Breeder: Kathy Slobe
Address: 17167 Hwy 60
City, State, Zip: Verona, MO 65746
USDA License: 43-A-3549
Date of CAPS Investigation: 11/7/19
Time of CAPS Investigation: 12:23
Weather at time of investigation: 37°F and overcast
Approximate number of dogs observed at time of investigation: 60 (likely not all dogs on the property were observed)
Breeds: Bichon Frise, Yorkshire Terrier
I observed a kennel area that consisted of four Sundowner buildings and a row of sheltered outdoor pens. The Sundowner buildings had two rows of about seven indoor/outdoor cages, one set over the other, on two sides of the buildings. Outdoor cages were approximately 2’ wide x 1.5’ tall x 3.5’ long. Based on the size of the buildings in relation to the cages attached to them, the indoor cages must be shorter than the outdoor ones. I did not observe dogs in all of the outdoor cages, likely due to the cold temperature. When I did observe dogs in outdoor cages, there were one to two dogs per cage. I observed dogs pacing and circling in cages repeatedly, for nearly one minute at a time before stopping to look at something or go through doggie-doors to their indoor cages. Dogs that had stopped to observe something would then sometimes resume pacing and circling repeatedly.
The row of sheltered outdoor runs had a metal roof that covered the concrete floorings, galvanized mesh walls, and plastic, igloo-style doghouses within. I observed no dogs in these runs.
Evidence contradicting pet store claims:
- Fashionable Pets in Paramus, New Jersey submitted paperwork in 2018 to the State of New Jersey listing Kathy Slobe as a breeder who supplies puppies to the store. During my investigation of Fashionable Pets on 8/7/19, an employee told me that the store’s breeders do not keep dogs in cages. This statement is contradicted by the evidence I obtained at Slobe’s property, where I observed dozens of dogs being kept in cages.
- Shake A Paw Green Brook in Green Brook, New Jersey submitted paperwork in 2018 to the State of New Jersey listing Kathy Slobe as a breeder who supplies puppies to the store. During my investigation of Shake A Paw Green Brook on 8/5/19, a store manager told me that the store’s breeders do not keep dogs in small cages. This statement is contradicted by the evidence I obtained at Slobe’s property, where I observed dozens of dogs kept in cages so small that dogs had little room to pace back and forth. Furthermore, the manager told me that the store’s breeders have yards for puppies to play in, and that all of the breeders he’s visited have exercise yards for their dogs. This statement is also contradicted by the evidence I obtained at Slobe’s property, where no such exercise areas were visible on the property.
- Shake A Paw Union in Union, New Jersey submitted paperwork in 2018 to the State of New Jersey from listing Kathy Slobe as a breeder who supplies puppies to the store. During my investigation of Shake A Paw Union on 8/5/19, a store employee told me that dogs get lots of exercise at breeding facilities. This statement is contradicted by the evidence I obtained at Slobe’s property, where I observed dozens of dogs being kept in cages so small that they had little room to pace back and forth, and no exercise yards were visible on the property
Breeder is connected to the following stores:
- Fashionable Pets, NJ (2018 breeder list submitted to the state)
- Shake A Paw Green Brook, NJ (2018 breeder list submitted to the state)
- Shake A Paw Union, NJ (2018 breeder list submitted to the state)
- The Pet Zone, Queensbury, NY (store investigation 12/09/18)
