PetLand San Antonio - Petsore cruelty and customer complaints

Iraqi Dog Walks 70 Miles Through War Zone to Join His American Soldier

2008-02-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

Dog walks 70 miles through war zone to find his master

Last Update: 2/12

IRAQ — Their friendship began half way across the world in Iraq, when St. Petersburg native Major Brian Dennis encountered a mixed breed dog in Anbar Province. The dog had been savagely abused and his ears cut off.

The marine decided to call him Nubbs.

In e-mails to his mother, Marsha Cargo in Tierra Verde, Major Dennis wrote how he was “dumbfounded” when he learned Nubbs’ ears were cut off purposely by an Iraqi to make him tough and more alert. Nubbs, he said, was ordained a fighting dog.
Four months passed, and the bond between man and his four legged friend grew. Nubbs, was dealt severe blows in his short life, including being stabbed by a screwdriver. The major shared his distress with mother.

“He tried sleeping with him that night because it was 18 degree temperature and he was afraid he was not going to live through the night. So out of his back pack, he took Neosporin and covered the wound,” Cargo said.

Major Dennis nursed Nubbs back to health…and here is where this friendship takes a remarkable turn: Major Dennis was ordered to move his squadron 70 miles away. He complied.

His mother shared her son’s surprise of a lifetime, “Two days later he was out there working on a vehicle in the front yard and all of a sudden here comes Nubbs. He had tracked Brian 70 miles across the desert in 18 degree temperature while being wounded.”

Despite strict rules, Major Dennis wrote to his mother, he had to help this dog. “I won’t even address the gauntlet. He had to run off a pack of dogs, wolves and god knows what else to get here…when he arrived he looked like he had been through a war zone,” Dennis wrote.

Weeks went by, and Nubbs was dealt another blow,

“Someone told on them that they had the dog and they had 4 days to get rid of him or Nubbs was going to be shot,” Cargo said.

That’s when the Marine made it his mission to get Nubbs to safety. He wrote, “Nubbs was going to America, this dog had been through a lifetime of fighting war, abuse, and had tracked our team over 70 miles of harsh desert (and) was going to live the good life.”

The major started an e-mail campaign that crisscrossed continents. Within two days there was three thousand dollars to bring Nubbs home.

“The hardest part was getting him across the Jordanian border,” Cargo told us.

But, in keeping with the rest of this story, the duo defied the odds. Major Dennis was able to get Nubbs into Jordan. A family here in The U.S. will take care of him there until these friends can be reunited.

American Kennel Club Backs Out of Petland Deal!

2008-02-16T20:22:00.001-08:00

Here’s an update about the amazingly ill-conceived AKC deal with the Petland chain of pet stores. It seems the AKC management have heard all the complaints from across the US from many breed clubs and backed away from the arrangement.

Way to go Dogsters and everyone else who growled their upset into the AKC! You made the difference! You’re the reason puppy mills and their middle demons like the Hunte Corporation will not be legitimized any more than they already are in pet stores like Petland. Good work! Keep up the good work! Working like a pack we can make a difference!

Thanks to Roxie’s mom, Karen for barking in!

Karen wrote:

Hi Joy,
I’m not sure if you have seen this but it looks like AKC has pulled back and is not going through with the Petland agreement. Once again the voices of reason have been heard.

At the September Delegates Meeting AKC reported that we had reached an agreement with Petland in order to facilitate the registration of dogs that are already AKC registrable.
Precedence: bulk

AKC’s Board of Directors and management believed that this agreement would have helped to further the mission of the AKC. Promoting responsible dog ownership to new puppy owners, implementing our care and conditions policies, and exposing more dog owners to AKC educational programs and services would have had even greater reach.

In the past few weeks we have received many comments about this agreement, both positive and negative. We have listened to the concerns and because this issue has become so divisive, we believe it is in the best interest of our sport and the American Kennel Club not to go forward with this initiative.

Ron Menaker, Chairman of the Board
Dennis B. Sprung, President and CEO

Protestors Picket Petland About Over Alleged Puppy Mills

2008-02-16T20:21:00.001-08:00

SAN ANTONIO -- A small group of protestors picketed a Petland store on Sunday, asking people considering a new pet to think of all their options before their purchase.Concerned Citizens Against Puppy Mills picketed the store in the Vineyard shopping center at Loop 1604 and Blanco Road.They urged shoppers to consider adoption when choosing a new pet rather than purchasing a pet from retailers they said are supplied with animals from “puppy mills.”

A “puppy mill” is a breeding kennel that may be harmful to its animal occupants, according to the Humane Society.“In my case, I bought a puppy, and within one day, I found out he was infected with (parvovirus),” protestor Holly Pridmore said. “When I did my research, I found out that my puppy came from a puppy mill and puppy mills are mass breeding facilities that are located all over the United States.”Canine parvovirus – commonly abbreviated as CPV – is an infectious disease passed between contact with infected dogs and attacks the intestinal tract, according to the American Animal Hospital Associaition.Pridmore said people searching for pets should consider other services, such as the city of San Antonio’s Animal Care Services.

Mary of Mentor OH (02/12/08)

2008-02-16T20:20:00.001-08:00

I purchased a Westie from this Mentor Store. Since the first day I brought her home she had diarrhea and blood in it. She did this many times a day. I told their vet that since the first visit that she had this going on. He brushed it off and said he didn't see it in the stool sample. But he gave me medicine to harden up her stool. Some antibiotic. Well 2 visits later and many bloody stools of diarrhea, I went back to the vet. He said that this may be a condition she may have for her lifetime. After she got spayed, by the third visit she still had bloody diarrhea. I called concerned about her swelling after her surgery. The vet was very bothered by me coming back. Of course I had to bring 3 stool samples of bloody diarrhea so he could take his pick at which one to look at. He called me in and wanted me to assist to find the bloody poop. I was shocked. Isn't this his job to do that?

Anyway he asked, "Haven't you ever had a puppy?" Like I should be used to seeing this bloody diarrhea. Well after calling Bob the owner and voicing my concerns to pay for the vet bills, he offered to pay. After falling on the ice from cleaning out the cage and cleaning up about 4 messes in 1 day, I had enough! So I showed up at the shop on a Sunday during a busy time. I took pictures of the dog with a bloody diarrhea, poopy cage. And I went to the local CVS to get big prints made. I walked into the store with our sick puppy, all her food and items and the meds she was on. I flashed the pictures to the lady at the desk. She yelled at me and told me to put them away. Then she had another lady to talk with me. The look of shock from the pictures of the poop said it all.

To make a long story short I said I couldn't clean up 1 more mess and that my back was hurting. So I turned over the dog. They demanded papers on the dog. Well after an hour went by, I marched back up and demanded the papers on the dog back. And I said I wanted our puppy back. Well the worker called Bob. Of course they tried to get me to talk quietly in the office. Well after realizing that I walked out of the office. I was getting an attitude from the owner. So I told him I want a full refund, or I'm going to the news and newspapers. He said if I did that he wouldn't work with me, and that I was being out of control. I told him I didn't plan on buying a sick dog! So he offered to have the dog monitored for a few days until he gets back in town, and then we would talk. I hope I did the right thing to hand over the dog. And I hope he gives me a refund--a full one! Being a young widow with 2 young kids, he really took advantage! But I am not gonna give up. I'll have him and his store on the news if that's what it takes!

I spent over $1,000 on this dog! And I can't afford to have to keep up with the vet visits, etc. I also fell on the ice trying to clean out the cage. I messed up my back.

Guy of Cape Coral FL (02/10/08)

2008-02-16T20:19:00.005-08:00

I bought an Italian Greyhound in the end of 2006. The dog was ill the week after, throwing up and could not hold down food. I took the dog to the Vet linked to Petland; they told me to give her medicated food, and she should be okay in a few days. This dog was not eating or drinking, and was weak. And this was the advice of a Vet. After about 3 hours, the dog was whining and screaming all day. We finally took her to our own vet, and the dog had pneumonia, and was almost dead. We called Petland to state this, and they stated we should have revisited the vet they use, and would not pay the bill. Now the dog has chronic issues, spinal deformity, wobble syndrome, muscle and nerve issues.

The results are this dog will have life-long medical needs beyond my ability to pay. These dogs are supposed to be well breed, and good blood lines; this looks like a mill puppy situation. The papers given when you buy the dogs state pure breed; the results of the dog I have purchased show this as being false. This dog now has to be seen by a nerve and spinal DR in Sarasota to see if this is life-challenging. They need to pay for this dog's medical. and return my money for selling me a sick dog. This is by no means a good experience. I love this dog, and she's family, and we'll do whatever it takes, but this company needs to be held accountable. And I will do whatever to make sure this is known.

Beth of Bremen OH (02/09/08)

2008-02-16T20:19:00.003-08:00

In August 2004, I entered Petland in Lancaster, Ohio. I have been in there quite a few times as I love to pet the kitties, but this time I really looked at the Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier. I had seen him there before, and I used to go in once a week. I of course fell in love instantly. He was 4 months old. His price was $1300.00 but because he had been there so long they were willing to come down to $600.00. Well, I went home, told my husband and he said yes, so I went back to get him. Now, I will tell you he was pretty good--that is for about a week. All of a sudden, his skin turned black and he itched awful. His ears were infected as well. I had already taken him in to their vet for the initial vaccinations and exam, and he was in perfect health they said (of course).

Well he is now 3 years old, on Prednisone every day, on Benadryl every day and has to eat special food that costs $40.00 a bag. I have spent over $2500.00 on vet bills. He is such a good boy, and we all love him so much. I did locate his birth place, and it is a puppy mill. I should learn my lesson, but I went in to a different one last week and found an older lab/basset mix. I probably will get him; someone has to save these puppies.

Marla of Melbourne FL (02/03/08)

2008-02-16T20:19:00.001-08:00

I purchased a Sheltie puppy from the Petland in Viera, Florida on December 21, 2007 for my parents who had recently lost their two Shelties. The same night she was purchased, she started coughing. We took her to Petland's vet as per our contract and were told she had kennel cough, possibly from her vaccination for kennel cough just days before. We were given meds and there was high pressure by the vet to get her next round of vaccinations (which we would have to pay for) while we were there. I immediately lost faith and trust in the vet when they wanted to vaccinate a sick puppy. I declined the vaccinations and all the other supplies that they tried to pressure me to buy while I was there. I did the nebulizer treatment that Petland has in its store for a week, and gave her antibiotics and still she coughed. When I returned to the vet, each time they recommended vaccinating her, and I declined saying I didn't want her to get them while she was sick. Eventually, after a month went by and our puppy was no better, I went back to the vet and was told that Petland would not cover her vet bills, and that our contract was null and void with them, due to not following their vet's advice and getting her vaccinated. I left the vet's office that day telling them that neither they nor Petland care about their pets! I have since been seeing my own vet at the Melbourne Animal Hospital who advised me to hold off on all vaccinations until she gets over this bought of kennel cough. I'm just glad that I did not follow Petland's vet's advice. They just want to make money and don't seem to care about animals.

Kathy of Kenosha WI (01/22/08)

2008-02-16T20:18:00.004-08:00

I purchased a Maltese puppy that was born back in 12-1995: a female. She had a small illness, they covered all costs, and we did take her to our own vet. Then we purchased a male Maltese that was born on 2-1996 after he had been there for months and months.The poor litrle guy was filthy and under weight. We purchased him ONLY because we felt so bad for him. He had a broken tail due to over-crowding, a cold and upper chest infection, ear mites and diarrhea. They paid for all our vet costs again. We paid $799 for the female and talked them down on the price of the male to $550--after telling them I'd make their store go through what they were putting these puppies through! Have never been back there to this day.

They covered everything. Both are wonderful little dogs with bad knee caps and messed up legs.

Diandra of Clermont FL (01/19/08)

2008-02-16T20:18:00.003-08:00

My husband and I purchased a golden retriever puppy on January 8, 2008 from Petland. The following morning we went to their recommended vet because we noticed a green discharge coming from her nose. She has kennel cough. We did not have to pay for that visit because it was covered in our purchase of the puppy. We did however request another fecal sample and giardia test because she also had loose stool. We paid for that out of pocket and were told that the test was negative. We voiced our concern because giardia can be passed to other dogs and to people. We have 4 other dogs and 3 children in the house. Around January 17th, the stool became very loose so I took her to my local vet on Saturday the 20th only to find out in fact she does have giardia which she obviously had when we purchased her 11 days prior. We paid again out of pocket to treat her and now that my other dogs and family have been exposed there is a possibility that they will also have to be treated. When I contacted the pet store and their vet, I was told that they would not pay for her treatment expense because we didn't go to their vet which is the vet that tested her 10 days ago and told us she was negative for this.

We have had to pay $101.00 in vet expenses and will have to pay for more medication in 3 weeks on top of the purchase price of the animal because we were sold a sick puppy. Also my family is at risk for becoming sick with this bacteria along with my other four dogs which will mean more vet bills.

