As you know, we are a small nonprofit based primarily out of the Midwest. So how, might you ask, did a pet store all the way in Sayville, New York catch our attention enough to merit an article?
Well, this Little Wonders Puppy Emporium made the grave mistake of not only buying puppies from horrible puppy mills here in the Midwest, but they actually accused our nonprofit organization of paying people to protest outside of their store. Every weekend… 1,179 miles away. Since we are so interesting to them, we thought we would look a little deeper into the puppy mills they proudly support. Unsurprisingly, we were appalled at the lies the store owners tell their customers just to make a profit. We hope to expose the store and its puppy mill suppliers, while educating their future customers about where to humanely obtain their next pet. If you are in the Sayville area, please reach out to the wonderful ladies at Puppy Mill Free Long Island NY and they can help you find a pet to adopt!
Let’s start by showing everyone that Little Wonders Puppy Emporium is listed on the ASPCA’s NoPetStorePuppies.com site as a store NOT to shop at. Another nationally recognized organization is against this pet store… Should be a red flag.
When it comes to exposing puppy mills and the pet stores they sell to, Suffolk County NY made our jobs awfully easy by requiring all pet stores to prominently display which USDA licensed breeders pet stores are buying from. So our goal with this article is to help potential customers do their research BEFORE buying a puppy mill puppy. Since Little Wonders Puppy Emporium isn’t picky and buys from A LOT of puppy mills, we thought it was best to organize them by state.
A YELP review recently left by an unsatisfied customer who purchased a sick dog.
What would drive a pet store to buy from puppy mills that are over 1,300 miles away? What would make them think that puppies sitting in a cramped, dark van for over 21 hours is a good idea? The only answer is cost. LWPE is getting a heck of a deal by buying puppies from so far away. Pet stores generally buy puppies for $25-$50 a piece and sell them for thousands. Please keep in mind that these puppies are taken away from their mothers and siblings too early, thrown into kennels and driven thousands of miles just to be sold in a pet store. Sadly, many of these puppies come to Little Wonders (and other out of state pet stores) very ill because of those very reasons.
Here are the *known* puppy mills that Little Wonders Puppy Emporium has purchased from in the past.
OKLAHOMA — From here it takes the puppies between 21 and 23 hours to leave each breeder just to sit in a pet store cage.
Jeff Adams/Adams Kennel Durant, OK 74701 USDA 73-A- 2670 … 35 adult dogs. Time it takes for puppies to get to the store: 23 hours, 47 minutes .
Karen Buffalohead KCZ Amazing Pets Langley OK 74350 USDA 73-B- 1843 …. 12 adult dogs. 21 hours, 30 minutes to the store.
Cindy Johnson Purple Rose Kennel Jay OK 74346 USDA 73-A- 2169… 17 adult dogs. 21 hours, 33 minutes from breeder to store.
SOUTH DAKOTA — It takes 21 hours, 56 minutes from this breeder to the pet store.
Calvin Kroger/Kroger Kennel Hudson, SD 57034 USDA 46-A- 0420… 23 adult dogs. pet store.
MINNESOTA— These puppies ride over 21 hours to get to the pet store.
Angeline Mc Duffee AJ’s Angels Cushing MN 56443 USDA 41-A- 0484 *Formerly known as Wanda Kretzman of Clearwater Kennel 3/9/2016 she cancelled license. Same day daughter-in-law obtained license for the very same kennel… 594 adult dogs, 402 puppies . This is one of the worst puppy mills in the entire country.
Justin Sawyer Backus MN 56435 USDA 41-A- 0482 … 70 adult dogs, 61 puppies
ARKANSAS— It takes the puppies over 21 hours to get to the store.
Judy Willis Jasper, AR 72641 USDA 71-A- 0992… 33 adult dogs.
Jonathan Miller Huntsville, AR 72740 USDA 71-A- 1257… 28 adult dogs.
Charles & Susan Delozier C&T Kennels Green Forest, AR 72638 USDA 71-A- 0995… 24 adults dogs.
IOWA— It takes 21 hours for these puppies to travel from Iowa puppy mills to Little Wonders Puppy Emporium
Colleen Ries/Wishbone Kennels Ryan, IA 52330 USDA 42-A- 0950… 36 adult dogs. Noteworthy violations: Dogs with open and untreated wounds on legs
J.A.K.S Puppies Britt IA 50423 USDA 42-B- 0271 (Broker). 97 puppies.
MISSOURI— It takes 19 hours from puppy mill to pet store.
Carol Hyatt /Shangrila Kennel LLC Fredericktown, MO 63645 USDA 43-A- 5630… 10 adult dogs.
