Breeder: Samuel and Lois Zimmerman
Address: 2407 Hazard Rd
City, State, Zip: Penn Yan, NY 14527
USDA License: 21-A-0209
Date and time of CAPS Investigation: 7/12/25, about 1200
Weather at time of investigation: 83°F and sunny
Number of dogs and puppies noted in a 7/24/24 USDA inspection: 45 dogs and 62 puppies
The Zimmermans’ kennel was a series of outdoor pens. While each was large compared to normal commercial dog runs, they were barren of enrichment and had solid fencing that blocked dogs’ view outside their pens. They resembled livestock pens used for holding groups of cattle or other hoof stock.
There were 48 pens total, arranged in rows of 24, with a hallway between them. Each pen was about 60’ by 50’, with a grass flooring and solid, white walls that were about six feet tall. Dogs could not see out of their pens at all. No dog could see into an adjacent pen or outside the kennel area to see the world beyond. It appeared that nine pens had doors allowing access from an adjacent pen through a doggie-door, but none of the others did. Each pen had a doghouse, about six feet by four feet, with a roof just wider than the house and a short hallway extending out from it into the pen. In several pens I saw dogs (one to three per pen).
A retention pond was within 30’ of the easternmost pens. It was filled with dark green water and coated in a layer of algae.
Breeder is connected to the following stores:
Forever Love Puppies, 9803 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024 (information obtained from CVI 2021)
Evidence contradicting store’s claims:
Forever Love Puppies has several locations in Florida. They claim on their website to use “Always Top Breeders,” and say, “We exclusively collaborate with licensed breeders, ensuring your new companion is both lovingly raised and well-bred.” They also say on the website, “We partner only with responsible, licensed breeders committed to the highest quality standards. Our rigorous sourcing includes thorough verification of breeder credentials and adherence to strict breeding practices, ensuring the best start for your future friend.”
The average customer does not imagine dogs in barren pens, unable to see the outside world and without any enrichment at all, as “lovingly raised.” In addition, Forever Love Puppies claims their breeders use the “highest quality standards.” However, Zimmerman had violations for “grime” as well as ants and flies in a USDA inspection on 5/2/24. One violation for cleaning noted, “…the food bowls are not being cleaned and sanitized at least once every two weeks. Several of the dens and bowls are dirty with a layer of grime and debris.” Another violation noted, “In dens # 30 and 31 there was an infestation of ants in the den box, around and in the food bowl. In den #46, there was an accumulation of flies around a female and her puppies.”
These kinds of violations contradict what the average customer imagines as the “highest quality standards” of “lovingly raised and well-bred” dogs.
