V.I. Pets
11975 E Lakewood Blvd
Holland, MI 49424
(616) 394-0003
Date and time of CAPS investigation: 3/21/24, 16:35
Approximate number of puppies observed at time of investigation: 0 puppies
There were no puppies in the store at the time I visited. There was a bank of about eight cages in a room visible through a glass wall, but it’s unclear what they were used to hold because none had any visible animals. Though three had blankets set over them, others were clearly empty and one held cleaning supplies. There was a raised, open-topped pen near a store window, with puppy toys and shredded paper in it, but the pen had no puppies. One employee told me that store hadn’t had puppies in it for a while but should getting some soon.
Employee said local breeders are used
I spoke to another employee about where puppies come from, and he said, “Vets will call us and let us know they have clients that have puppies, or people come in here, or regular customers. We do have one guy. His name is Daniel. He’s from Centerville, Michigan. He does have a really nice breeding facility there where he studs out and finds females to get with males and to keep the genetics spread apart.” He said that Daniel is USDA-licensed and that his last name starts with an “H.”
The employee also told me that other VI Pets will may use some of the same breeders as the Holland store, but they may also use local breeders of their own.
Breeder information obtained during store investigation
Daniel H, Centerville, MI
On the USDA website, I found a Daniel Hochstetler at 61050 Nottawa Rd in Centreville, MI, with a license number of 34-A-0182. At his 3/22/23 inspection, where he had 80 adults and 45 puppies, the inspector cited Hochsteteler for fecal accumulation/strong odor of feces and failing to keep records with dates of intestinal parasite heartworm preventative treatmenst. The correct-by dates were 3/22/23 and 3/31/23 respectively, yet the inspector did not return to the facility until 8/23/23 when Hochstetler had a license renewal inspection.
Breeder information obtained from Certificates of Veterinary Inspection
The Michigan Department of Agriculture was unable to provide Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for out-of-state breeders selling to this store.
