Debbie Dolittle’s Petting Zoo Does Nothing for Animals; Feds Cite the Tourist Trap Again

Animals at Debbie Dolittle’s Indoor Petting Zoo in Tacoma, Washington, “do little” but suffer—while the facility does nothing but profit. Multiple animals have died and dozens of guests have been injured at this hellhole, where handlers routinely force sensitive animals into stressful, hands-on interactions with strangers. And now, following an alert from PETA, the facility is once again in trouble with federal authorities for housing animals in inadequate enclosures.

Debbie Dolittle’s Latest Citations

Following PETA’s complaint, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspected the facility in July 2025 and found serious animal welfare issues:

• A pathetic excuse for “pools”: The indoor capybara “pool” was a 150-gallon plastic Rubbermaid bin—far too small for the animals to fully submerge. The outdoor “pool” was a trough with a ramp so steep that the animals couldn’t safely get in or out. The complaint also reported that visitors witnessed a capybara dumping the water bucket on top of herself when she apparently was unable to access the pool.  
• Capybaras were losing hair: As semi-aquatic animals, capybaras naturally spend much of their time swimming or near the water, which is essential to maintaining healthy skin and well-being. Investigators noted that two capybaras had areas of hair loss.
• Enclosures were falling apart: Inspectors found three areas with chewed wooden boards in the main room. Chewing can signal distress and boredom caused by lack of enrichment or stimulation.

19 Charges Were Recommended Against Former Debbie Dolittle’s Owner

Debbie Dolittle’s has changed owners multiple times, but a tiger can’t change its stripes—and this facility has maintained the same dangerous and cruel business model for years, regardless of who is in charge. Find out more about this petting zoo’s long list of harm to animals.

As exclusively reported by the Tacoma News Tribune in May 2024, PETA obtained and reviewed documents revealing that animals have died and that others have suffered on the watch of Donald Miller, the former owner of Debbie Dolittle’s Indoor Petting Zoo in Tacoma, Washington.

Pierce County Animal Control documented animal deaths and apparent cruelty to animals during a yearslong investigation into the facility, prompted by a PETA complaint over the death of a 1-year-old sloth named Malia. The investigation documented the deaths of 17 mostly young animals as well as the following:

• Miller and others improperly cared for a sloth named Malia and other animals.
• Miller failed to feed or keep warm two “bottle baby” otters, who died shortly after they were transported from Texas in January 2019.
• He arranged for a camel to be euthanized by a veterinarian who had lost his license.
• He apparently sought flesh-eating beetles before the death of a sick tortoise, allegedly aiming to keep the animal’s shell for “an art project.”

Investigators also alleged that Miller had tampered with evidence to conceal misconduct and that two former veterinarians at the facility had quit after about a year due to concerns over animal care (or, apparently, a lack thereof).

Based on these reported findings, animal control officials recommended 19 criminal charges against Miller as well as charges against his associates, including felony first-degree cruelty to animals for the deaths of over a dozen animals—but the county’s prosecuting attorney’s office has yet to pursue charges against Miller and his then-employees.

A PETA Tip, an Investigation, and a Raid

In October 2019, young Malia died after falling from a climbing structure. A necropsy determined that the cause of death was “blunt force trauma to the head, most likely resulting from the fall” and that Malia had been suffering from “severe emaciation, indications of chronic stress, and older bruising to the body wall that was not associated with the current trauma.” After PETA alerted animal control officials to the incident, they opened an investigation into the facility, during which they seized five animals, including two sloths, two armadillos, and a binturong (bearcat).

A Slap on the Wrist

While animal control’s probe continued, the USDA fined the sleazy operation a measly $7,500 for the deaths of Malia and a tamandua (a type of anteater) as well as the injuries of more than six dozen humans. According to the USDA penalty notification, Debbie Dolittle’s acquired the tamandua and never quarantined him, acclimated him to his new environment, or had him examined by a veterinarian. He suffered from weight loss and was found dead just three weeks after arriving.

The notification also noted that Debbie Dolittle’s had failed to secure a metal ramp adequately in an enclosure housing fennec foxes, one of whom consequently was injured so severely that her leg had to be amputated. And at least 79 members of the public were injured during interactions with animals, including a guest who was bitten and left bloody by an otter.

About six months after the USDA fined Miller—who, according to records uncovered by Pierce County Animal Control, bragged about making an average of over $100,000 a month from his operation—the agency issued him a new exhibitor’s license. In 2021, Miller sold the business to longtime employee Malisa Cloud—whom Pierce County Animal Control also recommended charges against—and she sold it in 2023 to Richard Shanebrook, who maintained close ties to Miller and his animal encounter operation.

Miller and Debbie Dolittle’s continued to rack up citations for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including in March 2024, when the USDA cited Miller for confining two wolves to an enclosure full of standing water and mud, without any dry areas. And in February and April 2024, Debbie Dolittle’s current owner was cited for multiple animal welfare issues by the USDA, including for failing to provide an adequate pool for a solitary penguin.

Miller’s Long History of Failing Animals

This latest probe wasn’t Miller’s first run-in with Pierce County Animal Control. In 2011, officials were called to a property where Miller operated a “goat for hire” business. They discovered around 75 dead animals, including goats and birds, in bags on the property.

Miller also has a history of doing business with Jason Clay, another seedy animal exhibitor who, in December 2023, pleaded guilty to violating the federal Endangered Species Act in relation to the illegal transport of a juvenile chimpanzee. In January 2019, Miller bought five otters from Clay. Animal control reported that two otters had died, one of whom had been suffering from “rectal prolapse, obtundation, hypothermia, and dehydration.” Miller obtained other animals from Clay, including a binturong, a warthog, a young giraffe, and two African penguins.

Miller Relinquished His Exhibitor’s License

In April 2024, PETA urged the USDA to terminate Miller’s license over Pierce County’s findings. Less than two weeks later, Miller’s license was canceled. Some of the animals in his care were moved to Debbie Dolittle’s, while he took others, including a penguin and a sloth, to a roadside zoo in Michigan.

Will Charges Be Filed?

Both PETA and Pierce County Animal Control have called for charges against Miller, but the clock is ticking. The statute of limitations has expired on 14 of Pierce County’s recommended charges, and the five remaining charges will expire within the next year.

What YOU Can Do

Debbie Dolittle’s failed the animals who suffered and died there, but it’s not too late to help others. You can do your part by refusing to visit this sordid facility and all others that exploit animals for profit. Doing so is easy: If a facility offers interactions between animals and the public, give it a pass. Don’t be swayed even if one of these places tacks on the word “sanctuary” or “rescue” to its name—it’s a deceptive ploy that many roadside zoos use to dupe unwitting visitors.

Click below to make even more of a difference for animals suffering at cruel tourist traps: