Las Vegas Cracks Down on Illegal Dog Breeding with ‘Operation Pawsitive Change’

Las Vegas is fighting back against illegal dog breeding operations that have overwhelmed local animal shelters and contributed to widespread animal suffering across Southern Nevada.

Through a multi-month undercover initiative called Operation Pawsitive Change, city officials have recovered 15 puppies and issued 37 citations to unlicensed breeders between July 1 and October 20, 2025, marking a significant enforcement effort against what animal advocates call a “predatory breeding” crisis, reports News 3 LV.​

The operation represents the city’s most aggressive response yet to backyard breeding operations that openly advertise puppies for sale on social media platforms despite violating local ordinances designed to protect animals and reduce shelter overcrowding.

How Operation Pawsitive Change Works

Launched in 2024 by the City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety, Operation Pawsitive Change uses sophisticated undercover tactics to identify and prosecute illegal breeders who operate outside the law. Officers pose as potential buyers on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, and Craigslist, where unlicensed sellers brazenly advertise puppies for hundreds or thousands of dollars.​​

The operation follows a methodical approach. Undercover officers contact suspected illegal sellers through social media, arrange controlled meetings at public parks, and then move in with marked patrol units once the seller’s identity is confirmed. These sting operations are supported by surveillance and tactical units to ensure officer safety and successful citations.​

Chief Jason Potts of the Department of Public Safety explained the urgency behind the initiative: “This is our response to overpopulation in Southern Nevada of animals and some bad actors that are predatory breeding. This is our response to the mayor’s direction and city council on the issues with animals”.​

Significant Results Since Launch

Since Operation Pawsitive Change began, the enforcement effort has produced substantial results that demonstrate both the scope of the problem and the effectiveness of targeted intervention.​

The most recent operation phase, running from July through mid-October 2025, resulted in 15 puppies being rescued from illegal breeding situations and surrendered to Animal Protection Services for proper care. Officers issued 37 citations to unlicensed breeders during this period, and seized one firearm.​

Looking at the operation’s cumulative impact since its 2024 launch, the initiative has led to 35 total citations, two arrests, four firearm seizures, and 16 puppies rescued from illegal operations. Perhaps most tellingly, city officials reported a “sharp drop” in illegal puppy advertisements on social media platforms, with only three ads remaining from out-of-state sellers by the end of the December 2024 operation phase.​

The Backyard Breeding Ordinance

The enforcement teeth behind Operation Pawsitive Change come from Las Vegas Municipal Code Chapter 7.40, which establishes strict penalties for unlicensed breeding. Following years of advocacy by animal welfare groups who complained that existing laws were “all bark and no bite,” the Las Vegas City Council passed strengthened penalties in a contentious 4-3 vote.​

City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman championed the ordinance after her original proposal was voted down in January. She made adjustments and brought it back, ultimately securing passage despite opposition from Mayor Carolyn Goodman and two other council members.​

The mandatory minimum penalties are substantial. First-time offenders face a $500 fine plus two days in jail, though both can be waived if the individual obtains a proper breeding permit within 30 days. Second-time offenders face a $1,000 fine and two days in jail with no option to waive the penalties. Third and subsequent offenses can result in even stiffer penalties including extended jail time.​

The ordinance also requires anyone with a breeding permit to report animal deaths or injuries requiring veterinary care within 24 hours, and mandates that breeders turn over deceased or injured animals to Animal Protection Services upon request.​

Why Las Vegas is Targeting Illegal Breeders

The illegal breeding epidemic in Las Vegas has direct, devastating consequences for the region’s overwhelmed animal shelter system. The Animal Foundation, Southern Nevada’s largest shelter and one of the busiest single-site shelters in the nation, has been operating at or beyond “critical capacity” throughout 2025.​

In October 2025, the shelter was caring for 523 dogs — well above its critical capacity threshold of 454 dogs. When capacity is exceeded, animals experience increased anxiety, behavioral decline, heightened risk of illness and injury, and reduced ability for staff to meet individual needs. Eventually, quality of life deteriorates to the point where euthanasia may be considered for space.​