Mary of Sevierville TN (01/13/08)

2008-02-16T20:18:00.001-08:00

On 11/18/07, I bought a papillon for my daughter for her birthday/Christmas gift. When I bought her, she weighed 1.5 pounds. Three weeks later she had a runny stool and occasionally there would be blood in the stool. On 1/08/08, I came home from work and she was lying down and I thought she was dead. A few minutes later my daughter hears her whining and she could not get up. The vet said she was seizing. She tried to save little Daisy, and she finally got her warm because by the time I got to the vet with her she was nearly dead. The vet said she had a bad heart and would never lead a normal life. She called Ms. Adams at the store and Ms. Adams said she personally checks all the dogs herself. So the vet is mailing her the findings and I'm going back to the store to argue my case.

The vet bill came to $158.00 but the vet said it could run higher just to keep her alive. It is a sad thing to have to explain to a child that her dog has to be put to sleep because it has a birth defect.

Jessica of Coal City WV (01/11/08)

2008-02-16T20:17:00.001-08:00

We purchased an Italian Greyhound at PetLand. The dog itself was $1,393.88. (That's not including all of the other stuff we had to get for her.) We had her for 5 days altogether. We took her on the third day for her first vet visit and found out that she had Kennel Cough. So we got the meds for her and started her on them. The next day when we got up she was vomiting and had bloody stool. We called PetLand and told them about the bloody stool, and they told us that it was normal for her to have bloody stool--that it could be from stress. But when her stool turned to nothing but runny blood, we took her to the vet. A Parvo test was run and came back positive. We told PetLand that we couldn't afford to keep her in the vet's, so they gave us a check and told us that if the dog made it through we would have the option to buy her back after she was well.

Well, she died tonight and we called PetLand and told them we paid in cash and we wanted cash back--not a check. So now we are waiting to see if they will do that. Our daughter is 2 years old, and this was her first puppy. We were attached, also. And now we're out a puppy and money for everything that we bought for the dog that can't be used again for another dog because she had Parvo. I think pet stores like PetLand should be closed down. Puppy mills are animal cruelty. If someone like you or me did half the stuff like they do to animals, we would be locked up for life. Why are they still in business? I just don't understand. I will probably be leaving more messages on here when we find out more from PetLand.

Karen of Pittsburgh PA (01/11/08)

2008-02-16T20:16:00.004-08:00

I lost my Yorkshire terrier after 14 years, and a week later walked into Petland to see if I was ready to buy a new dog. The first one I saw looked just like the one I had to put down. Holding her I talked to the manager; she assured me the dog did not come from a puppy mill. I asked if the dog checked out healthy. She said the dog had a respiratory infection, that she had her last dose of medicine that morning, and the vet had just seen her and checked her out. I paid $1899 for the dog; they wanted $2199. The dog only weighed 2.5 lbs. I got home and put the dog down, and as soon as she started moving around she was breathing bad. I called the store, talked to the girl I bought her from, and said this dog is breathing bad; she told me to bring her back to their vet tomorrow. I asked, "Why would I do that when your vet this same day said this dog was fine?" She said if I went to my own vet they would not pay.

I went to my vet. The dog was VERY sick with kennel cough and severe upper respiratory infection. I reported this to Petland and again was told they would not pay. In 6 days I acquired almost $500 in vet bills, I had 2 emergency visits when the dog could hardly breathe, she was put in a nebulizer, 3 types of medicine, etc. I spent every moment for 6 days nursing this dog and had the dog constantly under a vaporizer. When I would call Petland to report these problems there were two times they didn't even ask what dog or my name--just said they were not paying. I do believe that this dog would not have lived had I not bought it. This ordeal has been 2 weeks; the dog still breathes hard in activity. I have also learned the dog has an enlarged heart. When I told Petland this, I was told to show xrays for a refund.

I cannot now return a dog I am attached to. I love this dog. What I want to get from all this is my $500 plus what I paid, in a check not made to me but to an animal rescue organization that I choose. I have filed a claim with all documentation to the attorney general. I am hoping that something can be done to help these dogs that Petland really doesn't care for properly. It is all about business to them.

Mikki of Charleston WV (01/06/08)

2008-02-16T20:16:00.003-08:00

I purchased an English Bulldog from PetLand in Corridor G, South Charleston. The asking amount on the dog was $3700.00. The guy helping me was really nice and he ran my credit and I was only approved for $3000.00 so he cut me a deal which I thought was a good one. He told me that bulldogs are very good around other dogs and are easy to maintain and train. I brought the pup home and he immediatly starting chasing and terrorizing my 2 pound chihuahua and pinned her on the couch. I also had asked the guy if the dog had come from any type of puppy mill or anything like that and he said, "NO, I personally go and check the dogs out and purchase them," and he made it seem like the dog was from the area and he deals will a breeder from here.

Well once I purchased the dog I found that it was from MO and was shipped here. Every time he ate he had runny stool that had blood in it. I tried to keep him in a kennel cage while I was at work and he pooped in the cage, sat and played in it until I got home. The night before I returned him he had runny bowl movements almost every hour of the night. I took him to the vet in hopes that if something was wrong he could write a letter stating that he was unsuitable to be sold but he couldn't find the problem. I returned the puppy the same day I took him to the vet and the woman told me I had to pay 50% of the fee of the dog for returning him or I would have to keep him. She hand wrote my return on the back of my receipt and made me sign it stating I would pay the fee in order to return the dog. She didn't give me a return receipt or anything and when my bill came the full amount of the dog was still on it. So I had to call for a straight week and everytime I called nobody wanted to know any information about me, they just said It's been taken care of. Everyone was extremely rude and unhelpful.

I am now paying $1500.00 for a dog that I no longer have. PetLand messed me over in more ways than one. They take advantage of people and talk up a lot of their sales. I have a dog at home and I was trying to keep her from getting sick from him and looking into his best interest because I knew I could not make a suitable caregiver for him once I got him into my home.

Keri of Janesville WI (01/06/08)

2008-02-16T20:16:00.001-08:00

We rescued a St. Bernard from Petland last July. She had been at the store for over 2 months, and had outgrown the pen space. She had a sign on her cage that stated "make an offer on me, I am too big for my cage." We made an offer, and brought her home. We visited a vet the very next day, and had her vaccinated, and checked. She had a severe rash on her belly, which turned out to be Giardia, a parasite infection from an unclean enviroment. We had to treat this four times before it cleared up. Right away we noticed that she limped, and thought at first it was from being in a cage for over 2 months with no exercise. Not so. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 5 months old, and has severe problems getting up. Because of her bad hips, her knees go out and cause severe pain. We never intended to have a show dog, we saved her to be our beloved friend and companion. Since we paid very little for her, Petland would give us NO guarantee on her health. We LOVE her, and now face many, many expensive vet bills to try to keep her walking and healthy. BEWARE OF PETS FROM PETLAND!

Adrian of Norcross GA (12/22/07)

2008-02-16T20:15:00.001-08:00

Why is Petland still in business? They are selling sick, misrepresented, overpriced animals to unsuspecting, trusting consumers that only want a pet to love and care for. I think that it is sick and someone needs to shut them all down! My gripe is with Petland in Alpharetta, GA. They really got me good! I purchased what I was told was a PUREBRED Yorkshire Terrier for $2100 from them Christmas 2006, and almost a year later I find that my dog is a mixed-breed--NOT a PUREBRED, as advertised. I am trying to resolve this with corporate now because when I addressed this matter about 6 months ago, the store management was rude and very unprofessional.

Debra of Tavares FL (12/19/07)

2008-02-16T20:14:00.002-08:00

I purchased a Papillion Puppy from Petland in Leesburg, I did not know that he was very sick and he almost died. The main thing that he had was Phenomena (among other things). We have saved his life thanks to a wonderful vet. I have tried calling Petland and contacting their corp. office. The store told me that I could send into the insurance company and get $800.00 towards the vet bill and wouldn't talk to me any further, and they didn't care how the puppy was. Their corp. office couldn't even get the store to call them back so they said that they couldn't help either.

My puppy is doing better and is going to live, he was in the hospital for 6 days and he has to keep going to the vet for blood work and X-rays until the Pneumonia is gone and my vet bill is going to go over $2,000 before I am done. He is a part of our family and a wonderful puppy. My point is that this pet store doesn't care and won't even talk to me. I know from talking to people that I am not alone, this has happened a lot to people. There is a warranty for up to the price of the dog but what about the fact that I supposedly purchased a healthy puppy.

He is adorable and weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz. when I got him. The important thing is my puppy is going to be O.K. but it is not right what they are doing. I have all of the vet notes and bills and even a page from the pet store showing were he had lost 3 oz. and they did nothing about it and when you don't weigh much more than that, that is a lot!!!

Mary of Colorado Springs CO (12/18/07)

2008-02-16T20:14:00.001-08:00

Back in 1996 we purchased our Samoyed dog from Petland in Niles, Ohio. Within 6 months our vet diagnosed the puppy with hip dysplasia, and he had to be operated on. Petland made us bring in the Xrays, and a letter from our vet stating that the dog really did have dysplasia. They offered to replace our puppy with a new one, but we were already attached to him, and would not give him up, knowing what they would do to him.

It ended up costing us $2,000 in vet bills, plus he had to be neutered right away so that he would not pass it on to his puppies. He ended up later having an enlarged heart, mammary tumor, and had to be euthenized in July due to stomach cancer. The only thing that Petland would do for us was give us $300 towards his hip surgeries.

Dm of Mulberry FL (12/10/07)

2008-02-16T20:13:00.002-08:00

We purchased a maltese puppy for $1600.00. The papers we received showed a 6 generation bloodline. But come to find out our little guy had only 3 toes (that the doctor missed) and was not show worthy. Now we loved the little guy and therefore did not return him to be destroyed, which was Petlands only response to our situation. Now this was the second strike as the lab we paid $500 for from the same Petland testicles never would drop and he could not be bred. His lineage was also AKC registered. It is my belief that Petland sells dogs that are turned down from other dealers and/or breeders and they buy them at a discount and sell them as though nothing is wrong with them. They know that once the animal is in your home it is hard to give them back, and they let you know that if you give the animal back it is to be destroyed.

Our maltese constantly tries to knaw off his foot, he must be watched and should be medicated for the rest of his life. The lab had to have surgery which cost $450.00. Neither animal will be worth what the papers lead you to believe. They can not be bred.

Janice of Louisville TN (11/18/07)

2008-02-16T20:13:00.001-08:00

I purchased a Maltese puppy from the above Petland on 11/10/07, 1:29 PM, according to receipt. The pup was apparently ill as it died while under the care of a veterinarian four days later.

The cost of the Maltese and supplies (foods and a medication to prevent hypoglycemia) recommended by Petland came to a total of $1,260.58. The vet bill was nearly $300.00.

The monetary and emotional cost has been great. When I called Ms. Adams, she expressed no concern about my loss, financial or emotional. She assured me that there was no warranty on the dog, and expressed no intent to reimburse me for selling me a sick dog.

Michelle of Liverpool NY (11/14/07)

2008-02-16T20:12:00.000-08:00

We purchased a black lab from Petland of Syracuse in February. I brought my kids with me, so the salespeople were aware of their ages (10, 7 and 4). I was assured by the consultant that this breed was a good family dog.

Recently she attacked two of my children, on two separate occasions, causing injury and terror. In both cases, the attack was unprovoked. She has been to training (6 weeks) She has plenty of room to run and gets lots of exercise. She is well taken care of.

After doing some research about the animals that Petland sells, I worried that our dog could have some genetic deficit that casues her to snap. When I called Petland for some advice, the owner, Jeffrey F, would not come to the phone. I was told he would call me back and he did not. He only returned my call after I said that I was putting the dog in the car to bring her to the store.

Once there Jeff explained to me that it was a behavior issue and that we must be training our dog to behave this way. He suggested that I get a personal dog trainer. When I asked about the training that was supposed to be a part of the VERY EXPENSIVE package we got with the dog, he showed me the 1-800 number!!! He sold me a phone number, no real help. This is clearly a dangerous situation, but he offered nothing.

Buyer Beware - Puppies for Sale at PetLand Sonterra - WOAI Investigation

2007-11-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

Check out this video
A Warning To Puppy Buyers

Thinking about adding to your family? A new little lab or maybe a chihuahua puppy. Before you make a decision that could affect your family for years to come, check out what the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters found when we took our hidden cameras and went shopping for a puppy.

It is hard to resist taking one of cute puppy home. They are so cute and so lovable.

But looks can be deceiving. The perfect puppy could be hiding something very serious.

Richard Athie describes the first time he saw his 'best friend', Honey. "I saw my dog and I immediately fell in love with her."

Honey, a golden retriever pup, has severe hip dysplasia, a genetic disorder that will eventually leave her crippled.

"They told me the surgery is going to be between $4000 and $5000," says Richard about Honey's visit to a vet.

