Undercover investigation: Welfare animal group finds 'decrepit' conditions at Manorville dog breeder

A Manorville dog breeder kept sick and matted puppies with congenital health issues in "decrepit" roach- and feces-filled conditions, an undercover investigation by an animal welfare organization found.

The hidden camera investigation by Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society, documented disturbing conditions at Sportsman’s Kennels on Schultz Road, which advertises itself as "breeding pedigree puppies since 1962."

'Puppy mill cruelty'

Humane World said it sent an investigator to work undercover at the breeding facility for about five weeks in September and October.

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

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.

"This is the exact opposite of what we expect for companion animals, and that's why it's important for organizations such as Humane World to shine a light on this," said Brian Shapiro, the group's New York State director. "This definitely falls under the category of puppy mill cruelty."

In a statement, Sportsman’s Kennels said it "strongly disputes" the allegations and said the facility employs eight full-time employees responsible for daily care, cleaning, feeding and monitoring of all animals while a licensed veterinarian visits the location on a weekly basis.

"Any animal requiring additional evaluation or treatment is promptly taken to a local veterinary hospital to ensure appropriate care," the statement said. "The photographs and video were highly selective, taken by an undercover employee who was hired herself to perform the routine cleaning and maintenance. They in no way accurately represent day-to-day conditions."

Sportsman’s Kennels, which is owned by Helen Camlikades, has been listed five times on Humane World's annual Horrible Hundred report of problematic puppy breeding or puppy brokering facilities.

Humane World forwarded its findings, which it disclosed on Monday, to the State Attorney General’s Office, State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the latter of which did not respond to requests for comment. 

The attorney general's office declined to comment, deferring calls to Agriculture and Markets, which licenses the business.

Hanna Birkhead, a department spokeswoman, said Tuesday they're aware of the Humane World report "and take the concerns raised very seriously. We sent an unannounced inspector to the facility again today to conduct an inspection following up on the claims made."

The results of that inspection were not immediately available. Sportsman’s Kennels said inspectors found no issues related to the care of the animals but that officials did raise concerns about incomplete or missing sales paperwork.

Nine failed inspections

Records show Sportsman’s Kennels has failed nine Agriculture and Markets inspections conducted between 2010 and 2025, with all of the findings of non-compliance occurring since 2019.

The business, however, passed five of six state inspections in 2025, including one a month before the undercover investigation began and another a few weeks after it concluded.

The business paid penalties for findings of non-compliance on two consecutive inspections in September 2020 and January 2021, state officials said. 

In some facility kennels, Humane World said dogs were frequently stepping in feces, causing them to have swollen and inflamed paws and matted, urine-soaked fur. Many puppies and dogs, the report said, lived in small plastic or concrete enclosures without toys and just shredded paper as bedding. 

On one occasion, a breeding dog was seen with blood on his fur; a male Rottweiler was so thin that the outline of his spine and ribs could be seen and others had feces caked in their fur, the report said.

"The Island probably has more animal lovers than any other region of the state," Shapiro said. "And this is not what the people of Long Island expect or want in their community."

Older animals who were considered unsellable were kept in what staffers described as the "forgotten dogs room," where they received minimal care and attention, the investigation said.

One of those dogs, a mini goldendoodle puppy named Honey, marked unsellable due to suspected hernias, was given to the Humane World investigator before the end of their employment.

Honey, the report said, was immediately brought to a veterinarian, found to be slightly underweight and with a yeast infection in both ears but no signs of a hernia were detected. The dog was taken into the care of Humane Long Island and later adopted.

Disputed Kennel Club relationship

On its website, Sportsman’s Kennels’ boasts that its been "breeding AKC [American Kennel Club] puppies since 1962" while documents displayed inside the Suffolk building tout the relationship. The AKC is the world’s oldest nonprofit dog purebred registry and is associated with the annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

But AKC spokeswoman Brandi Munden said Sportsman Kennels registered only one litter and one dog with their organization  in 2024, and has had no registration activity with the organization in 2025. Roughly 90% of the dogs advertised for sale on Sportsman's Kennels' site could not be registrable with the AKC, Munden said.

"The AKC has not authorized the use of our name in their slogan or in any promotional materials," Munden said. "Our compliance division is reviewing this matter, with attention to the health and well-being of the dogs involved."

Sportsman’s Kennels had 277 dogs and puppies on-site as of November, Humane World said, including French bulldogs, poodles, pugs and shih tzus. While the price of the puppies was not listed on its website, online reviews indicate some breeds could cost upward of several thousand dollars.

Late last year, a statewide law halting the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet shops statewide went into effect.

Sportsman’s Kennels, which previously operated as both a pet store and a breeding kennel, is permitted to continue selling animals directly to the public because its puppies are bred on the premises, as opposed to being brought in from out-of-state.