The State of Connecticut Shuts Down “True Breeders” Pet Store
In recent months there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the new pet store on Route 7 in Branchville, True Breeders. It has been alleged by local animal lovers that the store is receiving their puppies from puppy mills. Please read more about Ridgefield Citizens Against Puppy Mills here.
Well, True Breeders has been shut down by the state of Connecticut, at least temporarily. A customer purchased one of the puppies (for a whopping $1600), and a local vet diagnosed the animal with parvovirus, a deadly and very contagious canine illness. Sadly, the puppy passed away.
True Breeders was ordered to shut down for a 14-day period beginning on Friday, March 5. If, after the two week period, the other puppies at True Breeders get a clean bill of health, the store may have the opportunity to re-open.
Click here to learn about parvovirus.
At first I was giving this store the benefit of the doubt in spite of the uproar. The owners had stated that they were getting puppies from reputable local breeders. Well, according to the paper today, local is Missouri. I don’t think so.
I am a dog owner. A purebread purchased from a local AKC breeder. Seeing it done right is impressive … and you should only expect it to be done right.
I’m sure that there is more to this story, but at the moment, I’m sorry that I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I knew they were not trustworthy people when I entered the store and saw a couple of pups from the Midwest. I did not see these as the ‘local breeders’ they had promised. It was only a matter of time til they were found out…now I also see that they use The Hunte Corporation to deliver their dogs. This corporation specializes in “delivering” puppy mill dogs to pet stores. That can be checked out on online as well.
Here is a new one from “True Breeders” – they plan to organize kids’ parties at the store!
So let me get this straight, children will be allowed to play with animals potentially caring a highly contagious virus? The “True Breeder” puppy that died of parvo seemed perfectly healthy when it was sold to the unsuspecting family and yet it was dead just couple of days later.
That means any new puppy in the store may be sick at the time your kids go there to play…
Not only does it put the children at risk, but it’s not good for the puppies either. This is another example of treating the animals like commodities, in this case, TOYS. They have been through the trauma of whatever their kennel conditions were in Missouri or Oklahoma, and a cross-country trip in a Hunte Corp. 18-wheeler, and the last thing they need is to be exposed to excessive noise and handling. I imagine this is intended to make up for leaving them in sensory deprivation from late afternoon until morning each day while the store is closed.
This is really the last straw !!!
To make matters worse: they now have the state’s approval to REOPEN!
You guys are what i would call ridiculous. These are just people that put together a very nice store so people can buy puppies for there families. The fact that you feel the need to rip them apart makes me feel bad for you. Any dog anyone buys can have parvo, it just happens to have happened to a store that people are lookig for reasons to shut down.
Not all people want to buy puppies from pounds, and its not your place to decide that for people. True Breeders cares about there dogs as if they are there own. They even made sure they were not put into cages.
I think its about time that you guys stop trying to make True Breeders look bad for your satisfaction. Its not about us, its about the dogs. And the point is to get them to homes to be loved.
True Breeders isnt breeding the dogs, they are taking them so they can get homes. Why dont you go bother or protest the people that are breeding them.. Isnt that the people your actual after?
Im just a 21 year old kid i college. I deal with problems everyday and learn new lessons. But the one thing in life i learned is that things that dont need to be made into problems shouldnt be.
I think True Breeders deserves a chance and they just havent gotten one because theyve been tortured since opening.
Dear Becca, these people put together a “very nice” store to benefit from an unimaginable animal cruelty. True Breeders are not “taking” the dogs so they can find homes, they buy and sell them to make huge profit. The only way to stop the supply of puppy mills dogs is to stop the demand – something you will eventually learn in an economics class if you ever take one.
You want to see whom your are trying to support? Watch this video and wake up: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/180408/pet_store_puppies_come_from_puppy_mills/
“I think True Breeders deserves a chance and they just havent gotten one because theyve been tortured since opening.”
At 21 it is easy to misuse the word “tortured”, True Breeders have not been tortured. they have been asked to stand accountable for lying about the origins of their dogs, and to pay the vet bills for the puppy that died after purchase. Torture is a more apt word to describe the unspeakable conditions dogs at puppy mills are kept in.
Karen,
I’m 17 and I have also learned that “things that don’t need to be made into problems shouldn’t be.” But True Breeders IS a problem. Therefore I cannot help but disagree with you.
