Puppy Mill Investigation Part 2

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(Sloansville, N.Y.) On Tuesday, our Fact Finder Investigation revealed that puppy mills, also know as mass breeding operations, are cropping up in Upstate New York, as a result of a crackdown in Pennsylvania.

After we received an email from a viewer about conditions at one local kennel, we sent our team undercover and found: puppies living in the dark, trash buildup and some puppies unable to walk. Further investigation uncovered a stack of complaints and unsatisfactory state inspections. all this, yet this kennel and others like it are still open for business and still raising puppies in conditions our experts call deplorable, but the state says is legal, but how do breeders and puppy dealers stay in business after failing inspection after inspection?

Dake Fu is the owner of Happy Apple Kennel in Sloansville That's the name he uses in ads he places for puppies in the paper, but according to state documents, his business is registered under the name, Turquoise Island Inc. and upon reading those documents, we found a paper trail of complaints and unsatisfactory inspections by the state. Armed with these complaints, We had some questions for Fu: I said to him, "We have a list of complaints here from the State Department of Ag and Markets and other complaints from people who have bought their dogs here." He replied: "Oh really?" I pressed him further saying, " I can show them to you, if you'd like or perhaps you could show us some of the dogs to see." He answered: "Can I call my attorney now?"

It would be unfair to accuse Dake Fu of breaking the law, he has done nothing illegal, but take "Bella" for instance the Yorkie was bought by a Pittsfield family who didn't realize until they got her home, just how sick she was. "She was very lethargic. Didn't want to move. Slept all the time. We tried to force feed her. We would have to pry her mouth open. She started vomiting and then she started with the diarrhea."

According to the State Agriculture and Markets law, if breeders sell publicly they need a breeding license and are subject to inspections. State records show, Fu was inspected close to a dozen times in two years, several of those inspections were unsatisfactory. When asked about how many unsatisfactory inspections it takes before a place is shut down, Inspector, Anna Marie Colon answered: "Before the inspection, because its on a per-inspection basis, it's 4 or more that will make an unsatisfactory mark."

Several unsatisfactory marks leads to several fines that could lead to the legal action, but we're told that could take some time. Brad Shear of the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society responded saying: "The State protects us in a lot of different ways weather its mechanics, or even hairdressers re licensed. So if someone can lose their license for giving a bad haircut. You think someone should lose their license for not caring for a living being properly."

Tune in Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m. for part three of this fact finder investigation.