Richard bought Honey at Petland in Sonterra for $1,000. He even paid for a guarantee insuring the dog's health, but he says it's not much of a guarantee.

"They won't help fix my dog," claims Richard.

Petland is technically complying with its guarantee. The store contract specifically states that genetic disorders are not covered.

Richard is not the only one who is upset with Petland in Sonterra.

"My daughter and I were running Christmas errands and we said 'let's go in and look at the babies."

Holley Pridmore bought one of those expensive 'babies'. A darling toy poodle, named "Riley", that would be a Christmas gift for the family. Little did she know, the puppy was sick, infected with parvo, a potentially deadly virus.

"It crushed me," says Holley. "We had fallen in love with him."

Petland's contract is clear. It reads that if you buy a sick pet you can return it, for a different pet. But by that time, most have fallen in love with their new family member and just want help making the animal healthy.

"I assumed like all the other consumers that go in there that, at the very least, the puppy that I'm paying all this money for has been screened for one of the major killers," says Holley.

Petland's contract states each puppy is checked out by a vet before being sold, but Holley still spent nearly $1,000 dollars to save Riley's life.

Dr. Andy Anderson is the chief surgeon at South Texas Veterinary Specialists. He says, "I would not go to a retail outlet."

Dr. Anderson adds his office sees a lot of sick puppies coming from pet stores.

"Generally, those, in my opinion, are not the best places to buy pets. They often have more disease and they may have very questionable genetics and have orthopedic problems or infectious disease problems," says Dr. Anderson.

So when you want to add a new family member, where do you go? The Trouble Shooters tried a different route.

We checked out ads in the classifieds. We answered a couple of them and what we found concerned us.

At one location, where small dogs were being sold, the owner asked us, "You're not connected to the Humane Society, are you?"

The puppies looked okay but it was what else the owner said that got our attention.

"There's no such thing as cruelty to your own dogs. You can't be cruel to somebody else's dog, but you could eat yours for breakfast if you want to," he said.

At a second location, the Trouble Shooters entered a house filled with puppies, row after row of cages. And in the garage, there were even more dogs. The smell was overwhelming but the dogs looked clean.

We had Dr. Anderson take a look at what we caught on tape.

"As a dog lover, I have a hard time believing they could be getting enough attention and care to address their basic health needs," he says. "I believe these people are doing what they believe to be appropriate to take care of them. I'm not that comfortable having my new family member come from this environment."

So where do the puppies at Petland come from? We talked to a manager there who says Petland does get puppies from private breeders that she says are licensed by the USDA.

Petland refused to do an on camera interview but did send us a statement saying that in the cases of our viewer's dogs, honey and Riley, their owners were offered "another puppy in exchange or a refund in the form of store credit."

Something Richard refused and so did Holley.

Holley's poodle, Riley, did make a full recovery and Holley now volunteers at an animal shelter. She says she now would rather adopt than buy another dog.

Meantime, Richard is still trying to gather the money to pay for Honey's surgery.

A Progressive Periodical Should Not Run Pet-Store Ads

2007-11-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've received quite a few comments about the inappropriate nature of the Petland ads you were running in the Weekly. For a fairly progressive periodical, I surprised you would agree to run an ad that sends the message that animals serve the same purpose as, say, a pair of roller skates. We have too many animals that end up in rescue because a family spontaneously bought them as gifts without fully realizing the responsibility attached to raising a pet. In addition, many dogs and cats come from mills, where the breeding pair will be bred relentlessly, and then often discarded after they can no longer produce litters. We recently took in a Labrador retriever that had bred every heat cycle in her six years of life, and then was found wandering the streets of Mesa. The breeder gave her away after he couldn't use her anymore, and the subsequent owner didn't want her, so she let her go. Companies such as Petland promote this type of industry by running an ad that states that pets make great gifts.

I understand Petland offers counselors, but that doesn't change the fact that many of these puppies will come from irresponsible breeders. In addition, if a customer wants a pit bull and is willing to pay, I don't see a Petland counselor refusing the money. Surely a hip, progressive newspaper such as the Tucson Weekly would not want to promote irresponsible breeding mills, the overflow of unwanted dogs and the possible unhappy existence of a dog that was a cute holiday gift, but when it got too big, was delegated to a chain and post in the yard.

PetLand - Orlando, FL

2007-11-22T10:45:00.001-08:00

Kim of Orlando FL (11/14/07)
I purchased a puppy from Petland in Orlando, Florida on 7/2/07. The day we brought her home I noticed she had what appeared to be kennel cough. I got her into the vet and her kennel cough had turned into pneumonia. Petland agreed to pay for all services as they sold us the dog in this condition. Now months later my puppy is still sick and is still being treated by the vet all going back to the kennel cough. She has been on medication since we purchased her.

Last weekend I took her in for a re-check since she was still coughing and to my surprise was informed that Petland was refusing to pay for any further treatment. However, she has never been cured of her sickness that they sold her to me with. I was also never given the option to get a new puppy, one with out any medical problems. I strongly believe Petland is selling puppies that they know are sick for outrageous amount of money and then refusing to finish the treatment agreement they originally agreed to.

I now have a sick puppy that cost over $2000 and now also have to pay for all of our visits and medication. This visit alone cost me $110 and I was informed she would need to be brought back for further medication. I have all the receipts for every visit we have taken her to and all of them show the same exact illness that Petland sold her to us with.

PetLand - Teologia, FL

2007-11-22T10:44:00.002-08:00

Michelle of Telogia FL (10/06/07)
My husband and I went to the store and bought a miniature pinscher from the petland in the mall for over $1100.00. The gentleman at the store reassured us that we would recieve our AKC registration papers in a few weeks. Well needless to say, that has been three years ago, and we went to the store more times than I can count and also called many more times. We have always have been assured and promised that they were going to get ahold of the breeder to get my papers. But to no avail have they done so. So my advice if you buy from there: walk out with your AKC papers, and no exceptions....

Cannot get my dog registered so I can breed him with my female AKC registered dog. So I have lost out on 4 breedings and quite a bit of money because of their neglect.

PetLand - Edwards, CA

2007-11-22T10:44:00.001-08:00

Kelli of Edwards CA (09/25/07)
I purchased a puppy from PetLand. As we waited for our puppy to be bathed and ready to go home with us, the top kennel door was left open and the puppy which was kennelled with my puppy fell out onto the ground. This was about a 4 and a half foot fall. Someone picked up the puppy and it was placed back into the kennel.

Furthermore, we live 4 hours from this pet store and spent aproximately $1250 after paying for our pet and food, toys, etc. When the registration papers came in to the store, the store manager refused to send my registration papers to me unless I paid a $10 certified registration fee. I don't think it is too much to ask for PetLand to pay the cost of shipping the registration papers to me after spending such a large amount of money in their store.

PetLand - New York, NY

2007-11-22T10:43:00.002-08:00

Sheila of Ny NY (09/23/07)
Every time we go into this Petland Discounts store, there is a sick or dying betta fish up for sale. Once, the betta was just lying on the bottom of the cup, grey, with visible fin rot, and I told the employee that there was something wrong with the fish. The employee flat out denied it and said, Maybe he's a special fish.

I was totally disgusted (I have two alive and well bettas at home, so I know a sick fish when I see one) and brought him in back to the fish guy, who literally said, My god, he's dying.

He claimed he would medicate the fish, and took him in back. That was the end of that.

That happened a couple of weeks ago. The most recent incident was that I walked into the store, and there was this blue betta obviously very close to dying. He was upright in the jar (totally unnatural for bettas), was gasping for air, had a bloated stomach, and popping eyes (a symptom of the betta disease Popeye, which happens when the water they are kept in is not taken care of). The water was filthy.

I took him in back to the fish guy, who was this kid who obviously didn't know the first thing about fish. He knew enough to think that the betta was dying, though. I asked him if they would medicate him, and he said no.

Totally disgusted, I decided to try to save him myself, and bought him. I put him in another container with nice, clean water, water conditioner, and aquarium salt.

He died within a half hour.

PetLand - Circleville, OH

2007-11-22T10:43:00.001-08:00

Ruth of Circleville OH (09/23/07)
My boyfriend and I purchased a 10-week old english bulldog. We were told the puppy was up to date on all shots and was healthy. As per their guarantee we took the puppy to their vet (North Fork Animal Clinic) within the 4 business days. We were told then the puppy was healthy and looked great. We were given an antibiotic for a small rash on his tummy. We started the antibiotic that day. Later that evening the puppy developed a cough.

The next day, after taking 3 of the antibiotics, we thought maybe he was having a reaction to the meds so we stopped giving them to him and called our vet (who takes care of our other 3 dogs). On Sunday, a normally healthy, super active, super great puppy, would not eat, slept all day, and was hot to the touch.

We immediately called our vet who informed us it was puppy flu and Petland in Chillicothe has been having this problem for about a month. When I called Petland, they said it was an opinion of our vet that there had been no problems. However, they agreed to cover our emergency office call and meds. Our vet even told us that a puppy from there had died from the puppy flu and another from bordatella within the last two weeks.

Luckily we caught ours in time and the puppy should recover. However, we have now infected our other 3 dogs (13, 12 and 2).

PetLand - South Webster, OH

2007-11-22T10:42:00.002-08:00

Terri of South Webster OH (08/08/07)
We purchased a 5 month old English Bulldog from Petland in Ashland, KY. When we were ready to take him home, we were informed that he had swallowed a rubber duck, very negligent on their part if you ask me. When I took him to the vet (the one they used) to see what should be done about the duck, it was then that I learned that he had been there for about 3 weeks with a respitory infection and pneumonia and had almost died while in Petland's care. And he would have respitory problems for the rest of his life.

Oddly enough, when I looked at the daily health report and medical records provided by Petland, there was no mention of the illness or vet stay. They lied to us about his health and even gave us false documentation of his health history. I immediatley called the store manager, Brian, but he refuses to talk to me. I am very upset with the service I have recieved from Petland, but more so the conditions they allowed my pet to live in, and then had the nerve to lie to me directly when I asked if he had had any health problems.

PetLand - Danville, WV

2007-11-22T10:42:00.001-08:00

Angela of Danville WV (06/25/07)

We purchased a 6 week old shih tzu for $1300 from Petland in May 2005. I noticed that the puppy would drag her hind legs when she walked fast or ran. She also had a wierd smell to her and no matter how many times I gave her a bath she would small like oil and her hair was oily. She was also completely infested with fleas. I took her to the vet 2 days later. The vet informed me that the reason she was dragging her legs was because she was kept pinned up in a cage and did not have enough strength in her legs for her to run, and that she would be ok with time. He then informed me that she had mange, fleas, and pin worms. I was furious. He was furious as well.

I ended up paying over $400 to get her treated. When I called Petland to make a complaint I was told by the manager that Petland guarantees every animal we sell and you can bring her back and we'll refund your money. Well, my children, husband, and myself had already fell totally in love with her. I could not take her back. I told Petland that they needed to at least cover some of my vet bills. The manager tried to say that the puppy caught mange from my house and that the others in the cage with her at Petland did not test positive for mange. I then informed them that the vet told me that it took a few weeks for an animal to show signs of mange once they had contracted it and that we had only had the puppy for 2 days. I did not get any money back on the puppy.

PetLand - Liverpool, NT

2007-11-22T10:40:00.001-08:00

Michelle of Liverpool NY (11/14/07)
We purchased a black lab from Petland of Syracuse in February. I brought my kids with me, so the salespeople were aware of their ages (10, 7 and 4). I was assured by the consultant that this breed was a good family dog.

PetLand - Louisville, TN

2007-11-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

Janice of Louisville TN (11/18/07)
I purchased a Maltese puppy from the above Petland on 11/10/07, 1:29 PM, according to receipt. The pup was apparently ill as it died while under the care of a veterinarian four days later.

The cost of the Maltese and supplies (foods and a medication to prevent hypoglycemia) recommended by Petland came to a total of $1,260.58. The vet bill was nearly $300.00.

Brushy Creek Puppy Mill in Houston, Texas - Why You Should Never Buy a Puppy Online

2007-08-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

According to the Humane Society, more than 400,000 people buy puppies online every year, most without ever having actually seen the pet. But while the internet can be a convenient and economical way to buy a puppy, as an INSIDE EDITION investigation found, it can also lead to heartbreak

Eleven-year-old Casey Poore learned the hard way how risky it can be to buy puppies over the internet. Her parents ordered a King Charles Cavalier puppy from brushycreekkennel.com. The dog cost $1000 dollars less than what local breeders were charging.

Casey's dad, Dan Poore, told INSIDE EDITION that they worked out all the arrangements, sent the company a check for the dog and went to pick him up at the San Francisco airport.

"I just wanted to like hug him forever," Casey told INSIDE EDITION.

But within days the puppy started coughing. They say they took him to the vet and found out that he had chronic lung disease, so they sent the puppy back.

