Animal Rights Group Probes 'I Heart Puppies' Store in Corona del Mar

I Heart Puppies opened its door in Corona del Mar less than a week ago and is already under investigation due to its ties to an alleged shoddy breeder.

The investigation was launched Tuesday after the Companion Animal Protection Society—a national nonprofit, investigative organization dedicated to protecting animals in pet factories—received a flood of complaints about the store.

"We don't act without evidence," said Carole Davis, West Coast director of CAPS. "I received numerous phone calls and email inquiries about the store in Corona del Mar asking us to investigate."

Suzanne Bradford, owner of I Heart Puppies, refutes the claims of the animal group and said she does not support illegal kennels or those with a history of problems meeting USDA requirements.

"We get our puppies from Critters and Pets in San Diego," Bradford said. "We are very small and selective and I have checked all the breeders we work with through the USDA," Bradford said. "I really don't know what CAPS is talking about."

Davis is not claiming that I Heart Puppies is abusing animals. She said the problem is they are being supplied by substandard commercial breeders in the Midwest that have repeat and multiple violations from USDA inspections violating the Animal Welfare Act. 

"The parents of these dogs they are selling are suffering," Davis said. "They don't have shelter for extreme temperatures; they are living in outdoor wire cages with no bedding and no shelter. They are exposed to wind, rain and snow and water bowls that have frozen water."

Davis said a CAPS investigation uncovered the breeder that supplied the CDM store is the same breeder that was already investigated in a two-year national investigation. The breeder is not in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and is part of the reason for an ordinance being drafted in Los Angeles that would ban puppy mill puppies citywide. Additionally, that investigation led to an ordinance being passed in West Hollywood that states that stores can sell only dogs and cats that come from a local municipal shelter system or a legitimate rescue organization. Davis said she would work to get a similar ordinance passed in Newport Beach.

"We are not interested in shutting down stores," Davis said. "If they closed, that would be a defeat to me. I don't want them to use inhumane breeders and rather they give the homeless and dying dogs on death row a second chance."

Bradford said I Heart Puppies opened in Corona del Mar to provide animals with loving homes for a lifetime.

"This is not just about making money. We want to provide healthy puppies to those who want to start fresh," Bradford said. "We are not hiding anything. All the information about our breeders as well as veterinarian records are provided."