Cindy Lou, a Havenese puppy kept in an employees’ bathroom at Puppy Heaven in Las Vegas while ill. (Photo provided by Humane Society of the United States)
An investigation conducted by the Humane Society of the United States alleges pet stores in Southern Nevada are keeping sick puppies without seeking veterinary treatment, and in at least one case, failing to obey a law requiring regular veterinarian visits for animals for sale.
A bill slated for introduction next month by Assemblywoman Natha Anderson, a Democrat from Sparks, seeks to outlaw the sale of pets from stores in the state.
The legislative measure is named for Cindy Lou, a sick Havenese puppy kept in a pen in the employee bathroom at Puppy Heaven and allegedly denied medical care until animal officials who were tipped off to the illness required the store to take her to a veterinarian, where she died, according to the investigation.
In 2022, Clark County passed an ordinance prohibiting retail pet sales in unincorporated parts of the Las Vegas Valley. They remain legal in Las Vegas and at existing stores in Henderson. Puppy Heaven is located in the City of Las Vegas.
In 2020, the City of Reno outlawed the sale of pets from stores, however it remains legal in the rest of Washoe County.
Nevada law is weak when it comes to protecting animals for sale in retail settings, says the HSUS. In some other states, pet stores are required to obtain veterinary treatment for any animal with a significant illness or injury, or are required to reimburse veterinary bills for a buyer who is sold a clinically ill animal.
Nevada law expressly allows the sale of animals with parasites, which can result “in an array of painful ailments,” the report says. The state prohibits the sale of an animal “that is terminal or requires immediate hospitalization or immediate surgical intervention.”
State law requires that a veterinarian examine all cats or dogs when they are acquired by a pet store, 14 days later, and every 30 days until they are sold.
Puppy Heaven’s manager, according to records obtained by HSUS via a Freedom of Information Act, told animal welfare officials the store did not have puppies routinely examined by a vet, as required by the law.
Puppies at Puppy Heaven, according to the investigation and accompanying video, were kept in “dangerous open-topped wire pens” from which they “regularly climbed out and fell several feet, hitting the hard floor.”
The HSUS investigator obtained employment at six stores in Southern Nevada late last year – Puppy Heaven in Las Vegas, four Puppies for Less stores in Las Vegas, and Petland in Henderson. Owners and managers of the stores declined to comment or did not respond to the Current’s calls.
A Chihuahua with breathing issues at Puppies for Less (Cheyenne location) was allegedly “force-fed” with a syringe and treated with a “makeshift nebulizer” made from a plastic storage tote rather than taken to a veterinarian for care.
Puppies for Less on Rancho obtained puppies from known puppy mills, including two featured in HSUS’ Horrible Hundred report for “filthy and unsafe housing conditions,” the report alleges.
At two Puppies for Less stores (Sahara and Sky Pointe) large puppies who had outgrown their enclosures “displayed destructive behavior due to boredom in the small, painted cribs where they were confined all day,” and their “anxious behavior due to the lack of proper housing and exercise seemed to make it even harder to appeal to buyers.”
Employees at Petland Henderson, according to the investigation, treated sick puppies with oral syringes that were later used again, despite the risk of spreading the disease to other dogs.
The store also obtained puppies from known puppy mills and brokers in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, the report says.
The owners and managers of the pet stores declined to comment on the investigation or did not respond to the Current’s inquiries.