‘Horrible Hundred’ Puppy Mills: Illinois Has 4 Breeders On List

ILLINOIS — The Humane Society of the United States called out 100 problem puppy mills and puppy brokers in its annual “Horrible Hundred” list of problem breeders in Illinois and elsewhere across America.

The report, released every May, details the often-filthy, unhealthy conditions dogs and their offspring are kept in at high-volume breeding operations that sell puppies to pet stores or through their own websites — which means the puppies could end up anywhere.

The demand for puppies increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic as homebound Americans sought canine companionship, yet inspection programs were put on hold, making the past year “one of the most troubling in modern history,” the Humane Society said.

Deadly weather events put more puppies at risk, the Humane Society said in its 2021 Horrible Hundred report

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In Illinois, the following puppy mills were cited:

Teresa Heaver, who operates Kabeara Samoyeds in Lockport, was cited in the report for ongoing concerns about cramped conditions at site. The report stated that dogs in cages barely had room to turn around and the state investigated a complaint about a puppy who died just five days after being purchased.

Kabeara Samoyeds was also on the 2020 report after the facility was reported to be keeping dogs in puppy mill-like conditions. According to the report, photographs taken in late 2020 were found to be in sharp contrast to those on the breeder’s website, which show puppies on clean blankets and playing in the backyard. The report also states that the breeder claims she ships throughout the United States even though the facility does not appear to have a USDA license.

Last year, Heaver told Patch that she does not operate a puppy mill and disputes the claims in the Humane Society report.

"I have never been a puppy mill. My dogs are well taken care of," Heaver told Patch last May. "I am licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture. People have come back to my place for the second, third, fourth and fifth dogs through the years. I would not be in business if I was a puppy mill. The Humane Society has a vendetta for no real reason."

Martha Pearce, who operates the Puppy Patch in Clay City, was included in this year's report after the site was investigated for housing “malnourished and thin” puppies. A state investigator also detected “very strong” odors and excessive feces and dirty conditions and fined the owner $1,000. State records also show that a puppy was sold from the facility that had multiple maladies.

Patch is attempting to reach the owners of the puppy mill but has not heard back. If we do, we’ll update this story.

Javin Raber and David Raber, who operate Walnut Valley Puppies in Flat Rock, were cited after the USDA issued a direct violation for inadequate veterinary care after a “very thin dog” was found in “obvious discomfort”. The report states that after being investigated, Javin Raber canceled his USDA license in February, but it does not appear that the facility went out of business. He is now linked to Walnut Valley Puppies, an online seller that does not appear to have a USDA license.

In an email to Patch on Thursday, Raber said that the issued covered in the Humane Society report have been dealt with.

"We are very passionate about the health of our dogs and puppies. Our facility is always kept very clean, our dogs and puppies are socialized on a regular basis, and we work closely with our vet when we have health issues," Raber wrote in the email.

"We immediately contacted our vet and followed up with updated visits as well as staying in constant contact with our USDA inspector. The dog is in great health and our USDA inspector gave us a clean follow up report. We are state inspected, all our parents are health tested with OFA and Paw Print Genetics, and we have our vet do a thorough kennel check on a regular basis. All our puppies play with the children, have a nose to tail check by our vet before they go home, and have a two year genetic health guarantee. We have hundreds and hundreds of happy puppies in loving homes as you can see confirmed on our Google reviews."

Jennifer Schlueter, who operates Schlueter Kennel in Walsh, was cited in the report after a state inspector found makeshift kennels and a shiatzu with a reddened eye and looked into complaints of unhealthy animals. State reports also indicate that investigators visited the location several times during 2020 and found several issues” including reports of unhealthy dogs that appear to be lacking food and water.

Dogs were also found chained to a fence and the owner told investigators in September that because of the coronavirus pandemic, she had not been going out to give the dogs care much during the day. An inspection report also indicated that one kennel was unusable due to cracked concrete, whereas other kennels were makeshift but adequate, stating, “the kennels are rusty and have been repaired with makeshift metal/woven wire/other chain-link.”

Patch is attempting to contact the owners of the puppy mill but has not heard back. If we do, we’ll update this story.

Missouri once again led the Horrible Hundred list with nearly two dozen problem dealers, the Humane Society noted:

• Missouri: 21 dealers
• Ohio: 16 dealers
• Iowa: 11 dealers
• Nebraska: 8 dealers
• Pennsylvania: 8 dealers
• Kansas: 7 dealers
• New York: 7 dealers
• Indiana: 6 dealers
• Georgia: 5 dealers
• Illinois: 4 dealers
• Arkansas: 2 dealers
• Kentucky: 1 dealer
• Minnesota: 1 dealer
• Tennessee: 1 dealer
• Texas: 1 dealer
• Wisconsin: 1 dealer

The Humane Society said that inclusion in the Horrible Hundred report is not an indication that any local, state, or federal laws have been broken, but that the conditions described do illustrate the need for tougher laws to protect the dogs.

Not all states require inspections of puppy breeding facilities. In some cases, regulators cut down on inspections, but the Humane Society said regulatory authorities ceased or curtailed inspections during the pandemic. Yet pet stores were considered essential businesses as interest in companion animals soared.

“Now more than ever, dogs need our protection, and kennel laws should be strictly enforced to make sure animals are protected in the next disaster,” the Humane Society said.

Some problem puppy mills cited in the 2020 Horrible Hundred report have closed, the Humane Society noted.

The report doesn’t include every problem puppy mill in the country, the Humane Society said, noting that “states with no dealers in this report are not necessarily doing better at preventing puppy mills.”

Many states do not have kennel inspection laws, do not share inspection records with the public or have not enforced the laws that are on the books. Some other trends:

About 40 percent of the dealers cited in the report are licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “but it appears that many more of the breeders listed in this report are operating in a manner that would require a USDA license, yet they have not obtained one, partly due to the steep plunge in USDA enforcement since 2017,” the Humane Society said.

About 40 percent of the 100 dealers on the list are repeat offenders who have appeared on at least one of the Humane Society’s previous reports.

At least eight of the dealers in the report are linked to Petland, the largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores in the country, although the HSUS said it’s very likely that number is much higher; because Petland purchases mostly from brokers (re-sellers), many of its breeders cannot easily be linked to the stores, and the HSUS does not have access to all sourcing records.

Many of the sellers in this report were offering American Kennel Club -registerable puppies or promoting themselves as AKC breeders, which is an issue because the AKC regularly opposes laws that would help crack down on puppy mill cruelty.

The best way to help animals is to refuse to buy a puppy from an internet site, a pet store, or any breeder buyers haven’t carefully screened and met in person, the Humane Society said.