It took nine months, but Brushy Creek finally sent a new puppy.

"When we first saw him, he was just shivering and cold, and he was just like very sick," Casey said.

Dan said the dog looked comatose. "He couldn't drink, couldn't eat, and woke up in a pool of his own vomit," he said.

The Poores, who live near San Francisco, say they spent close to $2000 trying to save the puppy, but after two days, he had to be euthanized.

Brushy Creek, owned by David Moore, is actually operated out of a modest looking ranch house in Hockley, Texas, about 40 miles outside of Houston.

Posing as a customer, INSIDE EDITION went to Brushy Creek with a hidden camera.

While there, INSIDE EDITION was shown many different kinds of puppies. It turns out Moore was actually running more than a dozen websites selling various breeds of dogs.

The footage from Bushy Creek shows one filthy schnauzer used for breeding, whose nails hadn't been trimmed in months.

INSIDE EDITION showed the video of the schnauzer to Stephanie Shain of the Humane Society who said of the schnauzer, "This dog is in desperate need of grooming. She is very dirty. That is very likely a mixture of feces and urine and water caked up on this dog's fur."

Carol Ritter, of Houston's Better Business Bureau, says they've received dozens of complaints about Brushy Creek.

"I think they're taking people's money. They're taking advantage of people.

INSIDE EDITION also spoke to Lisa Bushman, a Houston area breeder who used to be in business with Moore. Bushman says he sold her dozens of sick dogs. She sued him and won a nearly $350,000 judgment.

She says Moore would knowingly ship sick dogs to families with kids. "He brags about the fact that once they have the puppy they're not gonna bring it back because it's gonna break the kids' heart," she told INSIDE EDITION.

Working with the Humane Society, INSIDE EDITION ordered a puppy from one of Moore's websites, westiecity.com, for $750. The puppy was shipped from Houston to New York's LaGuardia airport. The puppy was shivering and looked scared when the door on his shipping crate was opened.

The puppy was supposed to be an eleven-week-old Westie, but according to Dr. Andrew Kaplan, the dog was at least 6 months of age. He also had a nasty looking rash on his feet and skin.

The puppy also developed a limp, and the Humane Society took him to another vet, who determined the puppy had hip and knee problems, a sign of poor breeding. He also had an intestinal parasite called giardia, which can infect humans.

Brushy Creek's owner, David Moore, did not respond to INSIDE EDITION's requests for comment. But just recently, several of the websites operated by Moore have been taken offline.

Petland ripoff Beavercreek Ohio

2007-08-17T20:54:00.001-07:00

I went in to Petland to buy a puppy thank God I didn't.They had alot of puppies sick and shaking.We find one that looked healthy then we ask them how much they wanted she comes out not even telling me the price but telling me everything it comes with it any then she said it was microchipped so I didn't want it so she gets a attitude with me and this other woman worker has to join her in being rude. These store should be shut down.

Amber
Miamisburg, Ohio
U.S.A.

PetLand ripoff KENNEL COUGH diagnosed, INFECTIONS ASSAULT FILED Las Vegas Nevada

2007-08-17T20:51:00.001-07:00

I have Fibromyalgia. I am alone all day. My husband suggested buying a small dog for in the house to keep me company. We have three big dogs kept outside. I did a lot of research and decided I wanted a 'Malti-Poo' (Cross between a Maltese and Poodle).

We went to 4 petstores and finally found one at 'Petland' located in Boca Park, las vegas. The store assistant, 'Mike' assured us it the puppy I wanted was healthy and that they have never had a sick dog sold. He stated they only get dogs from USDA breeders. 'Their the best'.

About an hour after we got home the puppy started choking, BAD. I thought maybe she was running around too much. It got worse. I took her to a 24hr vet, as Petland's Vet wasn't open and it was 3:a.m. The Vet diagnosed my puppy with Kennel Cough, an Eye infection and a skin infection and or Mites. I started crying. I was awake until the next day.

I called Petland and told them what happened. I asked how they could sell a sick puppy and not tell me, as I had exposed it to my other dogs. The assistant, 'Joe' stated 'Mike' probably wanted to make a sale. He said to return the puppy and supplies for a refund. I went in that day, it was very hard, as I loved little Maddy. But in my condition I couldn't take care of a sick animal. Joe took the puppy and cage, etc and said call 'Karin' Monday for a reimbursement check.

I called Monday spoke with the owner, 'Karin' and explained what happened, again. When I brought up the Kennel Cough and that 'Mike' didn't acknowledge it to me prior to my purchase she became very hostile. She stated 'You know I don't have to give you back anything'. I told her had we known the puppy was sick we would never have bought it! She wouldn't listen she said she would call me after she got my Vet's report. I told her I had them fax it 15 minutes ago. She said she would get it and call me back, she never did.

My husband and I drove to Petland. We asked for Karin and waited at the counter. Karin approached with two checks in one hand and a plastic bag with a stuffed animal in the other. As she handed me the checks I noticed they were not for the full amount we gave them and didn't cover the vet medication or office visit. I told Karin this was unacceptable, she replied with 'Well I don't have to give you anything if I don't want to'! I couldn't believe her attitude. I was the victim. She told me that they don't usually do this and to consider myself lucky. I was ready to blow.

Karin went on and on about the warrenty. I said 'Look you sold us a sick puppy and we thought it was choking your vet wasn't open so we brought it to ours.' It even stated in their contract that if it was proved that the puppy was sick prior to purchase they would pay for the vet visit. She wouldn't listen and was becomming more aggrivated with me and my story. She was very cold and had no customer service qualities. She could have cared less what I went through with the puppy, not to mention the stress it put on my body. Having Fibromyalgia any stressful event causes a 'flare-up', she didn't care.

I was getting madder by the minute. I wanted my money back. She then handed me the plastic bag with the stuffed animal in it and said 'This is yours I can't refund you because it was used by the puppy'. I said 'It's contaminated I can't use it and I would have never bought it had I known the puppy had Kennel cough.

THEN SHE SPOKE: 'How do I know your dogs didn't contaminate our puppy with Kennel cough?!!' That was it, I went off in a rage. I told her first of all I only had the puppy 6 hrs. and it was diagnosed by a certified Vet. Second my dogs are over 6 & 10 years old. I stopped... my anger was building. I couldn't deal with this ignorant woman any longer. I grabbed the checks out of her hand and through down the plastic bag with the stuffed animal on the counter. My husband and I proceeded to leave as she was still yelling at me and 'Joe' yelling That I'm banned from the store and they have my picture on their camera.

I immediatly went to the bank across the street to cash the checks. When I approached the counter I noticed a truck hauling through the parking lot into the bank. IT WAS HER and her husband. They started to argue with us in the bank and put a stop payment on the checks right then and there.

Here's the beauty of it all, the husband 'BRAD' said he was pressing charges against me for assault on his wife. My husband is a pretty calm person, but that was enough to make him blow. My husband said 'what are you talking about', 'My wife didn't touch your wife'. Brad wouldn't comment. He wasn't even in the room when all this took place. I couldn't believe this. Now I'm having charges against me for arguing with his wife. I got very upset and started to shake. I told him it's illegal to press false charges on a person. He said 'Well at least we got your money and you got nothing'. I told him he couldn't stop payment on the checks his wife just gave us, but the bank allowed him to do it.

I'm very confused, I returned the dog and cage, supplies, etc. submitted a Vet report, called them the next morning when they opened in regards to the dog, did every thing they told me to and now I'm out $918.86, have no dog, an assult filed on me (falsly) and I am totally stressed out.

I didn't know what to do. I filed a report with the BBB and I set an appointment to do a 'neighbor civil meeting'. It's where you try to work it out prior to filing in small claims. Then I found your web site. I know you probly can't do much for me, but it sure calmed me down reading other peoples misfortunes with petshops, including 3 about Petland. I also plan to contact my local news. Possibly 'picket' in front of their store. Do you know if there are any laws for a person to hold a sign in a parking lot regarding the store behind them? Isn't a parking lot private property?

Well thanks for listening.

I WANT TO WARN YOU, 'DO NOT BUY A PUPPY, OR ANY OTHER ANIMAL FROM PETLAND' 99.9% it came from a puppy mill!! Don't support them!! Don't buy their products either. SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!!

Kristina
Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S.A.

STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about “consumer confidence" when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!

Report: Debby's Petland - New England Pet Centers INC

2007-08-17T20:49:00.001-07:00

My daughter bought a 'pug' dog from debby's petland in Nashua New Hampshire 8/29/03 at closing time. the begining of labor day weekend, 8/30/03 late at night my wife noticed something funny about his eye but it wasn't bothering him so we figured we'd wait and see. 8/31/03 upon awakening we noticed that 'Sulleys' (the 9 week old pug) eye had clouded over and waited for the pet store to open, when it finally did we were told to call their vet, which I did and discribed the problem to him, he stated that he worked for Debby's and didn't have a office

I could bring the dog to BUT I should get him looked at right away, we found a open vetrinarian office in Nashua N.H. and brought Sulley to them, they stated that we need to get him to a specialist right away and THEY called one in woburn Massachusetts, (Mass Referial Hospital) we brought Sulley there, they kept Sulley overnight, The next morning (monday) we received a phone call from mass referial, Sulley's eye had ruptured and we were to meet the opthamoligist at Bulger hospital in Andover Massachusetts, we went to Woburn to pick Sulley up and then drove to Andover, they checked Sulley out and said his eye would have to be removed, they also had noticed that Sulley has a upper respitory diesease that debby's told us was 'Kennel Cough'.

The vet stated that we should get over any emotional ties we had with the dog and bring him back to the store and gave us a letter on Hospital stationary stating the same, we brought Sulley back to Debby's in Nashua and was told that they wouldn't take him back, a employee also stated 'he was fine when he left here, you must have broke him' So there I was, with a sick dog, and NO MEDICINE, for either his eye or his respitory problem or his pain. So back to bulger hospital We went with Sulley, there they gave him something for his problems and gave us the name of the MSPCA hospital and said they would do the operation cheaper for us, now Sulley's eye had been removed and he still has the respitory problem but he funtions like a normal dog execpt you can't exercise him because of the respitory problem. now I'm in the process of suing.

Rick
Lowell, Massachusetts
U.S.A.

The Puppy's Plea

2007-08-17T20:37:00.002-07:00

Here I lie, alone in my cage
The breed that I am is all the rage.
I came here from a puppy mill,
A place where dogs are bred until killed.
I remember my mother,
Her fur soft and sleek,
She, too, lived in a cage,
She was so small and weak.
I was only a baby,
Just 2 months old,
When I was taken from Mother,
I was hungry and cold.
I was shipped off in a crate,
All scared and alone,
I didn't know where I was,
But I knew I wasn't home.
There were other pups too,
Every one lost and confused.
I was starving and thirsty,
So were the rest.
I wanted my mother;
I know she's the best.
I arrived in the pet store,
Wishing for comfort,
But all that my heart felt
Was sorrow and hurt.
My paws ached from walking on grids,
When people came, I always hid.
Here I still lie, alone in the store,
You want to take me home,
And make me yours?
Please, oh, please,
Don't take me home,
For if you do another pup,
All cold and alone,
Will be sitting here,
Another dog in need of an owner,
Another puppy away from its mother,
I'll stay here, I can do it,
Just leave me here,
There's nothing to it,
If you walk out of the store,
Puppies will come here never more,
And no dog will have to live like this,
Cold and alone, without a home.
Nobody should have to live like this,
That's my one and only wish.
***

Let Me Play Before I Die
by Jim Willis, 2002

'Tis lonely here in prison,
I dream of sun, of fields,
I saw them from a window once,
but I don't know how they feel.
I've never known a caress,
a friend, a bone, a toy,
I'd happily companion,
a human girl or boy.

But some men have decided,
with selfishness and greed,
that my fate shall be a cage,
and for my keep, I'll breed.

What should fuel this folly?
My kind may bark in vain.
We care not for your commerce,
and few know of our pain.
We're hidden well from justice,
for our freedom some may cry.
God grant me, please, just one request--
Let me play once before I die.

Petland in Rome, Georgia - TERRIBLE!

2007-08-17T20:37:00.001-07:00

This place has been reported for animal cruelty numerous times, and yet is somehow still in business. The last time I was there, none of the herps' cages had been cleaned in what had to be over a month, they all had dirty water, some of them were literally crawling with mites, and there was a several day's dead leopard gecko in the cage with the rest of the live ones.

Opening of New Petland Store Draws Protesters

2007-08-17T20:36:00.001-07:00

When the new Petland opened in Mount Vernon, Ohio last Saturday, about 15 people showed up to protest against puppy mills. The protesters are from a group called "People Against Puppy Mills", and sought to educate customers as to where Petland gets its dogs from.

Spokeswoman Valarie Kirk of Columbus said there are great dogs in shelters where people can select a pet at lower cost, and also save a dogâ€™s life. Chasity Burress, Utica, said she was on the protest line, carrying a sign to educate people that most of the animals from Petland come from puppy mills. She said people need to know puppy mills can be very horrid places.

