Breeder: Robert F. Mangan
Address: 5340 South 70th Rd
City, State Zip: Walnut Grove, MO 65770
Year: 2015
USDA License: 43-A-5442
Date of CAPS Investigation: 03/06/16
CAPS Investigation: 03/16/15
Breeds: Yorkshire Terriers, Maltese
Number of dogs the Mangans claimed to have at facility: 60-80 dogs
I spoke with a man who identified himself as Mr. Mangan (Caucasian male, about 48 years old, 5’7”, 180 lbs., with short grey hair) and his wife (Caucasian female, about 45 years old, 5’4”, 170 lbs., with long brown hair). We talked at length about their breeding operation and practices. They let me observe their kennel from about 150 feet away, but did not let me walk up to it. They brought two Maltese puppies, about eight weeks old, from their whelping barn for me to look at. The puppies had yellow stains in their fur and small pieces of manure stuck to the undersides of their bodies and paws. One puppy’s anus was coated in feces, covering an area about two and a half inches in diameter on the back of the puppy (Sec 3.6 Primary Enclosures (a) General requirements (2)(v) Enable dogs to remain dry and clean).
Statements made by the Mangans contradicting pet store claims
I asked the Mangans if breeding dogs is their sole occupation. Mrs. Mangan said that it is, and she added, “So we gotta’ keep the flow going just to keep our food bill, our electric bill, this, that.” I asked how many dogs they have, and Mr. Mangan replied, “Too many.” Mrs. Mangan then said that they try to keep at least 60 to 80 breeding dogs. Mr. Mangan told me that it’s necessary to have a rotation of breeders with a “new crop” of dogs to make money. Mrs. Mangan added, “You know you almost got to keep about 50 to 60 breeding females in order to survive, almost.” Mr. Mangan then said, “Sometimes it gets to be too much work. We may have to cut back.”
While discussing breeding and selling strategies, Mrs. Mangan told me, “Sometimes he’s [referring to his broker] loaded and he can’t take all our puppies. We’re loaded and we need to get rid of some. You know what I mean, like, sometimes. Like that one time, we had 28 puppies ready to go. That’s unusual, but we had 28 puppies. One buyer took 14, and the other one took 14.” She then added that they may have sold some on the internet as well. I mentioned that it’s stressful when a there’s that many puppies, and Mrs. Mangan said, “Yeah, they gotta’ go. There’s just too many. We ain’t got that room for the puppies.”
We discussed various health problems the Mangans have with their dogs. Mr. Mangan mentioned they sold a puppy to New York that was returned because the puppy had to have a liver shunt. Mrs. Mangan explained that when puppy was returned, they had a necropsy done on the animal. He added that they sell puppies with luxating patellas for a cheaper price. He and his wife also discussed how they a Yorkie died within a few months of purchase when the dog fought another Yorkie, and they discussed how Yorkies fighting each other at their kennel is a common occurrence.
Mr. Mangan said that they do not generally give any flea and tick preventative to their dogs, and that when they start to see fleas and ticks, they bathe the dogs with Permethrin.
The Mangans actually discussed how dog breeding at kennels contributes to pet overpopulation. Mr. Mangan mentioned, “There’s millions and millions of dogs without a home, but they’re all big. There’s not a lot of little ones.” Mrs. Mangan added, “If these were to go to the dog pound, they’d be gone in a New York minute.”
The Mangans’ kennel is located on their property but separate from their residence. They admit the kennel is at times too much for them to manage, contributes to pet overpopulation, and that their focus on certain breeds and the number of dogs they have is specifically for profit.
Puppy Petite (Puppy Boutique on the New York Ag & Markets dealer list) in Brooklyn, NY has three websites. One website, NYCPuppy.com, makes the following claims:
AT PUPPYPETITE.COM, WE WORK WITH A SMALL GROUP OF PRIVATE NYC PUPPY BREEDERS THAT HOME RAISE THEIR PUPPIES TO PRODUCE PUPPIES THAT ARE WELL SOCIALIZED, THAT ARE BRED FOR TEMPERAMENT, AND CONFORM TO THE BREED STANDARD. WE SPECIALIZE IN TOY BREEDS, AND ALSO VERY TINY TEACUP AND POCKET SIZE DOGS. OUR BREEDERS ARE USDA REGISTERED, AND WE ARE AFFILIATED WITH SEVERAL KENNEL CLUBS SUCH AS AKC, ACA, GKC, and DRA.
WE OFFER A ONE YEAR HEALTH GUARANTEE, 2 FREE VET EXAMS, AND PROVIDE 14 DAYS FOR YOU TO HAVE THE PUPPY CHECKED OUT BY A VET OF YOUR CHOOSING TO CONFIRM THE HEALTH OF YOUR NEW PUPPY. OUR BREEDERS HAVE BEEN BREEDING FOR NO LESS THAN 10 YEARS AND DO NOT INBREED OR LINE BREED ANY OF OUR PUPPIES. WE OFFER A 24 HOUR CUSTOMER HELPLINE IF YOU NEED ADVICE OR INFORMATION ON YOUR LITTLE ONE. OUR NYC PUPPIES ARE VACCINATED ACCORDING TO AGE AND DEWORMED ON SCHEDULE.
These website claims are not accurate. Puppy Petite obtains puppies from breeders and brokers in the Midwest, not from NYC. An in-store investigation revealed one breeder in Brooklyn. This breeder has no USDA license, which contradicts the website’s claim that their breeders are USDA registered. Home-raised indicates attention is given to puppies in a personal manner at a breeder’s residence, as opposed to a commercial operation that accepts a degree of poor health and mortality for the sake of profit.
The Mangans’ statements above, which are indicative of a puppy mill operation, contradict the claims by Puppy Petite’s website that their breeders home raise their puppies and do not in inbreed or line breed and that puppies are well-socialized, bred for temperament, conform to the breed standard. The Mangans have had a USDA license since December 16, 2008 according to the USDA APHIS website, which contradicts Puppy Petite’s claim they their breeders have been breeding for no less than 10 years.
