, along with a former volunteer, described the deplorable conditions at the four shelters overseen by the county. I will be returning soon with our filmmaker to interview Mr. Bolton again about the lawsuit against Apple Valley. Please watch the trailer for our just-released documentary on the Riverside shelters,
CAPS’ wonderful partnerships would not succeed without your committed support. Please donate today. Millions of companion animals are currently suffering in inhumane breeding conditions and shelters. With your assistance, we can make real changes and put an end to this intolerable cycle of animal neglect and abuse.
