Pet Store Owner Calls Humane Society Accusations Unfair

Days after being accused of buying puppies from large, unsanitary breeders in the Midwest, the owner of the Puppy Gallery on Harrison's Halstead Avenue said he is desperate to clear his name.

Everton Jones, who opened the local pet store a few months ago, said he buys all of his dogs from licensed breeders and that he has the paperwork to back it up.

"I'm going to start posting these for the customers to see," Jones said, holding invoices from the breeders he buys from. "That's the only way I can defend myself."

Jones claims that since opening his store he has only purchased dogs from licensed breeders. He said since these breeders are licensed in their respective states, they are inspected on a regular basis.

But an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) says that because of loosely enforced laws in some Midwest states, even licensed breeders are often unsanitary and inhumane. Many dogs are raised in “puppy mills”, the report says, which are known for breeding dogs in small confined spaces that are often left unclean. The report claims these animals are often left without veterinary care and clean food.

The HSUS report used hidden cameras to inspect 11 New York City pet stores and public documents to investigate 111 pet stores in other parts of the state. According to their investigation, every pet store visited in New York had ties to these breeders in the Midwest, including the Puppy Gallery.

"The fact that a breeder is 'private', 'verified' and 'licensed' unfortunately does not mean that they are treating their animals humanely or that they breed healthy puppies," said Jordan Crump, a spokesperson for the HSUS, referencing claims from the Puppy Gallery’s website.

She added that although all of the Puppy Gallery's purchases were from USDA licenced breeders, checking for a license isn’t enough to ensure that puppies are born in satisfactory conditions.

"The USDA license is really a joke in most states, you can get violations, upon violations, upon violations without anything happening to you," said Crump. "Being licensed isn't really a standard for much of anything."

But Jones sees things differently, saying that he keeps records to make sure that each of his puppies are purchased legally from breeders who are licensed and inspected at least twice a year. He added that it’s unfair to release a report accusing every pet store in the state of wrongdoing.

“They just listed everybody,” he said. “It’s not fair for the people that are doing a good job.”

The HSUS says pet store owners should investigate whether or not their breeders have sanctions against them in the past. They say it is the storeowner's responsibility to investigate these prior sanctions and inform prospective dog-owners of exactly where their dogs were born.

According to the report, the Puppy Gallery bought seven dogs from Kansas and Missouri over a three-month period. Many of the puppies, according to the report, came from breeders with past violations.

But Jones said the blame should be focused on breeders that break the law, and that he believes licensed breeders raise healthy dogs.

"What they are trying to do is attack puppy mills, which I understand," he said. "(Puppy Mills) are breeders who are not licensed, not inspected, and they sell puppies online, that's not where I get mine."

The pet stores themselves were not investigated for their on-site conditions, only for their possible connection with unsanitary mills in the Midwest. The Puppy Gallery has never been cited for any local violations since it opened, according to building department records.

"We try our best here," Jones said. "We try to keep the puppies clean and healthy."