I checked the Petland website to see if it said anything about where they purchase their puppies from. I found the following:

Our registerable pets come from professional and hobby breeders who have years of experience in raising quality family pets. Petland puppies and kittens are checked by at least two and in most cases three veterinarians before being offered to our customers. Trained Petland kennel technicians check the health of our puppies and kittens every day. Weight, temperature and eating habits are monitored and records are kept.

Petland has 114 stores in the United States, and 52 stores in foreign markets.

An independent testimonial regarding Petland's treatment of animals.

2007-08-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

I received the following email and have Shari's permission to reprint it. I have removed her last name to protect her privacy.

I bought a blind shih tzu puppy. He's so sweet. I paid $700 for him. After the vet faxed them a declaration about his condition, they had the nerve to call me and tell me they would give me back $450 and sell me the blind puppy for $150. Talk about slime.

Shari in St. Louis

Follow-up email after requesting permission to add her emails to this page:

Oh please make my day. They finally agreed to give me 2/3 of my money back - they actually charged me $150 for my little blind puppy. I quit trying to dicker with them. Now since this happened, I went back in a couple of petstores, and it is just so blatant that these petstores, like Petland, are perpetuated by animal cruelty. I didn't believe it until this happened. I didn't think people would sink that low. Petland was bright and cheerful. We have named him Chocolate - and he is so precious. They wanted us to bring him back and exchange him - and we said no way because they would just destroy him in some horrific way - ( I read what they do). The vet said that something was wrong with the nerve in his eyes, I hope they didn't hit him or throw him around. Lucky we have the other shih-tzu. They play all day and Gizmo is always protecting him. He'll be just fine. Everybody thinks he is so sweet. Thanks for everything you do

Shari in St Louis

My ex-wife's experience with Petland.

2007-08-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Judi's Story

It was apparent fairly early that Maggie was sick. She had a kennel cough that required antibiotics to stop. (Kennel cough is highly infectious and is quite common in puppy mills.) She had some rectal bleeding but this turned-out to be due to some ham-handed care from the veterinarian who saw her. She has some extra teeth that will require surgery to remove. (You may wonder why my ex-wife and I bought her and the answer is that she wasn't coughing at the time and I didn't know enough to check her teeth, etc.)

We never received the papers that were promised and we discovered the price charged was almost twice as much as is typically charged by professional Shih Tzu breeders. We clearly failed to research the purchase but we never dreamed we could be making such a mistake in dealing with an apparently harmless little store.

All in all, there is hardly a word that was told to us by the people in Petland that was true.

If you are not familiar with the criteria important in evaluating the dog, take it to a vet. You wouldn't buy a car simply because you liked the color, so don't buy a puppy just because you like its coat. And don't be so sure that the puppy's coat color will remain true! Check the look of both parents because that's the only way you're going to be sure you'll like the appearance of the puppy when s/he is an adult. While they shed very little, their hair does grow very quickly and the cute puppy color may change completely by the time s/he becomes an adult. Also, if the parents have unruly hair, you can expect a great deal more maintenance. Their hair matts very easily and all the more if the hair is programmed by genetics for unruliness.

The following information regarding the Shih Tzu's overbite / underbite was contributed by Charlee B from the Puget Sound Shih Tzu Fanciers:

It is not terribly uncommon for Shih Tzu to need to have baby teeth pulled. When you buy them, you will have no way of knowing if this will be an issue, as it is not until their adult teeth come in that you see baby teeth not coming out as they should. They should be removed at 6-7 months if they do not come out on their own. If you are neutering the puppy, it is good to combine procedures at this time.

Also, Shih Tzu are actually SUPPOSED to have an underbite- though it is better if it is slight. It is even called for in the breed standard, and what would be considered a good bite in another breed is a fault in Shih Tzu!

Check the dog for an inguinal hernia. While this is fairly common in the breed, you should be aware of the potential before you buy the dog. You won't want to subject your dog to surgery unless absolutely necessary.

It's difficult to tell with a puppy but the stance of the dog is important. It should be cocky without being aggressive.

Don't take a puppy home before it is eight to ten weeks old. To move them out quickly, some breeders will wean them very young. The puppies are extremely cute at that age but you do them no favor if you take them home too soon.

If you're not a breeder, don't plan on becoming one as a hobby. It isn't a hobby, it's a profession and should be left to professionals. I'm not snooty about extensive breedlines but I do know that dogs without them are more likely to wind up in the pound when people abandon them.

We didn't get the 'best' dog I might have but she was still a great pal and remains one to this day for my ex-wife. My only point is that you should always deal with a professional breeder. Ask for pictures of the parents and perhaps the grandparents as well.

In closing, please don't let me deter anyone from buying a Shih Tzu. They are absolutely charming little dogs. As with just about everything else, know your dealer.

P.S. I've received an indignant letter from an owner of a Petland store and he claims his is not run like the one I've described. Perhaps not but there are two of them within five miles of my original home and both of them work the same way: Their salesfolk work on commission and they sell extremely over-priced, badly-kept animals.

Petland, Hunte Corp, and Puppy Mills 2007/08/11 20:14

2007-08-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Two days ago we planned to visit Jungle Jim’s for the first time. I was excited at the prospect of scoping out its well-known exotic and unusual atmosphere and merchandise; unfortunately, I visited its Web site: www.junglejims.com, and I discovered by clicking on “Jungle News” that it will also soon be known for its business ties to Petland. Petland is a franchise whose owners purchase most of their dogs from a group called the Hunte Corporation. So what, right? Well, the Hunte Corporation purchases most of its “merchandise” (i.e., puppies) from one of the saddest, most warped institutions still legal in this country: puppy mills. If you know little about the term “puppy mills,” please visit this Web site www.stoppuppymills.org. A warning for those who have even the slightest fondness for dogs–the information is extremely unsettling. I wrote to the owners of Jungle Jim’s asking them to please research the Hunte Corporation more thoroughly before going through will their business dealings. Jungle Jim’s has a lot of influence in its community. If the owners choose to, they could help puppies, dogs, cats, kittens, birds, et al.…not support a system that hurts them. Just to be fair, I visited Petland’s Web site, too. The writers claim that Petland is extremely humane and ethical; they even go so far as to deny any claims by shelter organizations and concerned pet owners: “We know that members of some animal rights groups would have you believe that all pet store puppies are bred and raised in substandard facilities. This is untrue. Petland also disagrees with the agenda of animal rights groups that would deny people the right to own and live with companion pets.” The absurdity of this second statement is laughable and only reveals the length of the writers’ manipulation. The people accusing Petland of cruelty are the same people who work for shelters and who want to give these poor dogs good homes. They are the same people who own and love dogs themselves. They are you and I. We will only perpetuate this disturbing cycle by purchasing a puppy from many existing pet stores, including Petland. We shouldn’t even buy a flea comb there. If we care about animals, let’s shop someplace that doesn’t support puppy mills! I realize most of you already know of all this, but I’m sure that a small percentage of the pet-loving population would like to be made aware. If at all possible, please adopt from a shelter; otherwise, be bold and do some research to ensure that your chosen breeder is a reputable one. For the dogs. Thanks, guys.

Should You Buy That Doggie In the Window?

2007-08-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

by Dave Gibbons

It’s Saturday afternoon, and you are walking down main street doing a little window shopping, when you come across a pet store. As you peer into the window, you see a cute and cuddly puppy just sitting there staring at you, pleading with you to buy him. So you think, “Why not, we could use a new member of the family, and this would be a great surprise.” Buzzzzz! Wrong Answer! The problem with pet stores, is that most of them get their puppies from puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial mass-breeding facilities, located mainly in the Midwest, that churn out litters of puppies to sell to pet stores. The cute puppy that you see sitting in the window, is probably another product of a puppy mill. Puppy mills are notorious for their cramped, crude, and filthy conditions and their continuous breeding of unhealthy and hard-to-socialize animals. It is a known fact that pet stores keep puppy mills in business.

The vast majority of dogs sold in pet stores, up to half a million a year, are raised in puppy mills. Puppy mill kennels usually consist of small wood and wire-mesh cages, or even empty crates or trailer cabs. “All dogs are kept outdoors, and the females dogs are bred continuously, with no rest between heat cycles. The mothers and their litters often suffer from malnutrition, exposure, and lack of adequate veterinary care. The continuous breeding takes its toll on the females; they are killed at about age six or seven when their bodies give out, and they no longer can produce enough litters” (Ahrens 1). The caretakers of the dogs have no feeling or compassion towards the dogs at all. They are just a business to them, and could care less about their suffering.

The mother dogs and “studs” spend lonely lives in small filthy cages, producing litter after litter. Recently, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) found dogs at one puppy mill living on hard wire with no bedding, little protection from the searing hot summers or the frigid winters, and little or no veterinary care. “Crusted, oozing eyes, raging ear infections, mange that turned into a mass of red scabs, abscessed feet from the unforgiving wire floors - all were ignored or inadequately treated. The collar on one Labrador retriever had not been adjusted, as the dog grew, and had become embedded in his flesh. Sadly, many of the old mother dogs had gone mad from confinement and loneliness” (Pet Stores and... 1). They circled frantically in their small cages and paced ceaselessly back and forth. Unfortunately, these are the conditions in hundreds of puppy mills across the United States. Laws offer little protection and are poorly enforced by the Department of Agriculture.

By the time the puppies are taken away from their mothers and shipped across the country to pet stores, many of them suffer from ear infections, bronchial illness, and serious congenital health problems. Some of these health problems include hip deformities, epilepsy, and vision or hearing problems” (Pet Stores and... 1). People then find out that the puppies they have paid hundreds of dollars for, also need thousands more for veterinary care. Once the puppies reach the pet stores, this hellish trip continues. “A employee of Petland, a national chain of pet stores, reported the puppies arrived in boxes, caked with their own feces and urine, frightened, hungry and barely weaned. For two weeks, they were kept in crowded cat carriers, where they couldn’t even escape their own waste. Their cries for help filled the back storage room. Another employee told the horror of seeing tiny puppies having convulsions. Instead of calling a veterinarian, the puppies were left without care, and several were dead within 24 hours” (Pet Store Scandal 1). This terrible neglect is not confined to only dogs. Many animals suffer from being in pet stores. At a pet store in Virginia, fish tanks with algae-laden water contained as many dead fish as live ones. “Birds with fractured wings and broken beaks were shoved into tiny cages and left without veterinary care. Two inches of feces covered the bottom of the birdcages. Store employees kept small mammals caged in the bathroom”(Pet Store Scandal 1). No animals should have to suffer through these horrible conditions. Customers at a Wisconsin Petco, saw employees kill fragile, ill parakeets by twisting their necks until they snapped. Ailing or injured animals were stuck in the freezer, where they slowly froze to death.

Many people claim, “But the pet store owner I got my puppy from told me that he came from a good home, and he was well loved and cared for.” Or maybe, “Oh, the pet store I got my puppy from doesn’t get their animals from a mill!” Dateline NBC visited many pet stores and heard from them many times that their puppies weren’t from puppy mills. They stated that they would never buy from mills, just reputable breeders. “The owners gave them pictures of puppies being raised in a cardboard box in the corner of the kitchen. Dateline then tracked puppies from these same stores, including one of the most upscale pet shops in Manhattan, back to the same puppy mill in Kansas where they found such awful conditions. Puppy mills stay in business because no matter how good a pet store’s intentions are, the only way to have all those different breeds at any one time is to deal with a puppy mill. It’s all based on economics" (Pennington 1).

There are many things the public can do if they want to keep this atrocity from happening. First and foremost, everyone has to stop buying from pet stores. The reason puppy mills are still around is because people are buying their pets from these stores. Many people say, “well, I wanted to rescue that cute one in the window and give him a good home.” The answer to that is you did give him a good home, but you took lives from thousands of others by keeping the pet store in business. Another thing you can do to help out is report signs of abuse in pet stores. Whining or crying, a strong odor, ill or crowded animals on display, are all good indicators that it is a bad pet store. Another way to help, is to contact your state and federal representatives and voice your opinion. Tell them that bills should be passed and enforced to save helpless animals from suffering under these conditions. Finally, tell everyone you know to stay away from pet stores. Let society know what is happening behind closed doors. If you have the time, resources, and love necessary to care for a dog properly, adopt one from either a shelter or pound. If you must have a particular breed, you may be surprised to find that 25 percent of shelter dogs are purebred. Only when people refuse to support pet shops, puppy mills, and breeders, will this chain of misery be broken. Next time you stop to look at that doggie in the window, think of all the painful and horrible things, it has been through, and do something positive to end the atrocities of puppy mills.

