Happiness Is Pets Stonhedge Kennels Steve Kruse Selling puppies from dogs that should not be breeders Lombard Illinois

I am currently investigating this company and believe the owner is: Ronald Berning, not Steve Kruse of Iowa, who has been sued both personally and as president of Happiness is Pets twice here in Cook County, Illinois.  However, the first suit was done by someone pro se and appears to have gone nowhere (filed in the 90s).  Check out the Circuit Court of Cook County's website for details.  The second suit is very recent, filed 3/3/09, and is still pending, attorneys on both sides.  As for the kennel referenced in Iowa - I am rather confused as to how people are stating Steve Krause of Stonehedge Kennels might be the owner of Happiness is Pets in IL. He is a licensed breeder but there appear to be no negative reports during the past several years during routine inspections conducted by the USDA (which they do of breeders).  See,

http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/pdfpage.jspx?custid=9245

Either the USDA IS SLEEPING ON THE JOB, have crappy standards, or there is a big mix-up in saying he is a bad breeder and owns Happiness is Pets..  Maybe the bad breeding is taking place in his private home, basement, or in other facilities he keeps seperate from the main one which the USDA inspects.....Anyway, it appears that the Bernings (Cynthia Berning owned a now dissolved one too) have been in the pet store business since the 80s and 90s with several bankruptcies as well.

I am interested in obtaining information and began investigating because many people have contacted me regarding sick pets sold by Happiness is Pets (I am an attorney).  One friend's puppy had uvietis and is now blind in one eye as well as serious mange with lots of hair loss (caused by mites) as well as other health issues.  The puppy is 7 months old and the owner of Happiness is Pets refused to pay the owner some compensation for selling a sick puppy.  Another friend of this victim's bought a puppy from Happiness and this dog had to have all of its teeth pulled (do not know why yet) and also its eyelashes due to infections. It was also reported that one of individuals wanted their vet bills paid and the funds to buy pup reimbursed (due to future expected bills) but the owner refuses to help these victims. Illinois needs better laws and control too.  They are understandably contemplating a lawsuit as well now and I believe that law enforcement should investigate this business.  Regardless, people and families should be careful with puppies sold by pet stores.  While really cute to see, the pet businesses do not really care about the issues behind mills but only want to profit over the behind the scenes suffering. Animals should not be used this way either.  The best solution is public knowledge and educating family, friends and acquaintances and considering saving animals in shelters or going through registered and certified breeders you are very familiar with and/or know of their reputation.  Puppies may be cute, but I am learning that the ones from puppy mill breeders allow their mother to be really mistreated and used, in the process of having multiple litters all the time with no breaks, as well as with inter breeding leading to diseases as well.  Finally, it seems that the puppies he recently sold in Orland Park and Oak Lawn are really a problem.  See also, yelp.com reviews, all pretty bad. Good luck to whoever already bought from him.....

Hi Don. I'm so sorry to hear of all the health issues you and your dog are dealing with. I've started an organization in Iowa. Our goal is to combat irresponsible dog breeders. We're doing this by lobbying for better state laws. I'd be very interested in speaking with you about how your experience may be of help to us in our efforts. Mr. Kruse is one of the largest USDA Class B dealers in Iowa. He's actually hired a personal lobbyist to represent him in our state Capitol! We're no match for his financial might (he makes more than $1M annually from the sale of puppies), but we've got ethical and moral decency on our side. But we need help from people like you who have been directly affected by his irresponsible breeding practices. Please go to www.iowavca.org and use the Contact Us option. Thanks.

So sorry to hear about your dog John. I too have one of their dogs. If you go to www.happinessisnotpets.com and email me, lucyloo on there, I can help you.

There are new laws that have been passed and we are determined to stop puppy mills.

Please contact me! Or anyone else who has a sick dog.

Thank you!

I am not defending the store or the breeder here by any means. I would like to point out however that these are issues which usually come along with taking responsibility for owning a bulldog along with many, many other issues. Issues vary from breed to breed. There are usually several issues cause by virtue of that breed simply being that breed. Alot of people like the bulldog because of the way they look. That 'look' can cause several issues which can be considered normal for the particular breed BECAUSE of the way they look and their basic body structure. Cherry eye, distichia, and entropian are all common in this breed (as in they are not necessarily qualified as a do not breed condition for this particular breed even by the foundations that certify health) and to be better off expected along with many ,many other things including allergies, a basic lower immune system which contributes to things like demodex and a higher incidence of illnesses, smaller tracheas, pinched nostrils, elongated palettes, they over heat easily, hip dysplasia is usually present at birth, sensitivity to anesthesia, and on and on and on. It should not necessarily be a question of whether those things are present, but how severe and can they be considered to be beyond normal for the breed (some of the above issues if combined and severe and THEN they are generally considered to be a problem). To attempt to eliminate them would be to eliminate the bulldog period. Diet can play a major role in the health of a bulldog (in our pet's period). Because of their allergies (again pets period IMO), they should be on a diet more on the holistic side (you may want to look into healthwise or innova as a starting point). They usually have issues with grass among several other environmental issues, allergic to most things in some form or other actually and should be bathed in a high quality all natural oatmeal shampoo and NO perfumes to help keep from further aggravating their allergies. During the growth period especially their food should be in the lower range of protein levels (which eliminates most commercial puppy food) and activity's like jumping should be limited in order not aggravate the issues they have due to their body structure (bone and joint issues like with the hips). It is possible that your puppies issues extend beyond normal for the breed, talking to people who are familiar with bulldogs specifically can be a great help as well as trying to find a vet who 'specializes' in bulldogs and can save in plenty of vet bills at times :-). Feel free to email me at yahoo if you'd like. I'm sorry your poor pup seems to be having such a difficult time. I just wanted to point out that several of the issues you bring up are not actually considered to point towards a bad breeder in alot of cases when it comes to the bulldog specifically but are considered just to be a part of living with a bulldog to folks who have alot of experience with and are familiar with the breed. Hopefully this extends to your
vet(s) as well. There are just so many factors and issues and rules with this breed, it can make your head spin and it is hard to find the line between what is to be expected and what IS an issue that indicates poor breeding practices with this breed. Good luck to you and your pup, I hope things get better soon. *just my opinions*