Brushy Creek Puppy Mill in Houston, Texas - Why You Should Never Buy a Puppy Online
This from an Inside Edition undercover investigation.
According to the Humane Society, more than 400,000 people buy puppies online every year, most without ever having actually seen the pet. But while the internet can be a convenient and economical way to buy a puppy, as an INSIDE EDITION investigation found, it can also lead to heartbreak
Eleven-year-old Casey Poore learned the hard way how risky it can be to buy puppies over the internet. Her parents ordered a King Charles Cavalier puppy from brushycreekkennel.com. The dog cost $1000 dollars less than what local breeders were charging.
Casey's dad, Dan Poore, told INSIDE EDITION that they worked out all the arrangements, sent the company a check for the dog and went to pick him up at the San Francisco airport.
"I just wanted to like hug him forever," Casey told INSIDE EDITION.
But within days the puppy started coughing. They say they took him to the vet and found out that he had chronic lung disease, so they sent the puppy back.
It took nine months, but Brushy Creek finally sent a new puppy.
"When we first saw him, he was just shivering and cold, and he was just like very sick," Casey said.
Dan said the dog looked comatose. "He couldn't drink, couldn't eat, and woke up in a pool of his own vomit," he said.
The Poores, who live near San Francisco, say they spent close to $2000 trying to save the puppy, but after two days, he had to be euthanized.
Brushy Creek, owned by David Moore, is actually operated out of a modest looking ranch house in Hockley, Texas, about 40 miles outside of Houston.
Posing as a customer, INSIDE EDITION went to Brushy Creek with a hidden camera.
While there, INSIDE EDITION was shown many different kinds of puppies. It turns out Moore was actually running more than a dozen websites selling various breeds of dogs.
The footage from Bushy Creek shows one filthy schnauzer used for breeding, whose nails hadn't been trimmed in months.
INSIDE EDITION showed the video of the schnauzer to Stephanie Shain of the Humane Society who said of the schnauzer, "This dog is in desperate need of grooming. She is very dirty. That is very likely a mixture of feces and urine and water caked up on this dog's fur."
Carol Ritter, of Houston's Better Business Bureau, says they've received dozens of complaints about Brushy Creek.
"I think they're taking people's money. They're taking advantage of people.
INSIDE EDITION also spoke to Lisa Bushman, a Houston area breeder who used to be in business with Moore. Bushman says he sold her dozens of sick dogs. She sued him and won a nearly $350,000 judgment.
She says Moore would knowingly ship sick dogs to families with kids. "He brags about the fact that once they have the puppy they're not gonna bring it back because it's gonna break the kids' heart," she told INSIDE EDITION.
Working with the Humane Society, INSIDE EDITION ordered a puppy from one of Moore's websites, westiecity.com, for $750. The puppy was shipped from Houston to New York's LaGuardia airport. The puppy was shivering and looked scared when the door on his shipping crate was opened.
The puppy was supposed to be an eleven-week-old Westie, but according to Dr. Andrew Kaplan, the dog was at least 6 months of age. He also had a nasty looking rash on his feet and skin.
The puppy also developed a limp, and the Humane Society took him to another vet, who determined the puppy had hip and knee problems, a sign of poor breeding. He also had an intestinal parasite called giardia, which can infect humans.
Brushy Creek's owner, David Moore, did not respond to INSIDE EDITION's requests for comment. But just recently, several of the websites operated by Moore have been taken offline.
Following are some tips from the Humane Society of the United States on buying a puppy:
- Never buy a puppy from anyone unless you see where that puppy was born and raised and the conditions that the puppy's parents are kept in.
- Avoid puppy mills by buying dogs from local breeders or adopting from a shelter.
- Learn about the importance of USDA licenses and purebred paperwork.
- When youve found a knowledgeable breeder, learn about their business history and practices:
- The breeder should only breed one or two types of dogs.
- Puppies should be kept within the home and not in outdoor kennels.
- The puppies should appear healthy and happy.
- The breeder is willing to show you where the dog is kept - should be in a clean, well-maintained area.
- You should be allowed to meet the parents.
- A history of veterinary records should be provided.
- Make sure you get a written contract and health guarantee.
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