North Carolina Officials Close Charlotte Pet Store After 11 Puppies Die

State officials shut down Happy Puppy Universe in Charlotte after discovering dead puppies and major law violations. The store, at 10901 University City Blvd., lost its permit because they were selling ill dogs without disclosing their conditions to buyers.

The state acted fast. They yanked the store's license, citing urgent risks to the animals. Staff must move all pets to approved sites within two weeks or face steep penalties: up to $5,000 per breach.

A local rescue group stepped in to help. They took 38 dogs from the shuttered business. "Some of them were pretty lethargic. We noticed that right away that they were pretty depressed," said Colleen Sowers, who runs Peanut's Place Small Breed Rescue, speaking to Queen City News.

Angry customers sparked the probe by reporting sick pets. They spent thousands on dogs that needed urgent medical care. State files show the store ignored health issues a vet found back in May 2025.

Missouri breeders sent the pups to the store at just 8 weeks old. Now each needs three different medicines to get better.

"I have paperwork that says the dogs are ready for sale," Sowers said, per WCNC. "Clearly, they weren't, people from all over the country were paying $1,500 to $3,500 and they were sick."

“I've been contacted by no less than a dozen or more people that had just recently bought dogs from that store and all of them were deathly ill,” said Sowers.

Mika, an 18-week-old Siberian Husky, stands out among the survivors. "He's one of the lucky ones that has been cleared; he doesn't have any infections or anything," Sowers said.

The store can't get a new license for 12 months. The owners stayed silent when asked to comment.