For Star subscribers: Out-of-state operators banned elsewhere from selling puppy mill puppies are setting up shop in the Grand Canyon State, which still allows such sales, an Arizona Daily Star investigation found.
Carol Ann Alaimo A California man whose Marana pet store closed suddenly after selling a $2,700 puppy that died is back in business in the Tucson area, public records show
Gallardo’s social media posts are sprinkled with Bible quotes about prosperity and with get-rich-quick videos that show him flaunting Rolex watches, foreign sports cars and $100 bills. The new Park Place store is run by Victor Cruz Martinez of San Diego, the CEO of Gallardo's old California pet store, who also worked at one of his Texas stores before relocating to Tucson, public records show. Martinez did not respond to two requests for comment sent to the email address of the Park Place store.
The pet store industry can be lucrative. A puppy mill dog that a store buys for $500 might sell for $5,000 or more depending on breed and market location, according to national groups that monitor such sales. Download PDF Neighboring California banned such sales statewide in 2019 over concerns about inhumane practices at puppy mills, high-volume breeders who supply most of the U.S. pet store industry. Puppy mills mass-produce animals on the cheap by sacrificing the health of mother dogs, who often spend their lives in cramped wire cages being bred every time they’re in heat, the Humane Society of the United States says.
Justin Kerr, owner of Puppyland, a chain in Washington State forced to close one of its stores when a local pet store ban took effect, registered an Arizona corporation last year under a business name nearly identical to that of his Washington enterprise, state records show. Puppies born in puppy mills can be prone to health and behavior problems due to inbreeding, overcrowding and scarce human contact, the national Humane Society says.
Madril said she recently spoke to a lawyer about suing Gallardo. But doing so might be tricky because neither his Marana store, nor his new Tucson store, are eligible for corporate status in Arizona, according to the state corporation commission. State lawsuitArizona's Republican-dominated Legislature has so far shown no appetite for new restrictions on pet stores. That's largely due to the lobbying efforts of one man, animal protection advocates say.
The group also alleged Mineo was sourcing puppies from some of the worst breeders in the country — those with recent federal violations for animal mistreatment — which specifically is forbidden under Arizona's pet store rules. Mineo's four stores sell about 6,000 puppies a year in total, most obtained from out-of-state breeders and brokers, the attorney general said.