2 Manorville dog breeders named in annual 'Horrible Hundred' report

Two Manorville-based dog breeders are among nine facilities statewide named in the annual "Horrible Hundred" report released Monday by an animal welfare organization.

The report, by Humane World for Animals, details 100 of the nation’s most problematic puppy breeding or brokering facilities, the group said.

The list includes two active Long Island facilities that have been subject to recent scrutiny: Blue Ribbon Puppies and Sportsman’s Kennels, both in Manorville. The other New York facilities named in the report are in Queens, and upstate Ulster, Steuben, Yates, Montgomery and Wayne counties.

"This is a snapshot of the suffering and repeated, serious violations dogs endure in New York puppy mills and in other states," said Brian Shapiro, New York State director of Humane World for Animals. "The public needs to know where their puppies are coming from and the conditions in which they are raised. These dogs deserve better. "

Puppy broker charged

Last month, John Kowal, 57, owner of Blue Ribbon Puppies, was arrested and charged with 23 counts of misdemeanor animal neglect.

The move came after investigators from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets found a host of issues during a Feb. 24 inspection at his River Road property.

Inspectors found snow obstructing access to the building where Kowal kept the animals, indicating that no one had visited the dogs inside for at least 48 hours since the Feb. 22 blizzard, officials said.

When Kowal, whose Suffolk Legal Aid attorney did not respond to a request for comment, finally shoveled a path to the facility, investigators discovered 21 dogs and two puppies living in indoor and outdoor kennels, prosecutors said.

Inspectors observed several "critical" violations, including frozen water, a lack of adequate heat, insufficient space that restricted the animals’ movements, and an accumulation of animal feces, records show. When Kowal turned the heat on in the facility, inspectors determined the kennel temperature rose to only 43 degrees an hour later, officials wrote.

Investigators also found some animals had not received required rabies vaccines or licensing, exercise plans were not properly documented or implemented, and sick dogs not been treated according to veterinary instructions.

Blue Ribbon Puppies, a state-licensed pet dealer, had failed five state inspections since March 2023, records show.

Agriculture and Markets did not respond to requests for comment.

Kowal is due back in court on May 19, records show.

Hidden camera investigation

In December, a hidden camera investigation by a Humane World employee, who'd worked undercover at Sportsman’s Kennels, found the Schultz Road breeder allegedly kept sick and matted puppies with congenital health issues in "decrepit" roach- and feces-filled conditions.

The investigator documented and photographed small puppies kept in cramped cages or plastic bins while others suffered from a variety of medical ailments, including vomiting, wheezing, hernias and serious rashes, the report stated.

Several puppies were diagnosed by a veterinarian with kennel cough while others had ears filled with brownish or blackish debris or had eye and nasal discharge, the report found.

Meanwhile, roaches were seen in the dogs' food, on equipment and in birthing areas while a staff member was seen spraying a toxic insecticide to get rid of the bugs near pregnant and nursing mothers, the report alleges.

Andrew Martingale, an attorney for the facility, said the report was the product of an organization opposed to commercial dog breeding.

"After reviewing our complete record, the state renewed our license through November 2026," he said. " ... We breed healthy dogs, we raise them on this property, and we sell them to families who come here in person and meet them. Don't take a national activist group's word for what happens here, and don't take ours. Come see for yourself"

Records show Sportsman’s Kennels failed nine Agriculture and Markets inspections between 2010 and 2025. But in six of eight inspections between February 2025 and January they were found compliant.

This is the sixth time Sportsman's Kennels, which is owned by Helen Camlikades, has been listed on the Horrible Hundred report.