Middletown Pet Store Puppy Suppliers Cited By Federal Government

Middletown, NJ - Have you ever bought a puppy from The Pet Shoppe in Middletown? Several Midwest breeders that supplied puppies to the Rt. 35 pet store in the past two years have been cited by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for practices that range from keeping dogs in their own waste to shooting unwanted dogs in the head at close range.

However, it's a charge The Pet Shoppe owner Dana West disputes and says, to the best of her knowledge, all her breeders have clean USDA records.

The revelations about The Pet Shoppe's puppy suppliers were unearthed in an undercover investigation done by The Humane Society of the United States of all 29 licensed pet stores in New Jersey. This past July and August, Humane Society researchers pulled the public records from townships across the state that documented the origins of 1,400 shipments of puppies sent to pet stores in New Jersey this year and last. In addition, undercover Humane Society investigators visited every known pet store in New Jersey that sells puppies to check on conditions.

The Pet Shoppe was one of those 29 stores. That same Middletown store was threatened with a $9,500 fine from the state of New Jersey in January of this year for failing to follow state laws designed to prevent the sale of unhealthy pets.

After this article was published, and after several attempts to reach her, West called Patch. She said she is paying a $6,600 fine to the state for not posting the color of the breed underneath each dog. She also said this is the first she's heard of these violations against breeders she uses.

One breeder shot dogs in head at close range as form of euthanasia

In perhaps the most shocking find, The Pet Shoppe purchased puppies from one breeder in Iowa that would routinely euthanize dogs by shooting them in the head at close range, the Humane Society found.

The Pet Shoppe purchased puppies from Judy Maassen/J Massen Inc. in Rock Valley, Iowa in either 2016 or 2015. It's the same Maassen who was cited by the USDA in August 2014 for listing “gunshot in brain at close range” as a routine method of euthanasia on the facility’s official program of veterinary care. Maassen was notified by the USDA that “gunshot is not an acceptable form of [routine] euthanasia.”

Maassen was also cited during the same USDA inspection for poor housing conditions.

West she has not bought from Judy Maassen in years and this is the first she has heard of dogs being shot in the head.

"That's completely inhumane and I would never buy from a breeder that does that," West said.

Middletown's Pet Shoppe was not the only local pet store that purchased from J Maassen Inc.: Bark Avenue in Red Bank also purchased puppies from Judy Maassen/J Maassen Inc.

Amanda Hager, whose father owns Bark Avenue, told Patch that Bark Avenue hasn't dealt with Judy Maassen in over a year, ever since she found out that was a form of euthanasia they used.

"I learned about that a year ago and as soon as I did I said we're never working with her again," said Hager. "We were told that we had to use breeders that did not have USDA violations in the past three years." Hager said it is her understanding that some of Maassen's violations go back 10 or 12 years.

A call to Judy Maassen by Patch was not returned.

Other breeders cited for keeping puppies out in the cold, not providing veterinary care

Judy Maassen was not the only Iowa breeder The Pet Shoppe used. But West said she was unaware of any of these USDA violations.

"All of my breeders have a clean USDA record for the past two years, as is required by law. I would not buy from a breeder that has USDA violations," she said. "I love my puppies and they are all treated very well here."

In 2015, The Pet Shoppe also purchased from John Nisley, an Edgewood, Iowa breeder who breeds mostly Chihuahuas. In January of this year, Nisley was warned by the USDA because he repeatedly failed to provide adequate veterinary care for his dogs. Dogs found in need of care at his facility included a poodle with loose, bloody stools for whom Nisley failed to get adequate treatment even after repeated citations in 2015, as well as very young puppies kept outside in the cold in December 2015; and a Chihuahua who was missing an eye and whose other eye appeared damaged, in September 2014 (see photo below). Inspectors also repeatedly found filthy conditions at his facility, including animal runs that were “completely wet with animal waste, water and mud."

The Pet Shoppe also purchased at least one puppy from Cathy Speer in Milton, Iowa in 2015. Speer was cited for more than a dozen different violations of the Animal Welfare Act in 2015 and/or 2016, most of which were repeat violations. Violations included dogs being kept out in the cold, dogs standing on wire flooring that was “broken and bent” with holes large enough to injure or entrap their feet, and at least two dogs in need of veterinary care, the Humane Society found. Patch was unable to find a listed business phone number for Nisley or Speer.

"Most people don’t realize that the cute puppy in the pet store window has a mom and she is most likely living in filth and misery at a puppy mill," John Goodwin, the senior director of the Puppy Mills Campaign at The Humane Society, told Patch. "If pet shop customers could see the mother dog in a tiny cage ... denied exercise, socialization or even a gentle pat on the head, the outrage would shut down puppy mills overnight.”

There is pending legislation in New Jersey, sponsored by State Senator Ray Lesniak, that seeks to prevent pet stores from buying from puppy mills. If S.63 becomes law, it would close down existing pet shops that repeatedly violate humane sourcing laws. The bill would also prohibit any new pet stores from purchasing puppies from anywhere except shelters and rescue organizations. S.63 overwhelming passed the New Jersey Senate in June and is currently under consideration in the Assembly. Sen. Lesniak said he expects the Assembly Agriculture Committee to approve S.63 on September 19 and an Assembly vote on September 29. "The sooner the better!" he said.

All photos from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Got a Middlesex/Monmouth County news tip? Email carly.baldwin@patch.com.