Boycott Henderson Petland

2007-08-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Petland in Henderson Nevada gets there puppies from two individual brokers. The names of the brokers are Hunte and Lambriar. The brokers buy there puppies from thousands of different kennels, breeders or what we call puppy mills. The brokers never visit these puppy mills and in most cases never even see the way the dogs are raised and there living conditions. Most breeders at these puppy mills meet the brokers at gas stations and convenience stores along the interstate. Some of the WORST kennels / puppy mills in the country sell to Hunte and Lambriar.

Once the puppies are in the "care" of the broker, they are then pumped full of nutrients, antibiotics, vaccines, dewormers, given a microchip, groomed and shipped off to Petland and other pet shops around the world. These brokers own a fleet of semi-trucks that are customed designed to haul hundreds of puppies at a time to Petland and other pet stores across the country.

By the time the puppies reach Petland stores, they have already changed hands AT LEAST three different times. They have been exposed to many different diseases, terrible living conditions, severe cold or hot weather, lack of nutrition and several other issues that weigh in on there health or lack of. Some of the puppies do not even make it to there destination or they are too ill when they do. That is when the puppies are either "exposed of" or sold for lab research, because at least they can make something off this poor innocent life.

So then you come along. Look at that adorable puppy. The eyes are just begging you "please take me home"! You ask questions. Where did this puppy come from? Is she AKC certified? Does she have a warranty? What about vet visits? Everything you hear sounds so good. Too good to be true. That is because it is. Always listen to the voice in the back of your head.

So you make the purchase, even though the price is outrageously marked up. You are a little hesitant, but this puppy needs you! She is so cute and you have instantly fallen in love. You convince yourself that you have done the right thing and that money is no object when it comes to a lifelong companion.

Oh no!! Why is your puppy coughing? She seemed fine yesterday. She is not drinking or eating much either. This is terrible. What can you do? You call Petland and they tell you that you are more than welcome to come down and choose another companion in exchange for your sick puppy. WHAT??!! That is insane! You love your puppy. She is counting on you to help her. Who else will? The resource kit that came with your puppy states “Pets for a lifetime". You can't trade in your puppy. They have tricked you.

If only you had done more research before you purchased your puppy. But you trusted them. They wouldn't lie right? Wrong. Your puppy came from a puppy mill. Your puppy’s parents are still at that mill. That mill where they will spend the rest of there lives, until they are no longer worth anything to the breeder. Then they are sadly exposed of.

Cages upon cages cramped full with dogs that are bred over and over again until there uterus literally turns to mush. There urine and feces falling on the cage below them. The odor is so strong that dogs and puppies literally go blind from it. The metal from the cages dig into the dog’s legs and feet as they try to turn around in an area too small to even lie down or sit up straight in. This is the only environment that these dogs will ever know. This is home.

By purchasing a puppy at Petland you may have thought that you saved your puppy's life. Well, you may have, BUT, the second you bought your puppy you better believe that the store was on the phone ordering two more to replace it.

We live in a money hungry world. It is all about commission and sales. If we continue to purchase puppies from Petland the demand for more puppies will increase. So as hard as it is, leave the puppy there. I know it is hard. Walk away. Spread the word on what is going on at Petland and other stores that sell puppies. We can fight this uphill battle one puppy at a time.

The sad truth behind the puppies at PetLand

2007-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Pet stores acquire their puppies from "puppy mills," literal factories where breeding dogs live their entire lives cramped in filthy cages. While millions of forgotten dogs (and other animals) are killed in our nation’s shelters, the unfortunate dogs in puppy mills are forced to produce litter after litter until they die. Even though our nation's shelters are overflowing with unwanted animals – an amazing twenty-five percent of which are purebred dogs – puppy mills continue to generate millions of dollars for the unscrupulous pet industry.

In an effort to break this tide of misery and death, IDA is targeting Petland, the nation’s largest pet store chain, and a major retailer of puppies, kittens, and other small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

IDA has documented shipments of puppies to Petland stores – they operate an amazing 123 stores in the U.S. and 57 more foreign outlets – from large Midwestern puppy mill breeders and dealers. One Petland supplier, Do-Bo-Tri Kennels, recently surrendered over 140 puppies to authorities in Nashville, TN after the puppies had been left unattended overnight inside a vehicle with no air-conditioning. Charges against the driver were eventually dropped after the dealer agreed to relinquish custody of the puppies.

Puppies are routinely shipped overland by truck or by air as cargo, often traveling hundreds of miles to pet shops across the country. Injuries and fatalities en route to pet stores are common and deplorable, yet they pale in comparison to the conditions their parents endure until their death at the mills. The euthanasia of millions of animals at shelters due to a lack of adoptive families compounds the tragedy of mill animals enduring a miserable existence to satiate the demand for their offspring.

While the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for inspection and enforcement of regulations pursuant to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), conditions for animals at these federally licensed facilities range from bad to worse.

Do-Bo-Tri Kennels, a major supplier of Petland puppies, has been repeatedly charged with violations of the Animal Welfare Act

PetLand Complaints

2007-08-15T19:45:00.001-07:00

Angela of Danville WV (06/25/07)

Sheera of Waxhaw NC (04/27/07)

I used to work at this facility about a year ago. I quit because of the horrible things that were occurring on a daily basis. I have been a veterinary nurse for 4 years now, so I of course knew better than most, if not all, of the employees I was working with at the time. Every single puppy and kitten was sick. They all received the same exact treatment without proper diagnostics or proper dosing techniques for each medication. Every puppy that was shipped in had bloody diarrhea. Additionally, they all had kennel cough. They were all given the same amount of antibiotic and cough suppressant no matter how big or small they were.

If the puppies were coughing, they were placed in a nebulizer with a specified amount of liquid that should only be dispensed by a veterinarian. The worst part of all this is that when I told my fellow employees that these symptoms the puppies showed were NOT normal at all and could turn into something serious if not treated immediately and properly, they simply replied that the manager said that they all come in that way (meaning with bloody diarrhea and/or coughing) and that it was fine.

Each Petland has a veterinarian that is supposed to check each puppy that is shipped in. I never once saw them be examined by the vet. In fact, I never saw the vet enter the store at all. These puppies come from puppy mills. They are tube-fed on a truck as they are each delivered to their pet store destination. Tube-fed means that a tube is inserted into the esophagus so liquid food can be introduced into the stomach. However, this is often done by people who are not properly trained to do this and the tube ends up in the animal's trachea.

They were not exercised regularly. They are only removed from their cages when someone wants to look at them to buy them, or when they are being moved to a different cage. This means that many dogs sit in those cages for days and days and days. They are not played with or loved on if a customer does not want to look at them. I was so disgusted with the treatment of these poor puppies, and with the fact that this store was allowed to do business like this, that I quit without notice after 2 weeks.

Kenneth of San Antonio TX (04/11/07)
I bought a dwarf rabbit for my girlfriend at PetLand as a surprise. I had done a little research on caring for rabbits before I bought him but obviously not enough. When I bought Mr Bunnysworth the kid working the register handed me about $120.00 worth of stuff and said this was everything I needed for the rabbit. It was all the wrong stuff.

The crude protein was too high, he never mentioned buying any hay or grass, said to use pine or cedar shavings, which is completely wrong for rabbits and sent me home with Guinea Pig food saying they were out of Rabbit food but this was perfect for it anyway.

Poor Mr Bunnysworth died of GI stasis within 2 weeks. By the time we realized he was hurting and took him to the vet they said it was too late, he died at the vets office in obvious severe pain.

I didnt want anything back from PetLand but I was furious that they gave me such wrong information on how to care for a bunny.

We now have 3 healthy bunnies (6 months now) from a local breeder who has a great reputation, these rabbits and friendly, healthy and we have all the necessary information to keep them that way for years. I feel terrible my first bunny died in such pain, and I place the blame squarely on bad information and terrible practices at PetLand for sending us home with everything but what the bunny actually needed.

Victoria of Racine WI (04/06/07)
I purchased a Beagle puppy from Petland in October of 2005. When I got him he was quite small. Although I was told he was 9 weeks old, he only appeared to be about 6 weeks. He wasn't a very active puppy when I first played with him, but the sales person assured me that it was because he was so young. When I got him home, he was quite sleepy, and for the next day or so he did nothing but lay around. I took him to the vet immediately, and they actually kept him at the vet's home for a week for around the clock care. they told me he had dog flu, and potentially pnuemonia. They told me to prepare for the worst.

As luck would have it, I did get my puppy back after about a week, and at first everything was fine. However, as time passed on, I noticed that his teeth looked odd, so I took him back to the vet. It turns out that either due to his illness or due to genetics, my 10 month old puppy had teeth in the decrepit condition of a 12 year old dog. They will probably all have fallen out before he turns 4. And he also has a sort of acid reflux, in which every morning, he vomits stomich bile. I could set a watch to it. It is very painful to see.

Petland did honor their 21 day warranty, in which they cover all vet bills and meds for any problem that comes up within 21 days. Also, I was given a refund for my dog's genetic issues, but here's the kicker...it was an instore credit. Like I want another problem puppy from a mill. And even if I had gotten actual cash back, it wouldn't even begin to compensate for the problems that lie ahead.

My dog will need a special diet for dogs with no teeth. Will he be able to play tug of war or chew bones, or fetch? Is he in pain? What about his throat? I don't even know if it will heal or if it will continually wear down. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know that Petland doesn't care.

During the time the genetic issue arose, I had taken a job at this Petland, and kept it for about 7 months. I can't begin to tell the horrors both to the puppies, and also to the customers. I know now that these are truly corrupt businesses, and I have seen the full truth in puppy mills and the type of people who support them.

Jaclyn of Tampa FL (03/31/07)

We saw an adorable female yorkie, she was $2400, and we took her home that night. She went to the free vet check said everything was fine. Few days later we had to take her back to the vet. She had a lump on her back and was dragging on the floor as they do if they have parasites. The lump was from the infected microchip and came back having three types of worms, 2 that are very contagious and even humans can get them, so now with worrying if our other two dogs have them we have to worry if WE have them.

The parasites and infection caused her to go into hypoglycemia; she’s been at the emergency vet hospital for 5 days now and thousands in vet bills.

Laurel of Bradenton FL (03/12/07)
Bought a dog, now two years old, has been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, Vet says it's genetic. Petland was buying pets from a rogue puppy mill called Pine Springs Pets.

$1,000's of dollars in vet bills. Sadly, the contract with Petland only covers illness during the first year. Very smart. Most puppies don't show signs of genetic problems until around two years old.

Francesca of Kenosha WI (01/11/07)
On Aug. 25, 2005 my sister and I decided to go look at puppies at Petland. When there we saw an adorable puppy being bitten by another puppy who was in the kennel with Mico (the puppy we bought)! We had not gone in with the intentions of buying a pet but we decided to ask the employee to take out Mico so we could play with him for a little bit. Needless to say we became immediately attached to this adorable apricot cockapoo.

We decided that we go ahead and purchase the puppy-the sales person went through all the necessary paper work and made sure we signed and initialed everything. All we were told at the time of purchase was that the dog had a slight case of kennel cough but nothing too severe. They said that he just needed to go visit the vet that they told us to go to and he would be fine. Not knowing very much about purchasing animals to begin with we went ahead and put our trust into this company!! Boy were we wrong to do that!!!

Within a couple of days of owning our very first puppy he had already been to the vet a handful of times costing us well over $500 within the first month of owning him. I forgot to mention we paid well over $1000 for the dog. There is just so much wrong with the puppy it is so sad - Petland needs to be stopped!!!! They are not giving their animals the opportunity to live a happy healthy life!!!

Greg of Akron OH (11/15/06)
I just rescued a Lhasa Apso puppy from the Petland store at Chapel Hill Mall in Akron 11/11/06. The sales rep explained and even sent home a brochure on kennel cough BUT never said that the puppy WAS sick and needed immediate veterinary attention. I'd guess all their puppies sold there are sick. Kennel cough is highly contagious. None of the puppies were coughing at the store due to giving them a cough suppressant (I'm assuming) Within 4 hours of bringing the pup home It started coughing and running a fever.

I paid $800 for a sick dog and they originally wanted $1000. The pup is supposedly 12 weeks old, but looks 6to8. You can also feel its spinal cord. suggesting is was malnourished. Not trusting Petlands Vet located in Medina (25miles each way), the pup was taken to Banfield Vet Clinic whom I have dealt with before and received excellent care. Keep in mind that this pup was just seen by Petland's recommended vet on 11/03/06.

Banfields diagnosis was severe pneumonia and ran a series of other related tests along with X-rays. Total cost so far is $500 for the 1st days treatment. This is the 2nd day for further treatment. At this point they are not 100% certain the puppy will even make it. This practice of theirs is disgusting and needs to be exposed and they either need to give these animals proper care or go out of business.

