Find A Pet
4441 Bass Pro Dr
Garland, TX 75043
(469) 662-6789
Dates and times of CAPS investigation: 11/08/22, 1258; 2/15/23, 1222
FIRST VISIT
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation on 11/8/22: 7
During my first visit to the store there, nine puppy enclosures in a wall of the store. Each enclosure was about four feet wide, 2.5 feet deep, and 1.5 feet tall, and had solid floorings and water bottles. Occupied enclosures held one puppy each. An employee (Hispanic female, about 35 years old, 5’4″, 180 lbs., with long black hair) spoke to me about the store’s breeders.
Claims about breeders
She told me, “The owners know who the breeders are and they do not come from puppy mills.” I asked if breeders keep dogs in cages or if the dogs have space to run. She responded, “I don’t know, because I don’t know the breeders myself. The owners do, and the owner has been working for them for ten years and they’re against puppy mills.” I said, “Okay, so definitely no puppy mills. Okay, are they licensed and stuff, or how does it work?” She answered, “I don’t think a breeder needs to be licensed. But I know they’re not puppy mills.”
Refusal to give breeder information
I asked her if I could get breeder information before a purchase, and she said, “We don’t have the breeder information. We don’t give that information out.”
CAPS found no CVIs of puppies sent to the store, requested from numerous states in the Midwest. The store is concealing the sources of puppies shipped to them and denying breeder information to customers who inquire about it.
SECOND VISIT
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation on 2/15/23: 6
During my second visit to the store, a van with the Find A Pet logo written on it was parked at the front door, unloading puppies. All of the puppy enclosures inside the store were empty. The same employee I saw on 11/8/22 was in the store, and spoke to me about puppies while a man unloaded puppies from the van.
The employee asked if I was interested in a puppy, and I told her, “We just wanted to make sure they’re not like puppy mill puppies, or anything like that.” She said, “Oh no, they’re not. We buy from licensed, local breeders.” I asked, “Oh, they’re all, they’re local?” She answered, “Yes,” and added, “Houston, Dallas. They’re all in Texas.” I then asked, “They’re all in Texas?” She nodded in response.
I then asked her, “They’re not like commercial places with like kennels, or anything?” She told, me, “No no. All these dogs? No, we’ll be just down if that was the case.” She also said, “No, the owners, they work with breeders that they’ve known for more than ten years.” I said I wanted to make sure the puppies weren’t from kennels with “lots and lots of dogs,” and asked, “They’re like people’s pets and stuff, or what?” “She said, “Yes,” and added, “They’re breeders that have their breeder license, and the owners go and check out the place before working with them.”
I asked about financing, and I was told it depends on credit. She gave me no specifics about APR rates when I asked, and told me that it depends on the person.
Puppies were unloaded from the van in plastic dog crates and cages. I saw two French Bulldogs, which the employee said were six to seven months old and cost $1,500 and $2,500. I also saw a Yorkshire Terrier, two Chihuahuas, and a Maltese in cages. The employee told me that all of the puppies were arriving from the vet after getting shots.
Find A Pet is a DBA for Pets R Us, which has three stores in Texas. Another nonprofit obtained Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for puppies going from commercial breeders in Stilwell, OK to the Huffman and Sherman stores, contradicting the employee’s claim that the owners use local breeders in Dallas and Houston. One example is Brian Swafford, a USDA-licensed breeder with 43 dogs and 23 puppies at his 6/5/23 USDA inspection. Satellite imagery shows a commercial kennel with rows of dog runs.
