Diamond Pets
101 S Rainbow Blvd Suite 24
Las Vegas, NV 89145
(702) 462-4417
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 6/24/25; 6:00 pm PST
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 29
Puppies were kept in elevated, open-top glass enclosures with paper shredding on the bottom. The store had 15 puppy enclosures with most enclosures housing two puppies (a few had one or three puppies). Enclosures were lined up along the left side of the store; more enclosures were in a glass-enclosed room on the back left side of the store. In the back of the store was a separate room for cats, with only one cat present. On the immediate left side of the store, right by the front door, was a sign saying information on the origins and health records of the dogs and cats was available per Nevada law.
Upon entering the small store, I was greeted by the only employee in the store, a mid- to late-30s Caucasian male. I began looking at the puppies. As I was looking, the employee mentioned that they use Puppy Travelers (note: Pinnacle Pet, one of the largest dog brokers in the U.S., owns Puppy Travelers) to transport the puppies to the store. He mentioned the company puts three puppies to an enclosure on large trucks.
I asked why a Texas Heeler (a cross between an Australian Cattle Dog and an Australian Shepherd) cost only $200, The employee said that this puppy was the last one of six. I asked to see tri-color 3-month-old male Basset hound, costing $2,074 including taxes.
The employee stated that Diamond Pets offered a 10-day illness warranty and a one-year hereditary and congenital warranty. The 10-day period would cover up to the purchase price for treatment and up to $75 for medications, while the one-year hereditary warranty would cover 50% of the costs. The employee recommended getting pet insurance, even stating that if something were to happen in the first year, between the $1,000 coverage and pet insurance reimbursement, there was the chance “you can double dip on it. Between that and then your thousand bucks that you get back, you actually might, it may sound so bad, but you might make a little extra on it.
I asked where the puppies come from, to which the employee replied breeders all over the U.S. He explained that the breeders put out a notice to stores about availability, and stores can select the ones they want. The breeders would then go to “big old hub, so to speak, where Puppy Travelers are located out of. They have like 30 vans that go out every week.”
I asked whether the dogs the store works with come from puppy mills. The employee did not deny it, instead saying “There’s some large-scale breeders that we do work with, that people call ‘puppy mills.’ And it sucks to say it because I’ve been in [this business] 11 years. So I got to go out and got to go see these breeders. And people were like, ‘Oh, they’re puppy mills.’ To be honest, I’ve been to locations that have 40 adult dogs on the property. Sounds like a lot, but they got 30 by 20 dog runs, individually for each dog. They’re not stacked up in wire cages.”
He continued, SPCA have these commercials with these dogs stacked up. But that is like 30 years ago. A lot of regulations and changes have happened. But that image portrays that.. And that’s how they’re revenue-based. So that’s how they get their donations. So there’s stuff that they’re playing, and repeating, and repeating, that was 30 years ago. Was that a problem? Yeah. Heck yea it was. It was a huge problem. We made the industry really bad. But there’s been a lot of change.”
I followed up by asking if he personally visited the breeders, to which he replied he did not visit every breeder given the time requirements of doing so. He said the owner would take out employees to a breeder as an educational experience so they can see “how these dogs are handled and how they’re raised, and how they’re retired. What do they do with a female after she has her two or three letters.” The employee went further, stating that newer employees in his position, who may not have been in the industry as long as him, may immediately deny the use of puppy mills. He added that “if you want to call [a facility}a puppy mill that has 30 or 40 dogs, then yes, we buy from puppy mills.”
I asked again that it was just two or three litters per dog and then they rehome them, which the employee confirmed, adding that “there’s a lot of veteran programs, too.” He went on that “So the males, it sounds so bad, they can do it up until like seven years old. They’re not holding babies. But with the females, depending on the breed, … three is standard….. There are actually some that can have four litters.”
The employee further explained that “They’ll spay them, they’ll send them through training, and there’s a big program called Vets for Pets. A lot of these breeders go through that program. They train them out, and they donate that female dog to a veteran.” He went that, “At least you know that dog is not… There’s the old… Once the female is done, they just euthanize it and send it on their way. No. I mean, was it like that 30 years ago? Yeah. 100%. Not anymore.”