Breedloves Unique kennel allows all of their dogs to live their lives in rabbit hutches. 24/7. THIS is the mother of your pet store puppy.
Alisa Breedlove/Breedloves Unique Kennel Waynesville, MO 65583 USDA 43-A- 4023 … 80 adult dogs. To see more footage of her kennel click here.
Sherri GillumUnionville, MO 63565 USDA 43-B- 3701… 54 adult dogs, 30 puppies
Randall & Sheree Bonnette Chillicothe, MO 64601 USDA 43-A- 2151… 80 adult dogs
Josie & Paul Swartzentruber Buffalo, MO 65622 USDA 43-A- 4184… 13 adults dogs.
Lonewolf Kennel. Has past USDA violations for having dogs in outdoor enclosures with no wind/weather breaks.
Allison Hedgpeth/Lonewolf Kennel Iberia, MO 65486 USDA 43-B- 3435… 47 adult dogs.
Bill & Mona Paulson Prairieview Kennel Washburn, MO 65772 USDA 43-A- 2974 … 102 adult dogs, 41 puppies
Undercover footage of David Miller’s property. THESE are the mothers of your pet store puppy.
David Miller Oronogo, MO 64855 USDA 43-A- 5221… 149 adult dogs, 58 puppies.
SOBRAD LLC/Pinnacle Pet Neosho, MO 64850 USDA 43-B- 3750 & 43-T- 0063 (Broker) … 353 puppies
Hunte Corporation Goodman, MO 64843 USDA 43-B- 0123 (Broker)… Upwards of 1000 puppies. Here is a video exposing where the Hunte Corporation gets their puppies.
But after all of this, Little Wonders Puppy Emporium not only stands proudly by their breeders, but they claim they only use breeders with no violations (which is very untrue and easily fact checked).
Because of this, a group of concerned Sayville citizens have been protesting outside of Little Wonders Puppy Emporium every weekend since March of 2015. The protests started before the store officially opened, to raise awareness about the issue. After, two of the women chose to have a sit-down meeting with the owner, Frank DiStefano and tried to educate him about the puppy mill issue. After asking him to consider going humane and ending the sale of puppies in his store, Frank said, “It would never happen” and the two groups went on their separate ways. Since the protests started in Sayville NY outside Little Wonders Puppy Emporium, the protesters have assisted over a dozen consumers with the adoption process instead of them purchasing puppies. They’ve shared with consumers: petfinder.com, breed specific rescues and for those that insisted upon buying, they’ve even taken the time to research true, responsible breeders.
While it is so hard for pet store owners to stop asking “why me” and see the bigger picture, this is about putting an end to puppy mills; not ending all breeding and not ending pet ownership. And while DiStefano and other pet store owners insist on profiting off of the suffering of thousands of adult dogs, groups like Bailing Out Benji and Puppy Mill Free Long Island NY will be out there educating current, past and future customers.
How can you help?
Call Little Wonders Puppy Emporium
(631) 244-7877 … If you feel strongly enough (and are brave enough), contact the owner this way. Ask him directly about the puppies and the welfare of the parent dogs. We do not want to see a local business close down, instead we want the owner to choose a more humane business model by either not selling puppies at all, or choosing to help shelter dogs instead!
Contact Little Wonders on Facebook
Share this article on their wall, tag their store, do whatever you can to raise awareness about this store and their connection to known puppy mills. Here is their page.
Visit the protesters on the weekend!
Whether you join them and hold a sign, or just drive by to honk- your support means the world to the girls who are giving their voices to the dogs that have none.
THIS NEXT PART GOES FOR EVERYONE, IN EVERY CITY, IN EVERY STATE
Don’t give your business to pet stores that sell puppies and kitties. Pet overpopulation is a terrible problem in our country and only the consumers can help change that. If you are looking for a new pet PLEASE visit your local shelter. Over 35% of dogs in shelters are purebred, they are just overlooked. If you can’t find what you are looking for at your local shelter, please try Petfinder It is a tremendously helpful site! You can search for ANY BREED, anywhere. And don’t forget, if you are looking to buy a puppy, ALWAYS demand to #ShowMeTheMommy!
— Mindi
Founder/President of Bailing Out Benji
Editors Note: Little Wonders Puppy Emporium is nothing special. Pet stores across the country are buying puppies from out of state mills and passing them off as “local, respectable breeders”. Iowa alone exports over 100,000 puppies annually to pet stores across the country. This is a very inhumane business model that pet stores have adopted to make a quick buck. Help us put an end to this industry! If you see puppies in the store, WALK OUT THE DOOR! And always shop at humane pet stores that don’t sell animals! Together, we will put an end to this industry.
Iowa exports over 100,000 puppies a year!