PetCenter Argyle
1040 Brush Creek Rd
Argyle, TX 76226
(940) 353-4367
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 4/18/23, 1604
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: one (puppy holding area was not observed)
The store is in the house of a residential neighborhood. The owners previously had a Petland franchise store in Dallas, which they had to close because of the city’s ordinance banning the retail sale of dogs and cats. I spoke to two women, one named Kat (Caucasian woman, about 40 years old, 5’7″, 220 lbs., with long brown hair tied back tied back behind her head and numerous tattoos evident on her forearms), and another woman Kat referred to as Lisa (Caucasian female, about 55 years old, 5’6″, 120 lbs., with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses).
I spoke to them in a foyer of the house, where information on puppies from PetCenter was on a table. I asked Kat about financing for puppies, and she told me it’s a loan and there’s a Comenity credit card available. I asked about APR, and she said, “It’s bad,” and added the Comenity card is the “best bet” because though they offer different interest programs that can be no or low interest.
I asked to see a Shih Tzu puppy, as well as the puppy’s breeder information, and I was shown paperwork that revealed the puppy was bred by Albert Stutzman in Fredericktown, OH (USDA license # 31-A-0677).
Misleading statement about USDA insepection
I asked Kat about the conditions breedings dogs live in for breeders the store uses. She told me the breeders are USDA-licensed, and that the USDA visits breeders “once or twice a year” in random inspections. She added, They look at kennel improvements, conditions. We have to have a minimum allotment for the dogs to get out and exercise. Both parents and puppies. And then medical records. If they don’t have any current medical records, then they won’t pass inspection.”
Claim about breeding conditions
Kat told me, So it’s a little bit different when you get into, kind of, professional breeding like that. So they’ll be in kennels, not cages. So they’re not fully enclosed. Usually open top. There’s something that’s probably, for their interior cage, something that’s probably twice the size of this. For the parent. The mom with the puppies. But then they have, usually every kennel, has a door they can go outside. And they have access to a play yard outside. And that way they can come and go in and out as they please. And get enough exercise. And so they’ll have, we work with a lot of Amish breeders. So where the puppies are playing, is something that looks like this.”As she said the last sentence, she motioned to a vast front yard of the house. I asked, “Oh like the yard?” She answered, “Yes.”
Claim about breeding dogs
I asked what happens when dogs are longer being bred at kennels, and Kat said, “They retire them.” Either family members ake them or they’ll adopt them out.”
Lisa told me that she’s visited the store’s breeders “several times.” She then told me about the Canine Certified program that Purdue University created, and told me that many of her breeders use it and follow its standards. She told me it requires play yards for adults and puppies “when they’re old enough.” She said, “Breeding’s come a long ways from the, like from what your girlfriend probably experienced. To where they used to be in the little cages.”
Evidence of false statements and misrepresentations of breeders by store
Kat’s statement about the USDA doing inspections “once or twice a year,” and that a licensee won’t “pass inspection” if they dnot have current medical records is misleading. The USDA inspects breeders once a year, only returning to breeders for another inspection if there were violations that need to be corrected by the second inspection, or if the breeder wasn’t available to let the inspector on, as required by the Animal Welfare Act. Stating that not having current medical records would mean someone doesn’t “pass inspection” indicates that inspections are a “pass and fail” scenario. Instead, licensees regularly have violations, including for lack of veterinary records or lack of veterinary care, and continue to remain licensed.
Lisa’s claim that breeding dogs are all given to family members or adopted out when not used anymore is a lie. Commercial breeders have far too many dogs to give away. While some are given to rescues, the burden of caring for the dogs’ veterinary and behavioral issues is upon the rescue. Claiming breeders adopt out dogs indicates commercial breeders have taken effort to prepare dogs for a new home, when that is never the case. It is a common practice for breeders to sell dogs at auctions for profit, or kill them when they are no longer profitable.
Breeder information obtained during store investigation
Albert Stutzman, Gold Star Pups, 17775 Grange Rd, Fredericktown, OH 43019, 31-A-0677, 24 adults, 71 puppies at 5/15/23 USDA inspection