Barbara of Chillicothe OH (11/14/06)
I wanted to update on my complaint that was put on the web site regarding my purchase of a Keeshond puppie and the subsequent headache of getting a refund. I am part way there. After complaining to everybody who would listen and alot who wouldn't, I received a check todayfor the majority of the money Petland owes me. I will be in the store tomorrow and I intend to leave with the rest. I think the finally straw that got things moving is the fact I have filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals Office. If nothing else people hate paperwork and I am sure this complaint will bury them for a little while. So, two days after telling them what I did, I have $535.00 of the 594.01 they owe me.

Barbara of Chillicothe OH (11/10/06)
I purchased, in cash, a keeshond puppy. I saw him one day in Sept. and he was too high priced so I told the salesperson if it ever got down to $400. give me a call. Oct. 18th 2006 I got the call. I told them I would get him that night. He wasn't ready so I waited while they bathed him, paying for him & purchasing all the other things they say you have to buy while they finished him up. I carried him to my car and drove a 1/2 mile to show him off to my sister. He fell over as soon as I placed him in the grass. Righted himself and proceeded to walk oddly. I had a feeling it was not good and I should have gone back right then, but I was so happy to have a dog I convinced myself it was ok. I thoguht maybe he was stiff from living in the pen at the store. Well it did not get better , so I made an appointment the next day with Petland's vet.

The xrays of the pup's hip were unbelievable to even my untrained eyes. At 4 months old he had hip dysplasia in both hips. The one was so bad the leg bone was no where near the hip socket. I called the store from the vet's office and told them I was bring the pup back. The assistant manager tried to get me to keep him till the store manager returned in 8 days but I said no. I took the pup directly back to the store and handed the pup over to another store assistant manager. Gave them a copy of the vet's report and told him I wanted my money back. He said I would be called the next day. In the meanntime I looked the breeder up on the internet as they say they all come from reputable breeders. This one has a history aand certainly falls into the puppy mill ranks. I gave them a copy of that when I returned on Friday when no one contacted me.

They said they couldn't give me a refund in that amount of money, it had to come from corporate. They supposedly do not have that much cash in the store. I was told I was not the normal customer as I paid cash. I was told at that time it would be the followiing Friday, , Oct 27, when the manager would get back and that she would call me. I did not contact the store that whole week as I figured nothing was going to happen till the manager got back. Ms. redman never called so I called her. The short version of the rest of the story is, I was told I would get a refund, it is now November 10th and I do not hear from Petlnd and I have not received a refund.

Mike of Crystal Lake IL (10/02/06)
The short of it is I purchased a puppy by the time I got out of there was about $1400.00. Within a few weeks we discovered she had intestinal parasites. The way we found out, she had bloody diarrhea and was vomiting in the middle of the night. We called the animal emergency room, which told us because she is so small we would need to bring her in or she could dehydrate and become hypoglycemic. We were given medication and sent home. We had brought in a sample of the diarrhea but because it was more mucus then pooh, they couldn't test it.

Later we found out she not only had intestinal parasites but these were the ones that can be passed to humans. Next she developed a rash, we thought it was from the medication. We had some tests done and discovered she had skin parasites. The thing to remember is we have another dog at home and have for three years that had never exhibited any of these problems till now. The dog we had for three years has now started with the vomiting and diarrhea. Yep now they both have parasites.

I called Petland in Crystal Lake and talked to Dan the owner who was no help. They cover these problems for seven days and that is it. Even then they only cover the medication witch is the most minimal part of the treatment. So here we are over $500.00 in vet bills and a little wiser. So if you buy an animal from these guys pleas ask it to get sick with the first week and even then take out some insurance on the animal.

I called Petland in Crystal Lake and talked to Dan the owner who was no help. They cover these problems for seven days and that is it. Even then they only cover the medication witch is the most minimal part of the treatment. So here we are over $500.00 in vet bills and a little wiser. So if you buy an animal from these guys please ask it to get sick with the first week and even then take out some insurance on the animal.

Kelsey of Tallahassee FL (09/22/06)
My mother bought me and my sister two twin bunnies for our birthday. We instantly feel in love with them. About 2 weeks later one of them died for no reason. It just mysteriously died. Fearing that maybe it had some sort of disease we took the other to the doctor, but not before contacting the store. They responded that it was past 7 days and they would not give us another one. When we took the other to the doctor we found out he did have a parasite that only could be passed through other bunnies. Since we only bought the two he said that it came from the litter and was highly contagious.

When we called the store they said no one had called to complain and no bunny was reported with a paracite which was clearly a lie because we reported to the manager the day before. The doctor put my rabbit on medication but it was too late because it died less than 3 hours later. We found out that we had been giving it the wrong treats and bedding. We also were sterlining the cage with the right products. I was amazed because the treats and bedding and cleaning products were all in the rabbit package that we bought from them. That litter had about 6 bunnies and they didn't tell anyone else and sold them all. They may have all had it and they didn't care. They had no idea how to take care of them and completely told us the wrong information. They ruined our birthday.

Brooke of Fairfax VA (09/17/06)
We fell in love with our boy, Charlie, a longhaired dapple doxie. We payed over 1,00 dollars for him. When we purchased him they had another doxie and told us to get her too, because they would make cute puppies. Upon getting him home he had some guarding issues with his food and his testicles did not drop. Our vet did the surgery and found he had no testicles. I called the store and they said he was neutered, and after much search a small "nu" on Charlies paperwork was all that identified this.

A few months later we spent another 600 dollars for a lump to be removed which was not cancerous. The real heartbreak came when the aggression started. Charlie sent me to the emergency room with seven puncture wounds, next up was my nephew who also went to the emergency toom with a mangled finger that required stitches, than me again, this time 5 puncture wounds and an IV drip. We spent 1,000's of dollars working with every behaviorist and nothing could help him. He would snap, for no reason, and attack.

Charlie had to be put to sleep when he was only a year and a half old. We fought so hard for him but he became so violent and so unpredicatble we could no longer live with him, and no one could take him. As he fell asleep for the last time all I could think about was how wrong this all was. Aggression is a sign of inbreeding as well as being taken from the mother too early. I will never forget him, I cry for him every day, and I will never stop hating the people who did this to me, to my boy.

Sara of Baraboo WI (09/03/06)
I was in Illinois trying to waste some time before going to an event in Schaumburg. I have a dog so I visited two pet stores. I believe the first one was PetCo. Great store with two yellow labs to adopt. Obviously had gone through a lot, but getting healthy. Needing to waste more time, we traveled around and found Petland. As soon as I walked in, I gasped and said Oh no and walked over to the cages of puppies. I had heard of puppy mills when I was trying to looking to buy a dog (I got her from the Humane Society). I knew as soon as I went in that that's what it was.

Some of the dogs were playing, others were just lying there. I would have never bought any of these animals from the pet store directly. I did see signs that said they were looking for locally raised pets...but I'm afraid to know how many people run puppy mills in their garages/homes. I saw one puppy separated from the rest saying that it was sick. And boy did it look it. I was sick to my stomach just looking at all of these adorable little animals knowing what the mother had gone through. What made me even more sick was the people buying them. I realized they may not know about puppy mills and I hope that if they did, they wouldn't support such a thing. I hope that one day pet stores such as these are shut down or at least have the selling of these kind of animals banned.

Lynn of Whitewater WI (08/16/06)
I purchased a very sick puppy that met the health screening provided by a contracted vet. The puppy turned out to be very sick. Vet/manager gave a different song and dance after implying that I was a competent/researched purchaser. I am devestated and irate and feel horrible for the puppy. I am also irate that this business can continue. I am at a loss of what to do regarding the unethical treatment of animals and dishonest service to consumers.

Alison of Acworht GA (02/26/06)
We purchased a puppy on Friday Feb 17th. My husband had orginally gone by himself to look for a puppy. He came home and said he found a Boston Terrier/Bassett Hound Mix at Petland. We decided to go see the puppy. She was adorable. We got her out and she was very playful. We decided to put $100 deposit on her for 1 week so we could get things together for her at home. This puppy was for my 6 year old son. He was very excited that he named her right away" HARLEY". We went about 4 times to see her before we got her so my son could play with her. She was always so playful and sweet. We finally did pick her up on Friday.

I took her straight to the vet. She had a fecal done and I was told she had worms. She was given meds for the worms and I was told that she might get sick. That night she played for a while then she started to get very sick. She got sick all over our house. She wouldn't move. The next morning I called the vet. We took her in. She ended up having Parvo. She was half dead. She had to be put on fluids right away. I called Petland and told the manager that we had just gotten her yesterday and that she had Parvo. I told him that all the other puppys were probabaly infected too. Because we did notice that everytime we went to see her she was in a different cage. Parvo is a very serious, contagious illness for puppies.

The manager wanted us to bring her to him so his vet could check her out. We told him it didn't matter what vet she saw as long as she was getting treatment and to take her off fluids to bring her to him she could die. She stayed at our vet from Sat to Mon night. We did bring her home Mon Feb 20th. She didn't move all night.

We took her to their vet Towne and Country on Tues. She has been there for 6 days so far. She is still there. I called 2 times on Tues to see how she was doing. Didn't get much info. Called Wed they never called back. So basically we need to decide what to do. We need to talk to the vet and the manager. I want all my vet bills paid for and I want full remeinbursement for the puppy. She was $400.00. I feel that this is only far after what trauma my family has been thru. My 6 yr old son keeps asking me why we got a sick puppy and is she going to die. He talks about her all the time. If she doesn't get better we can't get another puppy for at least 6mos to a 1yr because of the Parvo in our house.

Tracey of Redford MI (09/10/05)
My boyfriend and I purchased an eleven week old Boston Terrier from a Petland in March of 2005. As soon as we saw her we knew that we had to take her home, we named her Brooklyn. We paid $1500.00 for Brooklyn. Two months ago Brooklyn began losing her hair and her stomach was covered in red pussels. Our vet diagnosed her with mange. We were told that this type of mange is genetic and once this is disease is discovered the pet should not be bred.

We contacted Petland and we were told that we needed to see their vet and if this was the case they would replace Brooklyn with another puppy. Obviously replacing Brooklyn was not an option but we made an appointment with Petland vet for another opinion. When we met with their vet we asked if mange was hereditary, we were told yes. We asked if her mother and father should have been bred, and we were told no, the vet told us that this mange had to have been seen somewhere along her family line before.

We asked the vet to write this down for us, he told us that he would. The vet left the room and never returned, a vet tech came in the room and told us that only the owner had the authority to write such a thing down. We were told that the vet that we spoke to was new, and didn't know any better. We never saw the owner and we never got anything in writing. I have wrote letters to the vet and to Petland with no response. We have spent over $1000.00 on vet bills and medication with no gurantee that she will ever be cured or that this disease will not continue to come back.

Paul of Ft Myers FL (07/11/05)
Purchased Yorkie on april 29, 2005 for 2,199 dollars. Dog soon began having attacks which turned out to be seizures. After many visits to their vet and ours, it was finally determined that the puppy has a liver shunt and will require major surgery to correct and will not be able to be bred. Petland has returned the price of the dog less the $300 they gave to our vet. I explained to the owner that according to the pet lemon law, she was responsible for the price of the dog plus vet bills up to the price of the dog. She shouldn't have shorted me 300 dollars when she returned the money for the dog, and she still should pay for my vet bills up to the price of the dog. At least that's my interpretation of the pet lemon law.

The dog is scheduled for surgery on july 14th, cost will be approximately $1, 879.00 I really feel that they should pay for this bill. I have spoken with the owner today, she refuses to consider it, claims my wife signed all the fine print in their contract and they aren't responsible for the extra vet bill even thought the law says she is. This dog unknown to me had a very bad upper resipiratory infection and was on meds until the day before my wife picked her up. A few days later when we returned with the ill dog, the same vet said, without a physical or blood tests, that she needed nutrastat a tube of basically corn syrup. On the second visit, again without tests, we were told to feed it more often. Finally with the dog still sick, we took it to our vet who discovered the upper respiratory infection and confirmed it with the petland vets -- it's how we became aware that THEY knew the dog was sick...and said nothing.

Laurie of Ottawa IL (06/09/05)
On 3/31/05 I purchased a Chocolate Lab from the Naperville Petland, I was given a 14-day Warrenty which covered physical health problems. 3 days after my adoption my puppy began choking. Being a new dog owner, I did not know what was happening and rushed her to my vet. After an examination and x-rays totaling almost $250 it was determined that my pup have pneumonia brought on by kennel cough.

Adhering to the agreement with the Petland warrenty I contacted them within 24 hours. The mgmt did not seem suprised when I started to tell my story and agreed that it sounded like kennel cough. They said that it is common. I was advised to take my pup to their vet. Which I did, right after leaving mine. Their vet was 1.25 hours away. I spoke to management on several days regarding the bills from the original visit, when I was promised to be reimbersed for medication. After 1 month of not recieving this money I insisted on talking to the owner who called me back and assured me that I would be refunded for this and 2 other RX I had picked up from my local vet.