If True Breeders cared about dogs, as you say they do, they would not be dealing with puppy mills. You don’t seem to understand this store HAS been given the benefit of the doubt, and no one has “tortured” it. The owner has lied repeatedly to her customers. She has said that her dogs come from local breeders and NOT puppy mills. That is untrue.
The problem here is that stores like True Breeders perpetuate animal abuse by doing business with puppy mills. If no one did business with puppy mills, they would not exist!
Hopefully you will examine this issue more closely, Karen, and see that you have yet another lesson to learn.
This is a disgrace having puppy mill puppies allowed to be sold in Ridgefield when our sanimal shelters are full. did you know that the sires and bitches are kept in small cages not allowed to see the light of day. they sre only brought out for reproducing and when their productive time is up, they are euthanized. Who in ridgefield is allowing this to happen? The offspring are mostly sick and there should be a law against this.
I don’t no where you guys are getting your information from but if you came to my store and met me, and found out the truth you would see NONE of my dogs are from puppy mills. Some are from local breeders such as Danbury, Bethel, Bridgeport, Darien. The ones I buy out of state are from USDA licensed Breeders. I visted Hunte
and met the breeders. Times have changed and I can asure you hunte does not buy from puppy mills. If you want more information come in and talk to me or go to the hunte web site or the united state department of agriculture web site there you can find out about the breeders. Please find out the right information before you hang me.
If you new anything about me you would know I have dedicated my life to animals.
Yes. You’ve devoted your life to animals–to mercilessly reaping the profits of their suffering, that is. It seems this has been your only focus, Christine. Your website is riddled with grammatical errors and so was your response on this blog.
You cannot deny the fact that you LIED about getting 100% of your dogs from local breeders, can you? Besides, as is well know, the USDA will license any breeder. A reputable breeder does not sell its puppies to pet stores.
I sincerely hope your business fails.
I would suggest that everyone view this link:
http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/Broker.html
It is a lengthy article about the horrors of the Hunte Corp. Times haven’t changed and I’m not sure how you “met” the breeders, Christine. Hunte is based in Missouri and supplied by hundreds of breeders.
When at first we practice to deceive, oh what a tangled web we weave.
I am so sick of this attack on Christine and ‘True Breeders’. It is unfair and crazily unjustified.
Everyone agrees puppy mills are a real problem. If you feel so strongly about it, why don’t you put all this negative energy into solving the problem. Contact your legistators and change the laws which govern the USDA. The USDA allows them and only cites them for bad conditions. That’s the real problem. Once the puppys are born, should they be drowned? Perhaps by purchasing a ‘puppy mill’ puppy we are rescuing. Attacking Christine is like thinking you are going to wipe out drug abuse by catching those selling a small amount of marijauna.
I purchased a puppy from True Breeders. The opinion of two different vets was that the puppy was in excellent health and definitely not a ‘puppy mill’ puppy. I did alot of research before I purchased a puppy as I have always rescued my pets. I currently have another dog I rescued from Arkansas. All of the information I received was extraordinarily positive. Christine has worked as a vet tech at South Salem Vet, which is by many reports an excellent animal hospital. She has a degree from Cornell Universitiy in dog training. And has been an wildlife rescuer, dog breeder, dog rescuer in the past.
The sad reality is this…. It is not easy to rescue a ‘healthy’ puppy these days, unless you are looking for a pitbull or staffordshire terrier. I know. I lost my last ‘rescue’ dog last April. I rescued a puppy from a rescue org in Arkansas. I applied to many organizations before I got a puppy. Each organization, I am sure, is good intended however, the reality is they prejudge what breed the mutt is and then determine what home is suitable. Is it fenced, how many hours per week do you work? Children? Other pets? Age? Activity level? It is my experience they are often incorrect on the mix of the breed. (They told me my 47 lb mutt was a St Bernard) And therefore incorrect on their placement of the animal.
Give Christine a break . She has been nothing but up front, above board, and incredibly Knowledgable in her dealings with my family.
Last time I heard, there was no such thing as a “degree” in dog training….especially at a university such as Cornell; maybe a couple of online courses?? Christine’s attempts at answering her (and puppy mills) critics are pathetic. She has YET to respond to questions of why she downright lied to Ridgefielders about obtaining puppies from local breeders….even that was suspect since reputable breeders do NOT broker out their pups to pet stores; or sell them to a corporation that ships the pups in a windowless semi-truck thousands of miles. And now, whe wants to have birthday parties at the store; oh yeah, that’s for the benefit of these puppies? I like to give everyone an opportunity to succeed in life….but at what expense? Yes, I’ll admit it….I hope/pray True Breeders and ALL pet stores and puppy mills FAIL.