The numbers tell a stark story. The Animal Foundation has seen a 61% increase in animal intakes since 2020. In 2024 alone, the shelter took in 24,056 animals — an 18% increase from the previous year — including 13,572 dogs. More than 3,000 pets were surrendered by their owners in the first nine months of 2025, reaching levels not seen since 2016.​​

Illegal backyard breeding operations are widely recognized as one of the primary drivers of this shelter overcrowding crisis. Breeders who operate without permits or oversight often breed dogs excessively in inhumane conditions, then dump mother dogs once they’re no longer profitable.​

Tammy Salcianu, an animal advocate who testified before the city council, described the heartbreaking consequences: “This dog was dumped. The puppies were gone. We worked very hard to bring her to safety. She doesn’t even have a name. She’s with a rescue right now, with Kiss My Paws rescue, but this is what we are seeing in Las Vegas. It’s not okay”.​

The Social Media Connection

Social media platforms have become the primary marketplace for illegal puppy sales, creating what advocates call a “puppy mill pipeline” that operates largely without oversight. Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, and Craigslist are the main platforms where unlicensed breeders advertise, often using terms like “rehoming fee” instead of “sale price” to obscure the commercial nature of their operations.​​

Sellers post photos and phone numbers, arrange meetups at public locations like parks, and complete cash transactions with no paperwork, health records, or breeder permits. Popular breeds like French Bulldogs, Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, and designer mixes regularly sell for $900 to $1,500 — with some high-demand breeds like Frenchies commanding up to $10,000 per puppy.​

The cash-only, no-documentation nature of these sales makes them attractive to illegal operators and difficult for authorities to track. Many buyers are unaware they’re participating in illegal activity, believing they’re simply “rescuing” a puppy or supporting a hobby breeder.​​

Clark County Code Enforcement Chief Jim Andersen has stated that most people advertising puppies for sale on these platforms are doing so illegally. Yet understaffed animal control agencies, which are primarily complaint-driven, struggle to police the problem effectively.​

Grassroots Efforts Support Enforcement

Community volunteers have stepped in to support official enforcement efforts. A grassroots organization called Illegal Breeder Busters, founded by volunteer investigator David Schweiger, conducts its own undercover operations.​

Schweiger and his volunteers pose as potential buyers, confirm sellers lack proper permits, and collect comprehensive evidence including screenshots of advertisements, text message chains, addresses, phone numbers, breed information, and prices. They then submit this documentation to Animal Control for official follow-up.​

One case investigated by Schweiger involved sellers advertising French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs for $10,000 each on Facebook, shipping illegally bred dogs from Las Vegas to buyers across all 50 states using their trucking company. Another case led to citations against a seller advertising “sheep-a-doodles” on Craigslist for $900 to $1,500, who offered multiple excuses when confronted by Animal Control — first claiming a friend left her with the puppies, then claiming her account was hacked, and finally claiming her friend was using her phone.​

Clark County Takes Parallel Action

While the City of Las Vegas pursues Operation Pawsitive Change, Clark County implemented its own regulatory reforms in February 2025 to address illegal breeding through economic deterrence.​

The county increased annual breeder permit fees from $50 to $400 — an eightfold increase. Breeders who choose not to participate in recognized animal shows face an even higher permit cost of $800. This substantial fee increase aims to discourage profit-driven operators while making it financially unviable for casual backyard breeders.​

Clark County also eliminated the previous requirement that breeders participate in animal shows to obtain permits, as this barrier often proved cost-prohibitive and drove some breeders to operate without licenses. The county now prohibits animal sales in streets, parking lots, flea markets, outdoor markets, and other public venues where animals could be subjected to inhumane conditions.​

Comprehensive record-keeping requirements now mandate that breeders maintain detailed records of all animals, enabling officers to investigate potential neglect or abuse cases. Additionally, all dogs and cats over four months old must now be microchipped, and animal handlers must complete free county-provided training every two years.​

