Three males who’ve been accused of illegally promoting puppies out of the trunk of their automobile within the Diamond District are crooks from Philadelphia who name themselves “superstar breeders” and declare to have bought a canine to Cardi B, The Submit has realized.
For the previous yr, shady canine sellers have been hawking tiny designer canines out of a Mercedes SUV for as a lot as $4,500 every.
The Submit has recognized Brandon Rone, Tyshawn Walker and Dasheim Harris as three of the 4 males noticed plying their commerce in broad daylight on West forty seventh Avenue as not too long ago as July, after a tip got here into the newsroom.
Rone, 34, Walker, 31, and Harris, 29, who all dwell in Philadelphia, based on public data, name themselves “superstar breeders” on their Instagram pages, the place additionally they flash their Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton luggage and stacks of hundred-dollar payments.
They declare to have bought a pooch to Cardi B — proudly sharing a snap of the 33-year-old singer in April within the backseat of a automobile holding a shaggy red-headed canine. The Submit has reached out to the star singer.
Rone’s enterprise, “Pups R Us,” advertises weeks-old toy poodles, cavapoos, cockapoos, goldendoodles and Pomeranians on Instagram that he claims will weigh as little as 5 to eight kilos absolutely grown. Walker peddles the pups underneath his outfit, “FUReverhome.”
It’s unclear the place the canines are literally bred. Rone purports they’re “dwelling raised,” however the images he posted solely present canines crammed into automobiles or are tightly cropped pictures. He lives in a semi-detached three-bedroom home in north Philadelphia with a small entrance yard open onto the road and no yard.
Rone and Walker have been nabbed by cops in November 2024 for illegally “promoting, bartering or buying and selling” canines in a Walmart parking zone on the outskirts of Philly. Rone pleaded responsible and obtained off solely paying a $400 nice. Walker additionally pleaded responsible to the costs in opposition to him, nevertheless it was not instantly clear if he confronted any fines.
In the meantime, Harris has a rap sheet that features a 2021 gun bust within the Metropolis of Brotherly Love, however there isn’t any file of a conviction.
The previous highschool soccer participant and self-described “vibe creator” has different profitable hustles moreover promoting designer canines — usually selling occasions on Instagram like a current “Moist n’ Wild” pool occasion in New Jersey.
NYPD by no means busted the fellows, telling The Submit final month they fled by the point police responded to 911 calls in Midtown.
The boys have been noticed at the very least 5 occasions in Manhattan previously yr, and Rone even posted social media video of his criminal activity within the Large Apple this summer time to a since-deleted Instagram account.
Walker added the caption, “not on the market,” to images of pups on his Instagram web page — which options pictures of his neon-green corvette and a trip to the Maldives — on July 27, simply two days after the final Submit story ran. He additionally posted the shushing face emoji to the captions.
Animal rights teams and legislation enforcement in Philadelphia have been investigating the boys.
“We’ve been getting calls about these guys for years,” Sarah Barnett, govt director of the Animal Care and Management Group of Philadelphia, instructed The Submit. She stated they have been identified to promote pups in a Walmart parking zone.
“They even had the balls to face outdoors an animal rescue middle and promote the puppies.”
When confronted with the illegality of the operation by a Submit reporter on the telephone, Rone repeated his outlandish declare that he merely affords free pet yoga earlier than making an attempt to disclaim that he was the person reached.
“We do pet yoga . . . that wasn’t me,” he stated, earlier than hanging up when referred to as out over the actual fact he had been reached on the telephone quantity marketed on an Instagram web page providing canines on the market.
Harris and Walker couldn’t be reached for remark.
“These puppies are being handled like disposable toys — with sellers pocketing a fairly penny off animals who are sometimes sick, pressured and traumatized earlier than they’ve even had an actual probability at life,” blasted Mian Osumi, Coverage and Advocacy Supervisor at Voters for Animal Rights
“No one ought to belief the breeding practices of somebody operating a black-market pet operation out of their car. There’s no vet oversight, no well being ensures, no accountability — only a enterprise mannequin constructed on quantity and how briskly they will disappear earlier than police arrive.”
NYC legislation prohibits promoting pets at a location that’s not licensed for that goal — and since 2024 when the Empire State’s Pet Mill Pipeline Act, even pet outlets are now not allowed to promote them. Since then, New Yorkers can solely purchase canines instantly from a accountable breeder – or undertake from a shelter.
The Manhattan District Lawyer, which enforces the legislation, didn’t return The Submit’s request for remark.
