D & G Pups

D & G Pups
276 22nd Ave
Paterson, NJ 07513
(973) 652-7758

Date and time of CAPS investigation: 8/4/19; 1448

Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 50

Puppies were kept primarily in cages stacked on top of each other on one side of the store. Some of the cages were entirely made of wire, while others had plastic walls and wire doors and floorings. Plastic trays were set under cages’ floorings. Four open-topped wire cages with wire floorings, set on wheels, were between the two rows of cages. There were two puppies per cage, and a large-breed puppy in each of three open-topped rooms with laminated floorings, walls about four feet high, and benches inside for customers to sit and visit with puppies, in the store. The rooms’ floorings had feces mashed across them before being cleaned up by a worker.

Each wire cage had consumer rights and breeder information cards on them, and USDA inspection reports for breeders, dated between 2013 and 2016, were posted on a wall near the cages.

An employee (African American female, about 40 years old, 5’9″, 120 lbs., with long, curly black hair and glasses) told me the owner personally visits breeders every Sunday, but that she doesn’t know anything about the breeders because she is a new employee. I asked her what “USDA” meant, and she said it is a breeder’s license, and means a breeder is a “professional breeder.” She admitted she knew nothing about USDA requirements for breeders. I asked if she had more current USDA inspection reports for breeders than the old ones on the wall, and she said I should ask the owner, who wasn’t at the store, because he was busy getting puppies from Ohio. She then told me that USDA inspection reports aren’t given to customers when they buy puppies, but explained the information on puppies that is given at the time of sale while confirming a second time USDA inspection reports aren’t given to customers at the time of sale.

The store didn’t have USDA inspection reports from the past two years available near puppy enclosures, or given out when requested (56:8-95 Deceptive practice; minimum standards c. (6)).

Breeder info:

The following were obtained from cage cards on puppies’ cages, all listed as breeders:

1. Ervin Raber, 110 Millersburg, OH, 31-A-0468
2. Ivan Troyer, 1570 TR 1111, Millersburg, OH 44654, “USDA Lic, # 5107”
3. Clara Raber, 1974 TR 15? (address is partially cut off on card), Baltic, OH, 31-A-0383
4. Jacob A Yoder, 4928 TR 86, Fresno, OH 43824, 31-A-5107
5. Mary Yoder, 5168 CR 19, Millersburg, OH 44654, 31-A-0383
6. Clara Raber 19171, 110 Millersburg, OH, 3-A-0468 (note: same as Ervin Raber)
7. Clara Raber, 1935 TR 110, Millesburg, OH 44654, 31-A-0507 (note: same USDA # as Jacob A Yoder)
8. Clara Raber, 1874 TR 15? (address is partially cut off on card), Baltic, OH, 31-A-0383
9. Clara Raber, 1874 TR 152, Baltic, OH 43004, 31-A-0383

The following were obtained from USDA inspection reports on a wall near puppies’ cages:

1. Norman Miller Red Barn View Kennels, 7904 Hoy Rd, Fredericksburg, OH 44627, 31-A-0495, USDA inspection: 12/14/15
2. West View Kennels, Millersburg, OH 44654, USDA license # left blank, USDA pre-license inspection: 12/13/13
3. Jacob Miller, 7270 Harrison Rd, Fredericksburg, OH 44627, 31-A-0471, USDA inspection: 12/5/15
4. Raymond Raber, Walter Hill Kennel, 1874 TR 152, Baltic, OH 43804, 31-A-0383, USDA inspection: 12/30/15
5. (name and address not visible), 31-A-0383, USDA inspection: 12/30/15
6. Ervin Raber, Long Lane Kennel, 1917 TR 110, Millersburg, OH 44654, 31-A-0137, USDA inspection: 4/5/16