There really is no right place to begin here. My family has been breeding dogs for decades, in the interest of privacy in an arguement such as this, I’d rather not say where exactly, but we’re in the local area. Before I even knew there was a petstore opening up on rt 7, we were contacted by a local group asking for our support in a protest against True Breeders. To my knowledge, no effort was made to contact us about the resale of our pups, of course we would have said no because the truth is no reputable breeder SHOULD sell to a pet store. When we can’t sell a dog, we keep it. When we can’t afford to have any more dogs, we wont breed until we know they’ll all go to good homes. What I’ve discovered is that people are most impressed when you treat your puppies like you plan to keep them for yourself. Every litter was raised in the kitcken, livingroom or bedroom with our constant care and supervision. Dogs are not a commodity, they are members of the family and should be treated as such whether they are part of YOUR family or you plan to sell them to another family, no excuses.
Christine, if you want to get these people off your back, you aren’t going to get anywhere by trying to defend yourself. If you’re getting dogs from across the country, then you lied plain and simple. Nobody is going to believe you no matter how reputable you plan to make Hunte appear. Either sell local dogs as you had originally advertised, or change your sales pitch and leave out the words “local” and “reputable”. As for leaving the pups in a kennel overnight, this is where I must ask you, what is wrong with you? You can’t expect to leave pups unattended overnight on a daily basis and NOT get harassed. If you want to do the right thing, start treating these dogs like they are your own. keep an overnight staff, and if you can’t afford that, then stay there yourself or bring them all home daily. If you can’t take care of these dogs the way they deserve, then you are in the wrong business. Lasty, I hope its just a rumor that you plan to have children’s parties at your store. You would be exposing both your dogs and those living at home with those children to a wide array of contagious illnesses. Also, didn’t I mention earlier that dogs are members of the family? It isn’t right to treat them like party favors. While I do feel sorry for you that you really weren’t given a chance by the local activists in the area, I do not agree with your business practices and how you handle questioning. Either clean up your act or hit the road.
To quote above “I applied to many organizations before I got a puppy. Each organization, I am sure, is good intended however, the reality is they prejudge what breed the mutt is and then determine what home is suitable. Is it fenced, how many hours per week do you work? Children? Other pets? Age? Activity level? It is my experience they are often incorrect on the mix of the breed. (They told me my 47 lb mutt was a St Bernard) And therefore incorrect on their placement of the animal.”
If you have a problem with the fact that rescue organizations care where the dogs they rescue are going because they want the best long-term, loving home that animal can have especially when they have come from horrendous situations like abandonement, abuse, being kept in a puppy mill in aplorable conditions, giving birth to the same cute puppies that grace stores like True Breeders ,then you should not consider yourself a dog lover or own a dog of your own. And the fact you can make these statements and in the same breathe endorse Ms. DiCarlo and her establishment True Breeders further discredits her business and the disservice she is providing to the community and most of all the unknown dogs who are giving birth to the puppies she is selling.
“Any dog anyone buys can have parvo, it just happens to have happened to a store that people are lookig for reasons to shut down”.
I’m sorry but you are incorrect. Parvovirus is a PREVENTABLE disease that is commonly, easily prevented by maintaining proper breeding practices, including veterinary care and vaccines.
“Its not about us, its about the dogs. And the point is to get them to homes to be loved.”
You are correct, it IS about the dogs. It is about the breeding bitches (aka mother dogs) and studs (aka father dogs) who live out their entire lives in a puppy mill. While the puppies in Ms. DiCarlo’s store have a chance to find a loving home, their mothers and fathers SOLE PURPOSE in this world is to reproduce and make more puppies. They will never have a nice home, loving family, warm bed or even a chew toy.
Dear Ms. DiCarlo:
>>”I don’t no where you guys are getting your information from but if you came to my store and met me, and found out the truth you would see NONE of my dogs are from puppy mills.”<>”Some are from local breeders such as Danbury, Bethel, Bridgeport, Darien. The ones I buy out of state are from USDA licensed Breeders.”<>”I visted Hunte and met the breeders.”<>”Times have changed and I can asure you hunte does not buy from puppy mills.”<>”If you want more information come in and talk to me”<>”… or go to the hunte web site or the united state department of agriculture web site there you can find out about the breeders.”<>”Please find out the right information before you hang me. If you new anything about me you would know I have dedicated my life to animals.”<<
We have found out the right information.
