LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An undercover investigation at pet stores in Southern Nevada has animal advocates arguing for a ban on the sale of puppies in pet stores statewide.
The Humane Society for the United States revealed the findings of its investigation in an email to Channel 13 chief investigator Darcy Spears this week.
The animal rights organization cites findings of unsafe conditions, staff being tasked with providing "DIY" medical treatments for sick puppies, and store management "often wait[ing] until puppies are deathly ill to seek emergency care" at pet stores where its investigator went undercover.
Legislation now being considered to ban puppy sales in the Silver State is tentatively being called "Cindy Lou's Law" after a sick puppy who died after a pet store manager refused to take her to a veterinarian, a Humane Society spokesperson stated.
"Cindy Lou's Law"
Cindy Lou was a brown and white Havanese puppy kept in the employee bathroom at Puppy Heaven, the Humane Society's investigator found. Advocates state the investigator "immediately took note" of Cindy Lou, "who appeared lethargic and was rarely eating."
The Humane Society claims the store's manager refused to take the puppy to the vet, prompting the investigator to call local law enforcement. By the time the manager was directed to take the puppy for treatment, "it was too late for Cindy Lou, and she tragically died at the vet," the organization stated.
"Cindy Lou's photograph remained on the store's social media site for many weeks after she died, and a secret shopper who called the store was told she had 'been adopted,'" the Humane Society claims.
In addition to Puppy Heaven, the Humane Society says its investigation revealed allegations of mistreatment at multiple other pet store locations in Southern Nevada, including:
Puppies for Less (Cheyenne Avenue and Durango Drive)
The Humane Society claims staff at Puppies for Less force-fed a sick Chihuahua named Drumstick and treated him in a makeshift nebulizer "made from a plastic storage tote with holes drilled in the top and balanced on top of piles on a desk."
Puppies for Less (Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Road)
The Humane Society claims its undercover investigator, while being trained to work at Puppies for Less on Sahara, was told "the store only takes back 'terminally ill' puppies, and when a sick puppy is returned, he or she 'usually gets put down.'"
Puppies for Less (Rancho Drive and Cheyenne Avenue)
The Humane Society claims puppies sold at this location "came from known puppy mills," including facilities in Iowa and Nebraska that appeared in the organization's "Horrible Hundred" report.
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Petland Henderson (Sunset Road and Marks Street)
The Humane Society claims "sick puppies were seen in back rooms, sometimes wheezing or showing other signs of illness," at this location. They claim staff soaked used oral syringes in the seek with other utensils that would be re-used on the puppies, "risking the spread of diseases."
The Petland Henderson location is also accused of receiving puppies from known puppy mills and puppy mill brokers in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
"The store's manager told the undercover investigator that the store pays about $800 per puppy," the organization stated. "The puppies are later sold for thousands of dollars, with prices varying depending on the breed. Prices over $3,000 were common."
Puppy Heaven (Charleston Boulevard and Torrey Pines Drive)
The Humane Society claims puppies at this location were kept in "dangerous, open-topped wire pens" out of which they regularly climbed and "fell several feet, hitting the hard floor."
"This sometimes occurred overnight, in one instance leaving a scared puppy to be found under a desk in the dark the next morning," the organization stated.
What comes next?
The Humane Society is now working with state lawmakers to draft "Cindy Lou's Law" ahead of the upcoming state legislative session, the organization's spokesperson stated.
“The well documented pipeline of puppy mill dogs to pet stores in Nevada is a nightmare for animals and consumers. Puppies like Cindy Lou never make it into a loving home, but for many of those puppies who are sold, their new families suffer an immense emotional and financial toll,” Rebecca Goff, the Humane Society's Nevada state director, stated in the prepared release. “Our state lawmakers can right this wrong by swiftly passing commonsense legislation to curtail Nevada puppy-selling pet stores that prioritize profit over an animal’s wellbeing.”
Similar laws have been passed in eight other states, the organization stated, including California and Oregon.
"Humane pet store laws push consumers toward more ethical sources of pets, including shelters or rescues, or responsible breeders who encourage prospective buyers to visit in person and screen the conditions the animals are kept in," the organization argues.
At the local level
An ordinance banning the sale of puppies in parts of Southern Nevada has already been enacted. The rule, passed by the Clark County Commission in December 2022, governs only pet stores in the county's jurisdiction.
The ordinance went into effect in December 2023, as reported by Channel 13's Jhovani Carrillo. It meant pet stores across Clark County could no longer legally sell dogs, cats, rabbits or pot-belly pigs.
WATCH Jhovani Carrillo's report:
Instead, pet stores in Clark County were encouraged to partner with rescue organizations or animal shelters to house non-sellable animals for adoption.
Stores found in violation of the ordinance face a minimum $500 fine or a maximum fine of the animal's sale price.
A similar ordinance in North Las Vegas has been on the books since 2016.
Last March, the City of Henderson passed an ordinance prohibiting the opening of new retail stores selling puppies, kittens or rabbits in the city. Existing pet stores were allowed to continue to operate.
The City of Las Vegas doesn't have an ordinance prohibiting puppy sales, but city council members recently took action on other animal issues in its jurisdiction.
Just last week, council members unanimously approved two ordinances targeting animal abandonment and hoarding.
One ordinance prohibits pet stores from selling more than six animals to a single buyer within a year. Violators can face a fine of $500.
The City also increased its fines for animal abandonment from $200 to $1,000.