Texas Puppy Store
6904 Bandera Rd Suite 8
Leon Valley, TX 78238
(210) 236-8882
Dates and time of CAPS investigation: 7/26/24, 1411
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 30 puppies
There were about 20 puppy enclosures in the store. Most were aquarium-like enclosures set into walls at one end of the store. They were about three feet long, a foot deep, and 12-18 inches tall. They had solid floorings covered in shredded paper and water bottles set on the back walls. One to two puppies were in each enclosure. A larger glass-walled enclosure, resembling a large fish aquarium with shredded paper covering its flooring, was near the front window of the store. It had a single Schnauzer puppy in it.
Pacing puppy
Puppies had stickers on their enclosures with the names of the breeds, and the breeder town and state. While a few puppies were from Texas, the vast majority were from out of state. Puppies ranged in age from about eight weeks to over seven months. Two French Bulldogs were larger puppies; a female Frenchie who was born on 12/5/23,making her 7.5 months old, paced almost incessantly in her enclosure,. She walked back and forth while panting and looking at other puppies.
This employee told me that Texas Puppy Store’s puppies usually cost between $2,000 and $5,500, depending on a puppy’s breed and age. She said that the pacing Frenchie had arrived at about three to four months of age, cost $4,800, and that Frenchies usually start at $5,500.
Breeding dogs apparently live in a dog paradise
The employee said that the store is family-owned and “not in correlation with Petland, or Puppyland, or like any other place.” I asked if the store’s breeders are exclusive to the store, and she said, “For the most part, yeah.” I asked her about the sources of puppies, and she told me that the store does not buy from puppy mills but instead uses “licensed, private” breeders. She claimed that the owner “has ties with most of the breeders” and “prevents any overbreeding from mom and dad.” She said that “max is maybe two or three litters” for breeding dogs, and that spent breeding dogs are kept as pets by breeders. She also claimed that if there’s a problem with a puppy sold by the store, the breeders will often take the puppies back to “have them as household pets.”
“Open free”
When I asked what conditions the breeding dogs were kept in, she told me that the dogs are kept in homes and have open space to roam. She explained it while using the word “desensitize,” as though she confused that for something else. When I asked if dogs are kept in cages, she said, “A lot of them do the desensitizing, so they’re more open free.” She added, “Like mom and dad are open in a free home.” To clarify, I asked, “Oh, they’re just in the house?” She answered, “Yes.”
When I asked about inspections of facilities, the employee told me that puppies are all vet-checked before coming to the store. I then asked her if the breeders have to be licensed, and she told me that the store gets all veterinary paperwork on puppies before they arrive at the store, still confusing kennel licensing with veterinary exams of puppies.
Evidence contradicting pet store employee’s claims:
The employee’s claim that their breeders keep dogs in their homes is false. The store buys from Iowa-based Bryan Bredemeyer. At his 6/17/24 USDA inspection, Bredemeyer had 35 adult dogs and 24 puppies at his facility/ Satellite imagery shows his facility as a building with concrete dog runs on its south side. The kennel is a commercial building, not a place that keeps dogs in the residence and not a place where dogs are “open free.” The store also bought puppies from Elaine Wilson in Missouri, whose 5/28/24 USDA inspection report listed 269 adult dogs and 173 puppies. A total of 443 dogs and puppies are not living in Wilson’s home. She runs a puppy mill.
The employee’s claim that breeders only breed dogs for two or three litter is untrue. I’ve investigated about a thousand commercial dog breeders for CAPS, and worked undercover at a USDA-licensed dog breeding facility. I’ve consistently seen that dogs are bred for five to six years of age.
The employee’s claim that spent breeding dogs and puppies rejected by the store are kept by breeders as pets is a lie. Is is extraordinarily rare that breeders keep spent breeding dogs. Some are given to rescues, while most are sold at auctions or killed, as has been explained to me by commercial breeders. Breeders have told me that the preferred method of killing dogs is a .22 caliber bullet to the head. This method was also used to kill dogs at a USDA-licensed dog kennel where I worked undercover.
The employee’s claim that the store does not buy from puppy mills is fraudulent. The Texas Puppy Store has sourced puppies from large USDA-licensed brokers, such as J.A.K.’s Puppies and Select Puppies in Iowa, 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. USDA-licensed broker Lane’s Little Gems in Ohio, which mostly supplies puppies to an Ohio pet shop run by its owner and to franchisees in other states), had 142 puppies listed on their 4/17/24 USDA inspection report. The only way to obtain this many puppies is through puppy mills. We believe Lane’s Little Gems is buying puppies from Amish puppy mills in Ohio.
The 6/21/23 USDA inspection report cites numerous, serious violations at Tom and Carla Steffensmeier’s Iowa facility that are consistent with a puppy mill operation. The Texas Puppy Store also used the Steffensmeirs (license was cancelled in September 2023).
Breeder information obtained during store investigation
Bryan Bredemeyer, 19404 Willow Ave, Bonaparte, IA, 42-A-1660, 35 adults, 24 puppies at 6/17/24 USDA inspection
Breeder information obtained from 2022, 2023 and 2024 Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
Tom & Carla Steffensmeier, West Point, IA, 42-A-1368, 47 adults, 78 puppies at 3/8/23 USDA inspection. The Steffenssmeiers violated 12 Animal Welfare Act code sections, with multiple serious violations listed under each code at their 3/9/24 USDA inspection (see report). The inspector returned on 6/21/23 for an inspection, but no responsible adult was available for an inspection. Their license was cancelled on 9/27/23.
Elaine K. Wilson, Everton, MO. 43-A-4205, 269 adults, 173 puppies at 5/28/24 USDA inspection
Primo Puppies, Neosho, MO, 43-A-6577, 36 adults, 4 puppies at 6/20/24 USDA inspection
Broker information obtained from 2022, 2023 and 2024 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/
Select Puppies, West Point IA, 42-B- 0314, 156 puppies at 12/18/24 USDA inspection
https://caps-web.org/caps-investigators-journal-the-truth-behind-select-puppies-and-pet-connect-rescue/
https://caps-web.org/caps-investigators-journal-the-truth-behind-puppy-mill-brokers/
AJ’s Angels (Angie McDuffee), Cushing, MN, 41-A-0484, which was selling puppies to J.A.K’s Puppies, sold puppies to Select Puppies in 2024 (per CVIs). AJ’s Angels is an enormous facility, whch had 1368 dogs and puppies at its 6/13/18 USDA inspection. USDA inspected AJ’s Angels on 12/7/22 (865 dogs and puppies) and didn’t do another inspection until 2/12/2 (803 dogs and puppies). This means that a facility with this many animals went without an inspection for 26 months.
Premier Pups/Lane’s Little Gems, Johnstown, OH, 31-B-0223, 142 Puppies at 4/17/24 USDA inspection. Mike Schoeff owns Premier Pups, which is a pet shop and online seller in Johnstown, OH. He is also the owner of Lane’s Little Gems, a brokerage facility in Johnstown, OH, which we believe obtains puppies from Amish mills. There are other pet shops/online sellers in Florida, Illinois and probably other states who appear to be franchises; they all have the same website design and obtain puppies solely through Lane’s Little Gems.
Curt and Lori Conrad, Frankford, MO, 43-B-3659, 20 puppies at 8/23/24 USDA inspection
Market Smart, Neosho, MO, 43-B-3810, 42 puppies at 10/27/22 USDA inspection (no 2023 inspection report available)
QD Kennels, Frankford, MO, 43-B-3774, 38 puppies at 6/25/24 USDA inspection
