Nevada Puppy Store
11251 S Eastern Ave #140
Henderson, NV 89052
(702) 262-6102
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 6/26/25; 12:19 pm PST
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 7 (one had already been purchased)
The store is in the center unit of a small strip mall complex. There is a sign attached to the front glass wall of the store, stating, in all caps, that “We do not sell puppies from puppy mills!!! Our breeders are licensed with the city, state, and/or the USDA.”
The store floor itself was small, consisting of nine open-top, elevated glass enclosures with paper shreds as bedding for puppies. The store had a total of six puppies for sale. There was one enclosure in the center of store that customers would encounter immediately upon entering the store. This enclosure housed one puppy, a four-month-old white female Australian Shepherd. To the right of this enclosure, along the right wall, there were five additional similar enclosures lined up next to each other. To the left of the center enclosure, along the left wall, there were three similar enclosures spaced closer than those on the right wall. Next to those three enclosures were two small play areas, next to which was an office.
Not every enclosure had puppies. Most of the enclosures that did have puppies had only one, but one enclosure had two puppies. There was no visible sign in the store informing customers of their right as per Nevada law to health and breeder information for the puppies but posted to the stand upon which enclosure stood was breeder information for the puppies, consisting of breeder name, city and state, and USDA number. Puppies ranged in price from $2,500 to $4,150.
Other puppies in the store included a four-month-old female Bichon-Poo, a several months-old female Bichon Frise, a Golden Retriever who had just been sold, a Shih-Poo for $3,675, and a Yorkshire Terrier for $4,150. There was only one employee in the store, a mid-20s-looking Caucasian male named Matteo, who was one of the store owners.
I began speaking to Matteo, stating I wanted a medium size who was not a full-on attack dog but could still intimidate an intruder, implying that the Australian Shepherd (Aussie) may be of interest to me. Matteo stated that the Australian Shepherd he had would do exactly that, closely repeating what I said.
After speaking to Matteo, I looked at the puppies one more time to get breeder information. As I was doing this, an employee who appeared to be the owner brought out his own two-year-old Australian Shepherd to show how the one for sale would grow. He explained that the price of the puppy included spay and neuter, microchipping, vaccinations, a two-week viral warranty, and a one-year hereditary/congenital warranty.
I asked how much is covered in the one-year warranty, and the owner replied that they would “just cover it” without stating an amount, explaining that “we’re not a corporation, we’re a family shop, so we’re not trying to just make money; we’re really trying to get people their pets.” Then, as I continued to look, the owner said that he could sell the female Aussie to me for $2,100 or $2,000. I asked to play with this dog.
As I was playing with the dog, I noticed that the dog’s tail was short. I asked if the tail was docked or just had not grown out yet. The owner replied that Rottweilers’ tails are usually cut, but that the Aussies who come from his breeders were mostly working dogs, and the short tail was an evolutionary result of not wanting sheep to bite at their tails. The owner then brought out paperwork showing pictures and basic information for the parents of the Aussie. I continued playing with the dog and speaking to the employee about the dog.
I eventually asked about financing. The employee stated that they offer financing through a company called EZ Pay, which only does puppy loans. The company offered interest-free loans for three months and then switched to a much higher interest rate to protect itself, as it could not repossess a dog. The employee noted that the interest would be charged on the entire amount, not just the remaining amount.
I then asked where the store obtains puppies. He said the store gets its puppies “from all over the place,” adding that he liked to get from the Midwest “where there is a lot of range for them to run around.” The owner went to check the state of origin for the Aussie and noted that “with the new laws for puppy stores, they want us to share everything.” The employee noted that his store had always shared breeder information anyway and had also always posted total, out-the-door prices for puppies.
I asked if the store visits the breeders. The owner said that he himself had visited “about three of them.” He then brought out that same sheet of paper, which had the parents’ photos, to show me a QR code that he said would take me to a 2–3-minute video about the Aussie’s breeder and facility. I asked whether I could scan the QR code, and the employee said that they only let people scan the QR code if they purchased a puppy “just because it gives them a little bit of specialty.”
