Buyer Beware: Dog Broker Crittersville Enterprises

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©Bailing Out Benji 2022
All research and information was done by Bailing Out Benji  and must be cited as such when shared or quoted!
To view the rest of our research, click here. 

When it comes to the puppy mill industry, there is no shortage of “key players” in the game. You have breeders, brokers, transport companies, pet stores and online websites. In this day and age, there is no true way to know where your puppy is coming from unless you visit the facility yourself to meet the parents, or adopt a pet from a local rescue or shelter. 

Unfortunately, the dog breeding business is clouded in secrecy and, unless you know how to ask the right questions, you will constantly be searching for answers. One of the main projects that Bailing Out Benji focuses on is forensically analyzing government health records in order to track puppies from breeder to broker to pet store, so the public has a fighting chance to do their research before they buy a puppy. We exist to provide the transparency that the puppy mills will not. 

In this case, we have requested Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs), from the state of Nebraska in order to determine which facilities supply puppies to Nebraska dog broker, Crittersville. Crittersville is based out of Culbertson, Nebraska and supplies puppies to pet stores in at least 5 states. 

The tricky part with the secretive puppy mill industry is that the CVIs are only needed when a puppy is crossing state lines. So the Crittersville name is on those documents when a pet store gets the puppy- and rarely the name of the actual breeder. This is where we come in!

Below you will find a list of all of the known facilities that Crittersville buys from before they broker the puppies to pet stores from coast to coast. Please note: we won’t see any of the Nebraska breeders that Crittersville sources from, because CVIs weren’t required for the initial transfer.

So far our research has discovered that Crittersville sells puppies to pet stores in Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Dakota and Virginia. 

The most recent dog count from the USDA

Below you will find a list of the facilities that Crittersville sourced from during the years 2020-2022 organized by state that the puppies originated in.  All of the connections below came from records obtained from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, with the dog count information being pulled from their latest USDA inspection report. 

 If you would like to donate to help us continue our research, you can do that here. 

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Iowa

      1. Judy Maassen and John Maasseen, Adorable Puppy AKA J Maassen Inc. Rock Valley, Iowa- 208 adult breeding dogs and 110 puppies. This facility was also named one of the worst puppy mills in the country in 2015. 
      2. Linda Mulder and Mary Mulder, Limi Je M Kennel. Boyden, Iowa- 30 adult breeding dogs and 11 puppies. 
      3. Loren Kooiman and Lora Kooiman, Riverview Kennels. Door, Iowa- 10 adult breeding dogs and 8 puppies. 
      4. Stan Korver and Linda Korver. Orange City, Iowa- 23 adult breeding dogs and 23 puppies. 

Kansas

      1. Barbara Cooper. McDonald, Kansas- is not USDA licensed. 
      2. Clair Carlisle and Susan Carlisle, S&C Farms AKA Carlisle Farms. Coldwater, Kansas- 33 dogs and 2 puppies. This facility was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country in 2020. 
      3. Devin Spears, Triple S Puppies. Osborne, Kansas- 38 adult breeding dogs and 19 puppies. 
      4. Doug Gurtler and Loretta Gurtler, D&L Kennels. Beattie, Kansas- 15 adult breeding dogs and 1 puppy. 
      5. Jacky Roesener. McDonald, Kansas- 89 adult breeding dogs and 39 puppies. 
      6. Jeanne Becker. Osborne, Kansas- 54 adult breeding dogs and 22 puppies. 
      7. Jodi File and Bill File. Beloit, Kansas- recently cancelled USDA License in 2022. 

Oklahoma

      1. Carol Haley and Steve Haley, Haley Kennels. Sayre, Oklahoma- 107 adult breeding dogs and 23 puppies. *regular supplier* 
      2. Debra Tignor, Quail Court Kennels. Sayre, Oklahoma- 42 adult breeding dogs and 10 puppies. *regular supplier* 
      3. Kimberlie Thetford. Sayre, Oklahoma- 41 adult breeding dogs and 7 puppies. *regular supplier* 
      4. Zola Price, Steve Price and Taylor Miner. Laverne, Oklahoma- 120 adult breeding dogs and 72 puppies. *major supplier* 

South Dakota

      1. Arin Riggs. Ethan, South Dakota- is not USDA licensed. 
      2. Beverly Nydam-Varilek. Stickney, South Dakota- 48 adult breeding dogs and 34 puppies.  *regular supplier* 
      3. Cal Veurink and Karen Veurink, Dakota Kennels. Harrison, South Dakota- 60 adult breeding dogs and 44 puppies. *major supplier* 
      4. Carla Pederson, Pederson Farms. Freeman, South Dakota- 36 adult breeding dogs and 16 puppies. *regular supplier* 
      5. Cindy Hubers, Da Pa Kli Kennels. Harrison, South Dakota- 147 adult breeding dogs and 49 puppies. This facility was named one of the worst puppy mills in the country in 2014 and was also selling puppies to Crittersville while receiving violations and an official warning from the USDA. *major supplier*
      6. Faye Degen and Kelley Degen, Prairie Wind Kennels. Parkston, South Dakota- 30 adult breeding dogs and 7 puppies. 
      7. Jared Feldhaus and John Callies. Howard, South Dakota- 7 adult breeding dogs and 3 puppies. 
      8. Jean Gortmaker, Gortmaker Acres. Saint Lawrence, South Dakota- this facility cancelled their USDA License in 2022 but had 62 adult breeding dogs and 15 puppies. 
      9. Jim Klinkhammer. Howard, South Dakota- is not USDA licensed. 
      10. Joette Peterson. Freeman, South Dakota- This facility cancelled their USDA license in 2021 but had been previously named one of the worst puppy mills in the country in 2018, 2017 and 2016 due to violations. 
      11. Karon Wilson. Viborg, South Dakota- is not USDA licensed. 
      12. Kaycie Klimisch. Utica, South Dakota- is not USDA licensed. 
      13. Keith Jensen. Freeman, South Dakota- 24 adult breeding dogs and 16 puppies. 
      14. Shelly Benson. Parker, South Dakota- is not USDA licensed. 
      15. Sue Boersma and Paul Boersma. Monroe, South Dakota- is not USDA licensed. 
      16. Theresa Mueller and Jessica Mueller. Mount Vernon, South Dakota- 50 adult breeding dogs and 6 puppies. 
      17. Tina Brennan, Brennan Kennels. Pukwana, South Dakota- 20 adult breeding dogs and 18 puppies. *regular supplier* 

Once Crittersville receives the puppies from the breeders listed above, they are then transported upwards of 20 hours in the backs vans and resold to pet stores all over the country. All before the puppy is even 9 weeks old. To find out where these puppies end up, click here. 

To put an end to this cruel industry, we must stop putting money into the pockets of the businesses that are fueling puppy mills. Don’t shop at pet stores that sell puppies and don’t buy a puppy online or through a newspaper without meeting the parents first.

Please consider making a donation to our nonprofit organization to help us continue researching, exposing and fighting the puppy mill industry. 

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