A National Problem

Las Vegas’s illegal breeding crisis reflects broader national challenges with unregulated dog breeding operations. Legal experts classify backyard breeding as both a regulatory nuisance and a potential crime precursor, with far-reaching consequences beyond animal welfare.​

The harms include massive costs to impound and destroy hundreds of thousands of dogs annually, widespread noncompliance with business licensing and tax laws, financial injury to purchasers of sick puppies, and — most troublingly — the provision of dogs for criminal enterprises including dogfighting and drug trafficking operations.​

The cash-based nature of backyard breeding operations, combined with no record-keeping or external accountability, makes them attractive sources for criminals seeking fighting dogs or guard dogs while remaining invisible to state inspectors and law enforcement. The small scale of individual operations makes violations difficult to identify and investigate when enforcement resources are limited.​

Ongoing Challenges

Despite the success of Operation Pawsitive Change, significant challenges remain. The Animal Foundation continues to operate at crisis levels, with CEO Hilarie Grey calling for sustained community support through adoption, fostering, and responsible pet ownership.​

Both the City of Las Vegas and the City of Henderson have yet to adopt Clark County’s retail pet store ban (the City of Las Vegas is voting on it on November 5), which prohibits the sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and potbelly pigs from commercial breeders. Animal welfare advocates argue this gap allows the puppy mill pipeline to continue operating through legitimate storefronts.​

Enforcement officials acknowledge that even increased penalties may not fully deter abandonment and illegal breeding. When Mayor Shelley Berkley asked how a $1,000 fine would prevent people from abandoning pets, Department of Public Safety administrator Rudy Tovar admitted he wasn’t sure the penalty would truly deter violators. He noted that pursuing abandonment cases remains challenging and that stiffer penalties would require changes to state law.​

Nevertheless, city officials remain committed to the enforcement strategy. Chief Potts emphasized that officers practice discretion with a focus on education and bringing breeders into compliance rather than pursuing criminal charges. For cases that do proceed to court, he noted, “that individual absolutely would not want to get into compliance with us to begin with”.​

How the Community Can Help

Animal welfare officials stress that solving Las Vegas’s breeding and shelter crisis requires community action beyond enforcement operations.​

The Animal Foundation regularly issues urgent calls for residents to adopt medium and large dogs, foster dogs for a minimum of two to four weeks to relieve shelter pressure, and donate enrichment items like treats and toys to keep animals calm during their shelter stay. The shelter has offered $200 foster incentives for large dogs during critical periods.​

Responsible pet ownership practices can also reduce shelter intakes. Officials urge pet owners to ensure animals have collars, ID tags, and updated microchips (available for $35 at The Animal Foundation), and to make every effort to reunite lost pets with their owners before bringing them to the shelter.​

Residents can also support enforcement efforts by reporting suspected illegal breeding operations to Animal Protection Services and refusing to purchase puppies advertised on social media platforms without verifying the seller has proper permits and veterinary documentation.​

A Multi-Pronged Approach

Operation Pawsitive Change represents Las Vegas’s most comprehensive response to date against illegal dog breeding — combining undercover enforcement, strengthened penalties, increased permit fees, and community education. While no single solution will solve the crisis, the multi-pronged approach has already demonstrated measurable success in reducing illegal advertisements, rescuing puppies from harmful situations, and bringing unlicensed breeders into compliance or out of operation.

As the operation continues into 2026, its effectiveness will ultimately be measured not just by citations issued or puppies recovered, but by sustained reductions in shelter intake, improved animal welfare outcomes, and a cultural shift away from purchasing puppies through unregulated social media sales toward adoption and responsible, licensed breeding practices.

For a community grappling with one of the nation’s most severe shelter overcrowding crises, Operation Pawsitive Change offers hope that proactive enforcement, coupled with regulatory reform and community engagement, can begin to turn the tide on illegal breeding and create a more humane future for dogs across Southern Nevada.