‘Horrible Hundred’ Report Includes 2 Puppy Mills In Illinois

ILLINOIS — Illinois earned a mention on the “Horrible Hundred” list of 100 problem puppy mills and puppy brokers released Monday by the Humane Society of the United States. The report, released every May, details the often-filthy, unhealthy conditions dogs and their offspring are kept in at high-volume breeding operations.

Missouri had the highest number of problem puppy mills for the eighth consecutive year, with 30 noted on the list, followed by Ohio with nine, Kansas and Wisconsin with eight each, Georgia with seven and Pennsylvania with six. Illinois had two dog dealers on the list.

The Humane Society said puppy mills sell to pet stores across the country and through their websites, which means puppies from breeders could end up anywhere in the United States.

This year, the Humane Society’s Horrible Hundred report includes the full list of kennel names and license numbers. Since 2017, some kennel names have been unavailable and were listed only by city and state. However, Congress required the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which licenses and regulates puppy breeding facilities, to restore unredacted inspection reports to its online database beginning in February 2020.

The Humane Society listed two Illinois dog breeders, including one in the Chicago area.

Kabeara Kennels, also known as Kabeara Samoyeds, run by Teresa Heaver in unincorporated Lockport Township, was listed for complaints about puppies with reported parvovirus, a highly contagious and frequently fatal illness, as well as puppies and dogs crowded into small, metal cages, including cages stacked atop one another.

The report says state inspectors visited Kabeara in December 2019 after a puppy buyer said their puppy tested positive for parvo, resulting in more than $2,600 in veterinary bills. State officials did not note any specific violations, but "photographs taken on that day paint an entirely different picture," according to HSUS.

The photos show "puppies crowded into barren metal cages in a garage-like area with a concrete floor" and "cages were stacked three high" in some parts of the building, according to the report. "The animals did not appear to have any bedding, or even solid flooring, and many did not appear to have enough room to turn around or lie down without walking over other dogs in the cage."

The report notes that "Illinois law requires only basic survival standards for dogs," so no improvements were required by law other than to reduce overcrowding.

In January 2020, another inspection was conducted and a state official said there were only two dogs in a cage that previously had three dogs in it.

"I would not be in business if I was a puppy mill. The Humane Society has a vendetta for no real reason," Heaver, the breeder, told Patch.

The report also includes another Illinois breeder listed as a puppy mill. Double R Aussiedoodles, located in Stonefort in southern Illinois, says it offers "Aussiedoodle, Shepadoodle, German Shepaussiedoodles, & Cockapoo Puppies & Dogs." The dogs are mixed breeds, crossing poodles with Australian shepherds, German shepherds and cocker spaniels.

In September 2019, the Illinois Department of Agriculture received at least two complaints about sick puppies at or sold by Double R and sent an inspector to the property. The inspector's report indicates the breeder said she was expecting a visit due to the sick puppies but wasn't quite sure why the puppies were sick.

The report says "there were more than 110 dogs and puppies on the premises at the time, and many of them were in dirty cages that had not yet been cleaned." It also details "disturbing sights," such as a mother dog that was "full of milk" and whose puppies had all died. There were also two puppies on the property that did not look healthy and were "lethargic, with labored breathing and drool/saliva around their mouths."

The inspector suggested the breeder have a necropsy done on one or more of the puppies that were sick or had died. The necropsy later showed that all the puppies had parvovirus. The inspector came back later and spoke with the facility's veterinarian about adult animals there requiring vaccinations and the fact that being shipped to buyers "may be stressing the pups."

In addition, the report noted that breeders that have five or more breeding females on the property or ship puppies to buyers sight-unseen are required to have a USDA license. A search of the USDA website in April 2020 did not turn up any licenses in Stonefort and no licenses were found under the owners' names or under Double R Aussiedoodles.

Patch reached out to Double R Aussiedoodles on Thursday but did not receive a response. A post on the Double R website announced that as of the new year, the "kennel is under new management and is now an entirely family owned and operated business."

Last year, two other puppy mills were cited among the "Horrible Hundred" statewide, both in Central Illinois.

In its review of inspection reports for puppy mills nationwide, the Humane Society said its researchers uncovered citations for injured and emaciated dogs, dogs and puppies exposed to extreme cold or heat without adequate housing, and dogs living in such filthy conditions their fur was matted with their own waste.

Some breeders admitted to shooting dogs and puppies they no longer wanted, the report said.

The coronavirus pandemic increases the peril for dogs in problem puppy mills because many inspection programs have been put on hold, and “dogs rely more than ever on the public to vote with their dollar,” John Goodwin, who heads the Humane Society’s Stop Puppy Mills campaign, said in a news release.

“Dog lovers can help by refusing to buy a puppy or any supplies from pet stores that sell puppies,” Goodwin said. “In addition, it’s critical for pet lovers everywhere to contact their public officials and let them know they support stronger laws and enforcement.”

Instead of buying a dog from a breeder or pet store, the Humane Society suggests adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue organization. In the Chicago area, options include:

• Help Save Pets, Plainfield
• A.D.O.P.T., Naperville
• Naperville Area Humane Society, Naperville
• Anderson Animal Shelter, South Elgin
• CARE North Shore, Chicago
• PAWS Chicago
• PAWS of Tinley Park
• Romeoville Humane Society