The Puppy Store
576 N Mill Rd
Vineyard, UT 84059
(801) 400-3810
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 8/27/19; 1526
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 14
Password: capsedit
Puppies were kept in open-topped, elevated enclosures with glass walls and solid floorings covered in shredded paper. There were about seven enclosures total, each with one to three puppies in it.
I asked an employee (Caucasian female, about 25 years old, 5’9″, 130 lbs., with long black hair, several tattoos on her arms, and a tattoo on the left side of her chest) about breeders and rescue puppies sold by the store. She told me rescues are cheaper than other puppies because they don’t have “papers.” I asked, “So the rescued ones are still from reputable breeders, you just don’t have the papers?” She answered, “Uh huh. Yes. That or like some breeders don’t think they’re gonna’ make money off of it, so they toss ’em…. And a lot of the dogs, when we deal with dogs like in California, it’s a law that you have, you can’t sell a dog that has papers.” She then added, “So the stores out there can’t sell them without papers, so they give us the dogs. You know what I mean?” I then said, “It’s still the same good breeder, it’s just that they get them from a rescue?” She responded, “Yeah, they get them from a rescue, but (unintelligible) have a floppy ear, their coloring they don’t like, or they walk funny. Or we just deal with them straight.” She said she didn’t know what rescue is used, but said the breeders they use are all USDA-licensed with no violations on their records.
When I asked about breeding conditions, she told me state and federal agencies enforce regulations on breeders, and said the store has “contact with” breeders but didn’t specifically answer about how dogs are kept in kennels. When I asked for breeder information on two puppies, she showed me the info immediately on her computer and handed me registration papers for them. Both puppies had J.A.K.’s Puppies listed as a “distributor,” which she said delivers puppies to the store.
When I explained the kind of conditions I was concerned about at puppy mills, the employee asked how she could find out if the store’s breeders are puppy mills. I recommended she look at satellite images on Google maps to see if there are cages or rows of dog runs evident, instead of open exercise yards. She immediately looked up satellite images of breeders for both puppies I asked about and expressed concern over seeing one property being scattered farm buildings with no open yards for dogs evident. She told me that she had already looked up J.A.K.’s Puppies and was worried about what she had found online.
Breeder and Broker info:
The following were obtained from pedigrees, information on a store computer for puppies, and broker information was also noted on a puppy’s collar:
- Breeder: Jim Christian, 1873 210th Ave, Currie, MN 52123; Broker: J.A.K.’s Puppies, Inc, PO Box 245, Britt, IA 50423, 42-B-0271
- Breeder: Julie Halverson, 510 Bigfoot Rd, Monona, IA 52129, 42-A-0645; Broker: J.A.K.’s Puppies, Inc, PO Box 245, Britt, IA 50423, 42-B-0271
CAPS has investigated breeders in Iowa and Wisonsin who sell to J.A.K.’s Puppies. All of them were USDA-licensed dog breeding facilities – puppy mills with violations. J.A.K.’s Puppies has formed two 501(c)(3) “rescues” to circumvent California’s Pet Rescue and Adoption Act and the Chicago ordinance, both of which ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. A CAPS investigation revealed that the storefront office listed as the address for Hobo K-9 Rescue was actually for J.A.K.’s Puppies.
Evidence contradicting statements made by the employee:
The store’s claim that some of their puppies are “rescues” is false. Consumers do not think of a rescued puppy as being an animal a breeder is having trouble selling, and who is then sold to a pet store for profit. CSPA 13-14-4 (2)(b); R152-11 B(1).
Note: David Salinas purchased the Puppy Barn locations in Vineyard and Saratoga Springs from Matt Mulligan and reopened them as The Puppy Store.
