Breeder: Robert and Starymye Halpain
Address: 13201 Hwy 82 C
City, State Zip: Hulbert, OK 74441
Year: 2015
USDA License: 73-A-1408
Date of CAPS Investigation: 05/23/15
CAPS investigation: 5/23/15; kennel visited at 1205
Weather at time of investigation: 70 degrees Fahrenheit and overcast Breeds: Yorkshire Terriers, Maltese
Approximate number of dogs observed at time of investigation: 87 dogs, about 35 puppies
I met Starmye Halpain at her property (Caucasian female, about 5’6”, 160 lbs., with short hair light brown at the roots and bleached blonde elsewhere). I initially spoke to when we were next to a small gray shed, behind her house, where she had three puppies in a basket. At this location, there were various pillows and dog toys, and a large lamp. Starmye said this is where she takes photographs of her puppies.
Discussion with Starmye
Starmye told me, “I ship my puppies everywhere. To New York, and Florida, and California.” She added, “I’ve been doing it for nineteen years, and I’ve gotten established with some pet stores. And like Howie Mandell? Okay, his poodle came from me. And Miley Cyrus, her Yorkie came from me. And Keith Anderson, his two Yorkies came from us. In fact, he drove up in our driveway and bought them. That was pretty cool. So, he did. Now Miley Cyrus got hers through a pet store in Florida, and she paid fifteen thousand for a puppy that came from my place.” Starmye added that now she has the fewest number of dogs she’s ever had, and that four years ago she had four hundred dogs.
Kennel description
The Halpain’s only occupied kennel building, located on the northern end of the property behind the residence, was a single structure with two sections of indoor/outdoor breeder cages and several indoor puppy cages. The primary section of breeder cages was on the eastern end of this kennel building. About 30 indoor/outdoor cages were stacked above approximately 30 other cages, all elevated with sheeting below them for collecting feces. I viewed the outdoor cages from the road, and they appeared to be made of wire. The indoor cages were made with plastic or fiberglass walls with wire doors that had self-feeders mounted on these doors. Each cage held one to two dogs. There was another row of stacked cages, of identical design, in the middle of the kennel building on a wall that faced south; I saw three top and three bottom cages but did not see how far the cages extended to determine the total number.
When Starmye took me inside the building, we first entered a storage and maintenance room before going into the room holding the indoor portions of indoor/outdoor breeder cages and indoor puppy cages. Starmye turned a light on before we entered the cage room. When she did so and opened the door, the sound of more than 80 dogs barking in the enclosed area was almost painful to hear. Starmye and I had to yell a foot from each other’s faces to hear each other in this room.
Puppy cages
There were ten puppy cages, in five stacks of one wire cage on top of another. Two to five puppies were in each cage, with water bottles attached to the cage walls, feed dishes and towels on the floorings, and metal trays for catching debris. Three of the cages had heating lamps attached to them. These three lights did not provide light for the other seven cages. With the lights off until just before we entered the room, the puppies in the other seven cages were kept in darkness (3.2 Indoor Housing Facilities (c) Lighting).
Pet store contradictions
The Halpains had about 35 puppies at her facility. This contradicts the claim by Puppy Land (Queens, NY) that their breeders breed two to three puppies at a time.
