King Neptune’s Pet World
707 W Jefferson St.
Shorewood, IL 60404
(815) 725-2666
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 3-19-2024, 12:00 PM
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 11
Jim Lombardi is the owner of King Neptune’s Pet World in Shorewood, Illinois. He wasn’t in the store during the CAPS investigation. Jessica, the manager, was present. The puppies were in plastic enclosures similar to what other pet shops use to display ferrets or Guinea pigs. The enclosures had open tops and contained wood shavings for bedding.
There was a St. Bernard looking puppy in an enclosure who was clearly outgrowing his/her enclosure. Some enclosures had at least two to three puppies. Some of the puppies had water and food, while some did not. I also saw a Shepherd puppy urinate in the wood shavings.
I asked Jessica for the price of Shih Tzu puppy. Jessica said that the puppy cost $3,000 and that the dogs come with their vaccination records, veterinarian records and are dewormed. When I asked if I could take the puppy home right now, she said yes. She stated that if I was to pay in cash, I would receive a discount, but she did not say the amount of this discount.
Mr. Lombardi has told the Illinois Department of Agriculture that he does not sell dogs in the store. He either delivers them or sells online only.
I also asked if they had any payment plans or finance options. She stated they do not do payment plans anymore because of the law that was recently passed in Illinois mandating that pet stores cannot finance animals.
Jessica said that the store receives new puppies every week and that if there is a breed that I am interested in that they could find one for me.
CAPS started investigating King Neptune’s Pet World after a consumer contacted us in June of 2023. She had gone to the CAPS website and was horrified to discover that her puppy came from a MIssouri puppy mill investigated twice by CAPS: Mike and Melanie Moore.
CAPS’ Illinois director contacted the Shorewood City Council, the Shorewood Police Department ,and the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Because none of these government entities took action, CAPS decided to send an investigator into the store.
King Neptune is violating 225 ILCS 605
(225 ILCS 605/3.8)
Sec. 3.8. Prohibition Sourcing of dogs and cats sold by pet shops; recordkeeping.
(a) A pet shop operator may offer for sale a dog or catonly if the dog or cat is obtained from an animal control facility or animal shelter, located in-state or out-of-state, that is in compliance with Section 3.9.
The consumer who filed a complaint with CAPS did not get a certificate of veterinary health, which is also a violation of the law: Dogs entering Illinois must be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued within 30 days of entering the state. The CVI must list the age, sex, breed and description of each animal and provide a complete destination name and address within Illinois.
