Puppy Dreams – Sherman
2916 N Hwy 75
Sherman, TX 75090
(903) 487-2058
Dates and times of CAPS investigation: 8/15/24, 1108
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 30 puppies
Puppies were in aquarium-like enclosures set into walls, with each enclosure was about three feet long, two feet deep, and 1.5 feet tall. They had solid walls, coated wire floorings, which had small holes for urine to fall through, and water bottles were attached to enclosures’ rear walls. There were one to three puppies of various breeds per enclosure, though not all enclosures were occupied.
No money down puppies
Within seconds of entering the store, an employee asked me, “What dog are you planning on taking home?” He went on to explain the prices of dogs, including a Yorkie that cost $4,500. He said that the store offers payment plans, and that I “could just leave with a dog today” without a down payment.
The stores uses one licensed breeder: the USDA
I explained that I wanted to make sure the puppies don’t come from puppy mills, and the employee told me that the store has records of the puppies bloodlines. He also said that the store uses “a licensed breeder,” reiterating the statement with, “Our puppy breeder is a licensed breeder,” which he said follows “a very strict code.” He then went to speak with a regional manager, and came to tell me, “So it’s USDA.” He went on, claiming the USDA is a licensed breeder that has “to follow a very strict code before we get their dogs.”
USDA? We meant not puppy mills
The manager came to interject that the store uses USDA-licensed breeders that have sold to them “for a while,” and explained the puppies are thoroughly vet-checked. She told me that the breeders do keep dogs confined, but “it’s not what you see on the puppy mill pages and stuff.” She claimed that store inspects the breeders with a “breeder relations person.”
She also said breeders have no violations, and falsely claimed that the USDA does two inspections a year of breeders that are planned, in addition to random checks every three to six months. She said breeders have no violations, which she referred to as “dings,” within the past five years. She said that the USDA will even “ding” a breeder for a food or water bowl that is only halfway filled, saying, “The one time that they popped up and visited, the bowl was halfway, and ding.”
Manager wouldn’t give out breeder info
I asked for breeder information on a puppy, and told me that the store is “cautious” about giving out breeder info for “privacy reasons,” and took my number to give me the information later. However, she never contacted me with it
Evidence contradicting the store’s claims
The regional manager’s claim that the USDA inspects breeders several times a year is inaccurate. The USDA does one inspection of breeders a year, sometimes less often, rarely doing additional inspections unless special circumstances require it. As I have personally seen working undercover at puppy mills, the inspections are often announced (or breeders hear from other breeders that an inspector is in the area, and breeders and brokers use the heads-up to cover up violations and keep the facility as clean as possible while the inspection is taking place.
The manager’s claim that a bowl being only halfway filled is a violation is not true. Furthermore, as I’ve seen working undercover at puppy mills, and as numerous breeders have told me, inspectors often don’t report violations so that they won’t appear on breeders’ records. More than 10 years ago, USDA inspectors were more likely to cite non-compliant items. With the advent of the pet shop ordinance movement, both retail bans and regulatory local laws, the USDA has mostly taken the side of the breeders and brokers they inspect.
The manager’s claim that the store doesn’t buy from breeders with violations in the last five years is a lie. CAPS has Certificates of Veterinary Inspection from 2022-2024 for breeders selling to Puppy Dreams-Sherman. The store obtained puppies from Elmer Troyer in Clark, MO (43-A-5917), who has had numerous, serious USDA and Missouri Department of Agriculture violations.
Puppy Dreams-Sherman also obtained puppies from LaWade Headings of El Dorado Springs, MO (43-A-6424). A USDA inspector cited Headings on 10/7/21 for moving dogs to a new location without telling the USDA, which prevented the USDA from inspecting dogs in the new location. The Missouri Department of Agriculture cited Headings on 3//7/23 for having no proof of rabies vaccines and having an outdated program of veterinary care (dated 12/22/21).
The store also purchased puppies from Daniel Borntreger in Madison, MO (43-A-6543), whose 7/6/21 USDA inspection had a violation for a female Golden Retriever with hair loss over most of the top of her head. The exposed area was red, pink, swollen and cracked, with a yellow substance in the cracks. The inspector also found an abundance of flies inside and outside the facility. On 5/19/21, the Missouri Department of Agriculture cited Borntreger for having fecal accumulation in outdoor enclosures housing puppies and in unused enclosures that he failed to clean after removing dogs from them.
The store’s claim that they don’t use puppy mills is fraudulent. USDA-licensed faculties with dozens and hundreds of dogs, which are bred solely for profit, are puppy mills. Phil Hoover of Memphis, MO (USDA license 43-A-5673) had a total of 525 adult dogs and puppies at his 4/12/24 USDA inspection.
Puppy Dreams has sourced puppies from USDA-licensed brokers, such as J.A.K.’s Puppies in Britt Iowa,, Pinnacle Pet in Neosho, MO, and SouthPaw Pets in Neosho, which buy from puppy mills (USDA “A” licensed facilities and unlicensed exempt breeders with fewer than five breeding females). The breeders I investigated who sold to these brokers were all operating puppy mills.
Breeder information obtained from 2022 and 2023 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Phil Hoover, Memphis, MO, 43-A 5673, 334 adults, 191 puppies (total 525) at 4/15/24 USDA inspection
Elmer and Edna Troyer, Clark, MO, 43-A-5917, 55 dogs, 60 puppies at 11/28/23 USDA inspection.
The Troyer’s 2/15/22 Missouri Department of Agriculture violations included build-up of dirt and grime on doors and frames, the entire facility requiring a deep cleaning because of an accumulation of of dirt, dander, kibble, clipped fur, and grime on walls and wires, plastic feeders with broken sharp edges, a female Golden Doodle living on an unsealed concrete floor, lack of shelter for dogs in outdoor enclosures, fecal build-up in outdoor enclosures, and wrong inventory count records. The 5/5/22 reinspection indicates that the Troyers corrected the violations.
On 5/15/22, the USDA inspector noted six violations of the Animal Welfare Act: excessive feces, including feces smeared on flooring , doorways and walls, the same Golden Doodle (this time with her six puppies) on an unsealed concrete floor, outdoor enclosures with insufficient space, chewed plastic feeders with sharp edges, dogs without water, and lack of veterinary exam documentation. The Troyers had 71 adult dogs and 122 puppies at their 2/15/22 USDA inspection. The 5/18/22 USDA inspection report noted an excessive amount of flies inside and outside of the facility, including around food, feces and damp areas. At this inspection, the Troyers had 77 adult dogs and 66 puppies.
LaWade Headings, El Dorado Springs, MO, 43-A-6424, 30 adults, 14 puppies at 10/16/24 USDA inspection
Daniel Borntreger, Monroe County Puppies, Madison, MO, 43-A-6543, 56 adults, 35 puppies at 7/6/21 USDA inspection (no longer licensed)
Broker information obtained from 2023 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
J.A.K.’s Puppies, Britt, IA, 42-B-0271, 76 puppies at 12/16/24 USDA inspection
https://caps-web.org/caps-investigators-journal-the-truth-behind-j-a-k-s-puppies/
https://caps-web.org/caps-investigators-journal-the-truth-behind-puppy-mill-brokers/
Pinnacle Pet (Sobrad, LLC), Neosho, MO, 43-B-3750
SouthPaw Pets, Neosho, MO, 43-B-3812
Curt and Lori Conrad, Frankford, MO, 43-B-3659, 20 puppies at 8/23/24 USDA inspection
QD Kennels, Frankford, MO, 43-B-3774, 38 puppies at 6/25/24 USDA inspection
