Wow...Petland Linked to Puppy Mills

[Midwest Morphs]

This is an interesting story about Petland, I just found a store by me few weeks ago, looked like a nice place with a large selection.

Humane Society Website:

Petland Linked to Puppy Mills

Nov. 20, 2008—Today, during a news conference, The Humane Society of the United States reveals the results of an eight-month investigation into Petland Inc., the country's largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores. The results show that many Petland stores across the country are supporting cruel puppy mills, even while telling unsuspecting customers that the dogs only come from good breeders. There are approximately 140 Petland stores in the U.S., selling tens of thousands of puppies each year. In the largest ever puppy mill investigation, HSUS investigators visited 21 Petland stores and 35 breeders and brokers who sold puppies to Petland stores. Investigators also reviewed interstate import records of an additional 322 breeders, USDA reports and more than 17,000 individual puppies linked to Petland stores. According to Stephanie Shain, director of The HSUS Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, "Petland is perpetuating the abusive puppy mill industry, where dogs are treated not like pets, but like a cash crop. They know that consumers won't stand for the cruelty inherent in mass-breeding facilities, so they make outrageous claims to hide the reality that the dogs came from puppy mills. People have a right to know exactly what they are buying, but the real victims are the breeding dogs who are confined to life in a cage for as long as people are duped into buying their puppies."

This is the latest in a series of HSUS investigations exposing abuses at puppy mills, dog auctions, and pet stores around the country. The new Petland investigation revealed:

• Despite assurances by Petland staff and on their corporate website that the company knows its breeders and deals only with those who have "the highest standards of pet care," many Petland puppies come from massive commercial breeders in Missouri and other Midwestern states, where hundreds of breeding dogs are packed into cramped, barren cages—often for their entire lives, with no socialization, exercise, or human interaction.

• When HSUS investigators visited 35 of the large-scale breeding operations linked to Petland stores, they witnessed puppy mills where puppies are factory-farmed in large numbers. At many, investigators saw appalling conditions: puppies living in filthy, barren cages reeking of urine, with inadequate care and socialization.

• Many of Petland's puppies are not supplied directly by breeders but are purchased from a "middle man"—large-scale "pet distributors," otherwise known as brokers—showing that the company may not even know who the breeders are or what their standards of care may be like. The investigation revealed that some of Petland's brokers are also buying from puppy mills.

• Some of Petland's puppies are ordered online via a pet auction website called the Pet Board of Trade—demonstrating that many Petland stores are not screening breeders as the company's website claims. In fact, in some cases it may not even know the breeder's name until after purchase.

• One of the most common sales pitches made by Petland staff is that the company uses "USDA licensed" breeders. However, investigators reviewed publicly available state and USDA inspection reports for more than 100 Petland breeders and found more than 60 percent of the reports listed serious violations of basic animal care regulations. Many USDA breeders exhibit a long history of substandard care and yet remained licensed. While USDA regulations are minimal, some of the Petland breeders are not even complying with these basic animal welfare standards.

• Documented USDA violations at some of Petland's breeders and suppliers included dirty, unkempt enclosures; inadequate shelter from the cold; dogs kept in too small cages; and inadequate veterinary care. Some of the breeders were found with sick or dead dogs in their cages.

Puppy mills are a source of unbearable cruelty where breeding animals are kept in tiny cages without any socialization for the sole purpose of supplying pet stores and the Internet market with puppies. The HSUS urges all of its members and supporters to spread the word about the great suffering associated with these mills, which also contribute to tragic pet overpopulation.

[wolfy-hound]

Seriously? People thought Petland wasn't using puppy mills? Wow. Common knowledge as far as I knew. You should see the delivery trucks when they arrive at oh-god-hundred at night so no one will see the poor filthy pups.

[AaronP]

*sigh* See no evil do no evil, ya know?

[Epona142]

Seriously? People thought Petland wasn't using puppy mills? Wow. Common knowledge as far as I knew. You should see the delivery trucks when they arrive at oh-god-hundred at night so no one will see the poor filthy pups.

This is what I was thinking when I read the topic line. But its still good that its being thrown out there again for those who didn't know, because as much as we try to get the information out there, there will always be people who don't know where these poor babies come from.

And I happened to drive by a Petland when they were delivering puppies . . . out of a enclosed metal trailer in 102 degree Texas heat. I wanted to throw up.

[Midwest Morphs]

Yeah i just seen a petland store not to far from me, it is a new store and I was needing a couple rats so I stopped by there. So yeah this is new news to me, guess i wont be visiting the store again.

[Epona142]

Good for you. Every person makes a difference.

[nixer]

they will take almost any animal your willing to sell them for resale!!!

[JLC]

I saw that story yesterday. I wasn't surprised in the least, but I was very glad to see the truth brought to light. Hopefully public pressure (as well as legal pressures) will shut that operation down and cut off a major revenue source for those awful mills.

[blackcrystal22]

I'm pretty sure this is a false story on old information.

There recently has been a new owner, if you haven't noticed, it was closed for a while. A couple of my friends worked there, and were told that the old owner had many animal cruelty charges and associations with puppy mills. It was pretty well known about 2 years ago as one of the worst puppy mill petstores, and after the first owner was accused of so much, I can't help but think that the second owner would be pretty darn careful about what he does unless he wants his new reputation ruined.

Guys, remember, news is not always 100% true stories. I am taught by one of the people who used to run a news station in California, many stories come up that were older or false, and they didn't check their sources.

This is also odd.

cddvcccHear from a former Petland employee
"People need to see what goes on inside a puppy mill. Once you see it, it hits you."

A petland employee wouldn't see what went on at a puppy mill. They have their animals shipped to them anyway, some of the things could be true, but I'd like to see their sources. I'm not saying this is all 100% false stuff here, it could all very well be true, but I'm entirely sick of people looking at a news story and stating it as a fact.

[lillyorchid]

Not surprised at all