You buy sick dogs from puppy mills and sell them to unsuspecting families.
You manipulate the emotional appeal of a cute puppy, combined with the impulse purchase opportunity, to sell unfit merchandise.
You do not stand behind your products (aka, puppies), and do not adhere to the Connecticut state "lemon law", which protects consumers from purchasing unfit merchandise (such as sick puppies).
What is your definition of a "dedicated life to animals"? Owning a pet store that is open 7 or 8 hours a day is not dedication to animals. Maintaining a current real estate license is not a typical trait in people who are "dedicated to animals." If you are dedicated to animals, find loving homes for the animals in your store and cease all live animal sales. Show your love for animals by selling quality foods, enriching dog toys, or unique animal accessories – NOT animals.
We welcome your reply,
info@AgainstPuppyMills.org
Christine does not have a “degree” in dog training from Cornell. She took, as you will read in her bio on her website, “a course” there.
I am just a regular person and I do not claim to know everything about animals, breeders and pet stores. However, what I do know is that I took the time to visit True Breeders myself and was disgraced at the conditions in there. The puppies were covered in wood chips and it was also in their food which at the time was being served out of the paper containers that you might get french fries in at a carnival. They were chewed up and any food that was left was covered in wood chips.
I visited shortly after they opened on a Monday morning and the pens were being cleaned so there were liters of puppes mixed in with other liters and a mess everywhere.
I spoke to Christine herself who told me that she buys only from local breeders. When I noticed the sign on one of the pens that said the dogs came from the Midwest, I asked her about it. She proceeded to tell me that a very good friend of hers personally flew her out of Danbury airport on his private plane so that she could look at these dogs. A short time later, the Hunte truck was photographed unloading dogs in front of her store.
This past Saturday, Christine set up at a sidewalk sale event in town. She kept the 8 or so puppies outside for 5 + hours in 90 degree temperatures and let them be handled by many people. Yes, she did have water there but seriously, is that a place
for the animals? Any person who has “dedicated their life to animals” would not subjecty ANY animal to those conditions.
Aside from observations, the only other thing I know for sure is that I rescued a puppy mill breeding bitch. Our little love probably had 5+ liters of puppies in her short life and she is only 11 lbs and 5 or so years old!!! She is terrified of everything and has such sadness in her eyes. We work very hard every day to ensure her confidence and security but as long as establishments such as True Breeders is still in business, we will never be able to save all these dogs.
The bottom line Christine is that you made the wrong decisions. You opened your business as a liar and the only thing you are concerned with is the almighty dollar! Had you done as you said you were going to do, perhaps you would’ve stood a chance but Christine, you are dealing with very educated, animal savvy people who saw right through you and your practices.
I hope your doors close very soon so there will be a few less puppies that suffer because of what you do!
Very good commentary above, based on personal inspection as the owner had requested of people prior to judging her business and practices. In any case, in response to her (the owner of True Breeders) comment regarding the facilities she works with being “registered” with the USDA, here is a link from the USDA website regarding animal breeders:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_welfare/content/printable_version/faq_animal_dealers.pdf
Again, make your own decisions, but my personal experience in knowing several breeders, is that they would never sell their dogs to a pet shop. They make sure that all dogs go to homes where they are wanted and will be well cared for. When a puppy is born who may have problems throughout life, those breeders keep those pups for themselves and treat them with care and love (or if they give them up, again it is only to someone who has the time to care for a pup with special needs).
I must agree with “concerned citizen” though, NO reputable shelter or breeder would leave dogs outside during 90 degree plus weather and let them be handled by numerous people. That is a complete lack of regard for the puppies involved.
I went to True Breeders recently and fell in LOVE with a small chiweenie – had never heard of one, but found it to be a truly wonderful puppy. My whole family fell in love with this dog. The owner told us the puppy cost $1299. That was a lot of money to us so we went home to think about it. Upon calling back the owner we were told that if we bought the puppy today we could have it for $899. That was still alot of money to us. Upon researching the breed, I found there is no breed called a chiweenie. There is a chihuahau and there is a dachshund, but there is no breed recognized by the AKC as a chiweenie. We have decided to either adopt a dog from a CT pound or contact a local breeder. We will not give our hard earned money to this disreputable woman. I feel sorry for the puppies – but I cannot and will not do it.