I then asked if the breeding dogs have indoor and outdoor access and are not stuck in cages. The owner explained that “if I’m not mistaken, that’s the same breeder that I got my Aussie from, and their indoor facility is just their house where they let them live.” He then went onto explain that the dogs have a lot of space to run around, saying he had seen drone footage of “a whole group of puppies her age just sprinting up. They’re just free here.”
He then asked if I knew about Canine Care Certified. He stated, “It is a new program, and it’s a really good one. The mother is retired or rehomed after her third litter. The puppies are weighed every single day and what they’re eating is monitored. Just peace of mind stuff.” I asked if the Aussie came with Canine Care Certification. He stated that this dog did not come from a CCC breeder. He added that that dog from CCC facilities would have paperwork showing that the parents were tested for their eyes and their knees and their heart, “all that kind of good stuff.”
The owner insisted that the breeders use their Aussies as herding dogs because it’s bred into them. “It’s an awesome thing,” he said, “when breeders are doing what they should be doing.” He added, “Back in 2018, puppy mills, they were everywhere. Nowadays, not at all. What’s plaguing the U.S. are backyard breeders,” who, he said, were fueling the overcrowding at animal shelters.
None of the puppies in his store, the employee insisted, were from puppy mills. He explained that he thought he had a list of 273 breeders over five years with whom he does not do business, even stating that he prints it out and shares the list with people to warn them.
I said my concern was socialization of the puppies in the wrong environment. The employee noted he uses a husband and a wife who drive throughout the U.S. to deliver the puppies to the store, as the dogs are not flown in, and this helped with socialization. Soon after, the employee went to write down his name and the offer price for the Australian shepherd for me. I spoke with him for a few more minutes and then left the store.
Breeder names obtained during store investigation
Mike Moore, 43-A-6872, Lamar, MO, 184 adults and 97 puppies at 7/29/25 USDA inspection (breeder of the Aussie puppy)
Lesli Mecom, Keota, OK, 73-A-2936, 61 adults and 30 puppies at 7/7/25 USDA inspection
Robert and Sarah Martin, 43-A-6702, Milo, MO, 144 adults and 95 puppies at 5/21/25 USDA pre-license inspection; 146 adults and 100 puppies at 5/19/26 USDA inspection
Nelson and Lucille Weaver, 43-A-6013, Jerico Springs, MO, 98 adults and 71 puppies at 12/3/24 USDA inspection
Freda and Jack Horton, 71-A-0806, Green Forest, AR, 42 adults and six puppies at 8/19/25 USDA inspection
Broker information obtained from 2025 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Pinnacle Pet, Neosho, MO, 43-B-3750
Evidence contradicting statements made by the employee
The employees claims that the breeders’ indoor facilities are just their homes and that the puppies have a lot of space to run around and are just free are all false. The store obtains their puppies from a large broker in Missouri. Pinnacle Pet, which claims to be the largest dog broker in the county, obtains their puppies from breeders like Mike Moore and Lesli Mecom. CAPS investigations of these breeders and others who sell puppies to Pinnacle Pet demonstrates that the breeders have puppy mills. Dogs at puppy mills live in confined areas and aren’t running around free in abundant space.
His insistence that none of the puppies were from puppy mills is a lie. As stated above, Pinnacle Pet sources its puppies from mills. Not only do CAPS investigations of Mike Moore show he runs a mill and the number of animals at his last USDA inspection (281 dogs and puppies) more than proves he runs a mill. The same applies to Lesli Mecom, whom we investigated; he had 91 dogs and puppies at his last USDA inspection. The Martins had 246 and 239 dogs and puppies at their May 2026 inspections. These numbers are consistent with a puppy mill.
The employee’s statement that he thought he had a list of 273 breeders over five years with whom he does not do business makes no sense since he is not buying directly from breeders but from a broker who works with a very large group of breeders.
Regarding the Canine Care Certified program, the employee’s claim that mother dogs are retired or rehomed after her third litter if not accurate. CCC does not require that mother dogs be restricted to three litters. Furthermoe, CCC does not require that breeders weigh puppies on a daily basis.
The employee said that the Aussie I looked at did not come from a CCC facility (Mike Moore). What he failed to mention is that less than 10 percent of USDA licensed facilities are Canine Care Certified, which is a voluntary program administered by Purdue University.