The employee further went onto to explain conditions the dogs were kept in at the breeders: “And then now to Purdue University, they’re coming out with Canine Care Certified. So, a lot of these breeders are going through Canine Care. On top of that, they have the education through the college and stuff. But on top of that, they’ll be certified. Their ‘facility,’ I hate to use the word facility, but their home needs to [be a certain size]. They got a whelping place…. The concrete floors have to be heated.” When I asked whether they get indoor and outdoor access and are not just stuck in cages, the employee said, “I honestly don’t even think any of that is around anymore.”
The employee continued that “11 years ago, I worked with a guy named Joe Salinas. And he got into some bad, bad breeding dogs. Bad places. Once I found out about that, I couldn’t sleep that night. I’m thinking about it. It got to a point that I just walked in one day. I just quit.”
After this conversation, I expressed interest in the Basset Hound and began to view the paperwork on the dog. Paperwork included medical checks, breeder information, health/medical record, pedigree, and AKC registration. We discussed vaccination and microchipping. The employee explained that deworming medication was needed because moms eat the babies’ fecal matter and then pass on disease through breast milk. The employee said that “Everyone’s different. Some people take five times to come in. Some people walk in and say, ‘I want that,’ and then don’t even play with them.” After that, I went back to take a photo of the dog and left the store.
Breeder name obtained during investigation
Karma Harbiger, 5451 Hwy 232, Lucas KS 67648, 48-A-1839, 17 dogs and 19 puppies at 2/26/25 USDA inspection. At several inspections, USDA has cited Harbiger for violations, which include: unprotected power cord to a heating pad that was too close to mothers and puppies; build up of grime on whelping building walls; mouse droppings in indoor whelping enclosures, under cates and on shelves around the room; outdoor shelters that were chewed and cracked.
Broker names obtained from 2025 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Select Puppies, West Point, IA, 42-B-0314, 156 puppies at 12/18/24 USDA inspection. 195 puppies at 7/20/23 USDA inspection; 2.125(b) violation at 6/27/23 USDA inspection: A responsible adult was not available to accompany APHIS Officials during the inspection process at 11:05am on 27-June-2023. Employees at the facility stated the licensee was currently out-of-town and no one else at the facility was available to conduct an inspection. A facility of this size should have manager who is able to accompany an inspector. 265 puppies at 3/31/22 USDA inspection; 237 puppies at 3/15/ USDA inspection; 441 puppies at 1/6/21 USDA inspection
A CAPS Investigation of Select Puppies
CAPS Investigator’s Journal: The Truth Behind Select Puppies and Pet Connect Rescue
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
First Class Puppies. Bluejacket, OK, 73-B-1866, 5 adults, and 45 puppies at 7/23/25 USDA inspection. Violations included not providing adequate space and exercise and not having an exercise plan
Breeder names obtained from 2025 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Linda Brasher, Havana, AR, 71-A-0762, 99 adults and 44 puppies at 7/24/25 USDA inspection
Evidence contradicting statements made by the employee
The employee didn’t deny that Diamond Pets obtains its puppies from mills. But he made it sounds like the dogs lived in great conditions. For example, he said, “To be honest, I’ve been to locations that have 40 adult dogs on the property. Sounds like a lot, but they got 30 by 20 dog runs, individually for each dog. They’re not stacked up in wire cages.” He alleged that the stacked cages seen on commercials are a thing of the past. CAPS investigations of breeders selling to Pinnacle Pet and Select Puppies prove that they buy from puppy mills. Many of these mills keep their dogs in cages, not large indoor/outdoor runs. Even those with outdoor access do not have enough space and don’t get regular exercise and socialization. Many of these mills have way more than 40 adult dogs. Linda Brasher, a breeder that was listed on CVIs as selling directly to Diamond Pets, had 99 adult dogs at her 2025 USDA inspection.
He also claimed that breeding females only have around three litters in their lifetimes and that older breeding dogs being euthanized was something that happened 30 years ago. 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.
The claim about CCC requiring heat concrete floors is untrue. The CCC program has no such requirement. While CCC standards are an improvement over the minimal standards of the Animal Welfare Act, these breeders are still running puppy mills where numerous dogs are kept in livestock conditions.
