Breeder: Esther Pointer
Business name: ShoalCreek Puppies
Address: 3031 FR 2142
City, State, Zip: Exeter, MO 65647
USDA License: 43-A-6203
Date and time of CAPS Investigation: 11/10/22, 1541
Weather at time of investigation: 72°F and mostly cloudy
Approximate number of dogs and puppies observed at time of investigation: only about 20 dogs were observed, though most dog pens were partially blocked from view so that dogs inside could be heard but not seen
Breeds: Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles, Goldendoodles (website notes they have Maltese as well)
The kennel consisted of various rows of dog pens arranged in an inconsistent order on the property. Not all parts of the kennel were visible to me. I saw a row of about 20 dog pens at the south, and two more rows of about 20 and 10 respectively north of them. Further rows pens were to the north and out of view. Dog runs were about 15’ long and 3.5’ wide, had metal roofs and wire walls. The floorings of the southernmost pens were visible to me, and were covered in thick wood chips. I saw one two dogs per pen, with several dogs pacing back and forth or in circles for up to half a minute at a time, indicating anxiety from boredom and stress (3.8 Exercise for dogs).
The southernmost pens, which ran west to east, had a trash can set by a run’s entrance, with a plastic bucket on top of the can and another bucket set on the ground beside it. About 30’ away from the pens, near a buiding just east of them, were about half a dozen buckets laying on the ground on their sides or bottoms, and three brooms leaning up against the building (3.1 Housing facilities, general (b) Condition and site).
Evidence contradicting pet store claims:
- On 5/13/2, I visited Heavenly Puppies in Boca Raton, FL (Palm Beach County). The owner of the store was evasive when answering questions about where his puppies came from, and refused to directly answer me about the conditons dogs lived in. Instead, he kept telling me his store has very high standards, and claimed to be “the number one store in the South for over ten years.” He did, however, claim that his breeders having Class-A USDA licenses means they have “the highest license breeders can hold.” This is a lie, as it simply means the licensee breeds their own animals to sell. It should be noted that the livestock-like conditions that dogs live in at Shoal Creek Puppies contradicts the image that the Heavenly Puppies’ owner tries to portray of USDA breeders.
Furthermore, when I asked the owner of Heavenly Puppies what breeders do with their breeding dogs, he said, “They’re family members.” He then once again rambled off topic in trying to distract me from the question I had asked, so I asked him directly, “So they keep them when they’re done with them?” The owner answered, “Of course.” The hundreds of dogs living in old livestock pens at ShoalCreek clearly contradicts the claim that the store’s breeders keep old breeding dogs as “family members.”
Breeder sells to the following pet shops recently investigated by CAPS:
- Puppy Plus, 7071 FL-7, Parkland, FL 33073, Broward County (CVI 2021)
- Epic Puppies, 9541 SW 40th St, Miami, FL 33165, Miami-Dade County (CVI 2017)
- Heavenly Puppies, 301 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton, FL 33743, Palm Beach County (CVI 2021)
Breeder sell puppies online through the following websites:
