Man kills 4 sheepadoodle dogs because ‘black puppies aren’t selling,’ PA officials say

A troubling phone call led to the arrest of a Pennsylvania man on charges of animal cruelty, police say.

In October, police in New Holland received a tip from an employee at Greenfield Puppies, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office said in a May 15 news release. The employee said he took a phone call from 46-year-old John Stoltzfus Jr., who told him to remove four puppies listed for sale on the business’s website.

The sheepadoodle dogs, named Tammy, Terry, Todd and Tom were dead, and he had killed them, Stoltzfus had said, according to officials. “Black puppies aren’t selling,” he explained.

Lancaster County detectives and an officer from the Pennsylvania SPCA went to Stoltzfus’ property near New Holland, searched the vicinity and spoke with him, officials said. He told investigators he put the dogs down himself.

“We have a way of doing it, we took good care of them,” he said.

Stoltzfus is facing four counts of cruelty to animals and another four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to officials. He was released after posting a $10,000 bail but is barred from “buying, breeding or selling any domestic animals” as he awaits trial.

He is scheduled to be arraigned June 14, officials said.

New Holland is a roughly 60-mile drive northwest of Philadelphia.

Greenfield Puppies has been in operation and “finding loving homes for puppies” for more than a decade, according to the business’s website.

“Breeders on our site are located throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states,” it reads. “We expect every breeder to comply with all state laws and … we do not condone puppy mills and strive to bring you only the best, well-loved puppies.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2024 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Man kills 4 sheepadoodle dogs because ‘black puppies aren’t selling,’ PA officials say."