Another 2 weeks passed and I still had not received this payment and I spoke to his wife who explained that the receipts had been misplaced. I reminded her that I had sent them 3 prevoius times. She appoligized and said she would send a check that day. 1 week later I received a check for $48, half of the cost of medication that I was promised. I later looked back at my agreement with Petland that does not state that I am required to seek attention at their vet. My pup has been sick with pnemonia for 9 weeks and we still make trips to their vet every 2 weeks. Because she has kennel cough I can not expose her to other animals who may also go through this same ordeal.

Jennifer of Shawnee KS (4/2/03):
My four-year-old niece and I went puppy shopping one afternoon at Petland. It was one of the cleanest pet stores around. We fell in love with an American Xocker Spaniel, or that's what we were told she was. We came to the conclusion we were going to make her part of our family. Her original selling price was $600, however the sales person made the comment, "If we know shes going to a good home were willing to work with you on the price." This should have been my first clue!

We bargained the price down to $350 and that included shots and a microchip for identification. Now we were told that this microchip was worth at least $150, so after all we thought this was a fair price to pay. Along with the puppy came a warranty for one year against any congenitial defect. At that time the associate was unable to find the paperwork from the breeder and told me to check back in a few days when they have had a chance to look for them. So with this we had to have the puppy, Haley, examined by a veternarian.

I did so the next day, and was told she is healthy but their is no microchip in her. I took Haley home and drove directly to the pet store. To my suprise the store was closed and locked. Everything and everyone were gone. Just the day before I was in there and no one said anything about this. And to my shock, I now did not have the paperwork for Haley. I became panicked and called our local news station and they came out and did a story on it. I also called and had the credit card payment stopped, after all their was a 48-hour return policy for all animals.

I received the phone number of Petland Corporation from the news reporter and gave them a call. Their response was the individual owner of that store is the person responsible. We cannot do anything. With that I have begun my battle. I did manage to locate a P.O. Box for the owner, to send in our requests. I did that and one month later nothing. To hieghten the excitement, Haley has now come down with an disorder of the eye called cherry eye. We had to take her to a eye specialist who is recommending a surgery to have this problem fixed. This problem can be painful if not fixed. It can also be very expensive.

Glenn of Elk Grove Village IL (4/26/00):
On 8-5-99 I purchased an American Eskimo Puppy that was born on 5-27-99. We were assured over and over again that all of their puppies are from reputable breeders. So we gave in and purchased him. He is now 11 mos old and has already had two knee surgeries for "trick knees". The vet that Petland sent us to, acording to the owner of the store, did not check for this and according to Mr. Bosco they should have. Yet he was only willing to refund us the purchase price of the dog. This is crazy -- the owner of the store admitted this was a problem by saying that their vet should have checked for this and didn't. Now our current vet has found that our dog has imperfect hips also.

We have spent thus far $2,800 and it could be much more in the future due to the hip problem although he is not clinical yet on the hips. As for emotional: this pup was bought with the sole intention of getting my wife's mind off of getting pregnant as we are have problems in that area and all it has done is create a headache of a different sort. My wife is so upset watching our pup suffer through surgery after surgery.

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Boycott Petland

2007-08-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

March 2007: Bought a sick Petland puppy or found out your Petland puppy came from a puppy mill? Give the Petland Corporation Public Relations Coordinator Julie Washburn a piece of your mind at 740-775-2464.

1) PUPPY MILLS

Think about how you felt physically and emotionally the last time you were limited to a small area for only a few hours--taking the SATs, a long car ride, flying on an airplane, sitting through a day-long conference. Antsy? Claustrophobic? Like you would scream if you had to sit there for another day? Now think about having that sensation FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. That is the horrible fate of breeding dogs confined to small cages virtually from birth till death in thousands of commercial breeding facilities, commonly known as puppy mills.

A puppy mill is a facility, large or small, that breeds dogs for profit. These facilities are notorious for ignoring the dogs' physical and emotional needs. The dogs go crazy from boredom, and their bodies waste away. Dogs are usually prized for their boundless enthusiasm and zest for life, but in puppy mills, they receive no compassion, and their spirits are broken. They live and die in pain and misery.

How do you tell if a pet store gets puppies from puppy mills? First of all, pet stores that have a large selection of purebred puppies (say, 20 to 30) year-round are almost guaranteed to be getting dogs from this type of facility, since otherwise they would not be assured of a constant supply.

Second, people who care about puppies look for good homes for them. They do not ship them off to be sold in pet stores.

A third indication that a pet store's puppies are mass-produced in puppy mills is if pet store employees are reluctant to tell you the name of the breeder or where the breeder's facility is located. They may say they get puppies from "private breeders." Puppy mills ARE private breeders. Our local Petland has cited a "strict privacy policy" regarding its breeders. On registration papers provided to customers, it has in several cases, and most likely in many other cases, failed to provide any information about the dog's breeder.

In Virginia, THIS IS ILLEGAL! Section 3.1-796.78 states that pet dealers who sell dogs with registration papers--such as AKC papers--must provide the NAME and ADDRESS of its breeders. Most likely, Petland fears that customers who see Missouri, Kansas, and other Midwestern addresses will think "puppy mills," since the Midwest is "Puppy Mill Central" in the United States. If you or anyone you know purchased a puppy at the Fairfax Petland and received papers that do not contain the breeder's name and address, PLEASE contact us at all4theanimals@yahoo.com.

In the case of Petland, there is clear evidence that Petland has obtained puppies from puppy mills. During an April 2000 Dateline NBC exposé of puppy mills and pet stores, investigators visited two of Petland's "private breeders." One facility housed over 500 dogs; the other, 200 dogs, all in cages. During their investigation at the first breeder, Dateline investigators never saw the dogs let out of the cages, but they did find dogs with neurotic behavior caused by long confinement. They saw filth on and around the dogs, maggot-infested food, timid dogs housed together with aggressive dogs, untreated wounds, broken bones, mange, open sores, and rotted teeth--conditions causing the dogs tremendous pain and long-term suffering.

A former truck driver for the second Petland breeder told Dateline of how her boss ordered her to throw a live puppy into a trash burner because he was sick. A sickly puppy purchased at a Petland store was traced to a third facility housing over 200 dogs. That puppy had expensive health problems including hip dysplasia and chronic diarrhea. This is not surprising, as puppy mills are also known for breeding animals with genetic defects as well as breeding dogs as often as possible, causing the mother to wear out and die young after producing many litters of sickly puppies.

After the story aired, generating a huge response from the public, Petland refused to be interviewed by Dateline. Petland merely sent a letter claiming the story was "unfair" and apparently did not pledge to change its operations in any way. If you would like to borrow a copy of the Dateline video, contact us at all4theanimals@yahoo.com.

Petland openly states on its website that it obtains many dogs from USDA-licensed breeders, as if this ensures a certain level of quality and humane care. Is that the case? The USDA requires that anyone with 4 or more breeding dogs who sells animals to pet stores be licensed. It has minimal requirements regarding food, water, sanitation, and space, but enforcement of the USDA's regulations is extremely lax. For example, the USDA requires that the commercial breeders have an exercise plan for the dogs, but they do not make sure that the plan is ever carried out. If more than one dog is housed in a cage, the dogs are not required to ever be let out at all. The USDA's head veterinarian, Ron de Haven, admits that only about half of the roughly 4,000 USDA-licensed facilities even meet USDA's minimum regulations, a disgraceful example of the USDA's failure to enforce existing animal-protection laws.

De Haven attributes this failure to the USDA not having enough inspectors, but even when the inspectors find problems, fining and closing down puppy mills is very rare. The USDA's mission is to support agriculture, and apparently it considers puppy mill owners to be "dog farmers" worthy of its protection. Bottom line: if you buy a puppy from Petland or other pet stores, it's very likely that his or her parents are enduring a lifetime of cruelty.

Petland's puppies also usually come with some kind of registration papers, such as AKC (American Kennel Club). Many people are under the false impression that this means the parent dogs are in good health. As the AKC will tell you itself, that is not true. The papers only mean that the two parent dogs were of the same breed, and the AKC takes the breeder's word that that is the case. (The sickly Petland puppy featured in the Dateline story turned out not even to be a purebred.) Parent dogs can be toothless, lame, undernourished, have serious genetic defects, and still have their litters of puppies registered with the AKC.

Haphazard breeding can result in both physical and behavioral problems. For example, one woman we met had purchased a puppy from the Burke Pet Center. The puppy was born in an Arkansas breeding facility. Although she has successfully housetrained many dogs, she has never been able to fully housetrain this one.

2) IN-STORE CONDITIONS

Petland's broker (middleman between breeders and pet stores), the Hunte Corporation, is based in Missouri, often considered the puppy mill capital of the country due to its large concentration of puppy mills. Other states with many puppy mills include Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania (especially Lancaster County).

After collecting puppies from many Midwestern breeding facilities, the Hunte Corp. weeds out the sickliest ones, classifying them as "Grade B." We have been told that the Grade B puppies are sold for low prices at flea markets or to people selling animals over the Internet. Hunte Corp. reportedly used to sell its sickest puppies in Rutledge, Missouri, but now does so at a flea market in Texas. The rest of the puppies are packed into its trucks and driven to Petlands and other pet stores all over the country, usually a stressful trip of several hundred miles. Neighbors near the Fairfax Petland have seen the huge Hunte truck that arrives with its weekly delivery and heard the cries of the puppies as they are unloaded. At the store, having spent their whole life of 8 weeks in cages, the puppies again spend most of their time in small cages.

According to veterinarians, the confinement of large numbers of animals to a small store, with new animals being added all the time, is an invitation to rampant infectious disease. The neatly stacked rows of cages at Petland resemble isolation chambers--ideal for driving people and animals crazy, but not a proper environment for animals adapted to life on this planet through millions of years of evolution. The barren cages do not allow the puppy to experience the outdoors, where a normally developing puppy would be able to see the sky, feel the sun and wind, and run and play with human and canine companions in the dirt and grass and leaves. Small cages do not provide a rich indoor environment for the puppies to explore. Rarely do the puppies ever have a soft surface to lie on, although even in the wild, animals seek out soft nesting spots. All Petland puppies have is a mesh-floored cage (uncomfortable for their feet), maybe a single chew toy, and, if they're lucky, a hard floor tile, about 1 foot by 1 foot, that is supposed to serve as their bed. The sad faces of the puppies entice well-meaning visitors into "rescuing" puppies by buying them, even for the outrageous prices of well over $1,000 per puppy that Petland usually charges (the adoption fee for dogs at our local shelter is $85). Of course, each time they sell a puppy, Petland orders more from the Hunte Corp.--approximately 25 puppies each week for one Petland store.

Since Petland's cages are standardized, one might assume that they are in compliance with all state anti-cruelty laws as well as laws that prohibit the sale of certain species, but this is not necessarily the case. The Petland in Fairfax, Virginia, was found to be in violation of the Virginia state law that prohibits pet stores from housing puppies in cages in which their feet could fall through the mesh. This went on for many months, even though it was obvious to any observer that the tiny puppies, such as Chihuahuas and Toy Rat Terriers, could only hobble painfully around their cages, their legs falling through the mesh each time they tried to move.

The Fairfax Petland also failed to consistently provide a solid resting platform until ordered to do so by Animal Control. When it did, it used one or two hard floor tiles that were still not completely solid. Some of the larger puppies, such as the Golden Retrievers, could only fit their two front legs on the tiles, not their whole body, as required by law. Recently, when a citizen reported the absence of ANY resting platforms in the cages, Petland admitted to police that it removes the platforms each night because they make a mess. This is against the law.

Petland was also selling one or more tarantulas, even though tarantulas are prohibited as pets in our county.

Puppies are by no means the only animals suffering in Petland stores. Petland also sells kittens, rabbits, parakeets, parrots, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, fish, and a variety of other animals. Because even fewer laws protect these animals, they most likely come from breeding and warehousing facilities even worse than puppy mills. These animals are also housed in cramped cages or aquariums at the store and are sold with a minimum of instruction on how to properly care for them. This can lead to premature death, abandonment, and for long-lived species such as parrots, many years of suffering in an inadequate environment.

People who take jobs at Petland because they love animals sooner or later find out, as one told us, "It's all about time and money." This employee saw a lot of deaths among the small animals at the Fairfax City store, particularly birds and hamsters, and saw that many of the puppies arrived with respiratory problems. The puppies also had sores from lying on the hard mesh cage floors. Another Fairfax City Petland employee tried to nurture the puppies and was told something along the lines of (not a direct quote), "They don't need petting; they're just money. If you want to do that, go to the shelter." An employee from another Petland told us that puppies are taken from their mothers at 5 weeks old and go through so much stress and handling that Petland recommends that once the puppy arrives at the store, he or she be left alone for 48 hours. Our local Petland puts puppies on display immediately, and they are available for sale about 24 hours later.

3) SICK PUPPIES

Kennel cough (bordatella) is so common in pet shop puppies that store personnel often pretend that it is a normal condition. It is not. It can develop into life-threatening pneumonia, and we know of three cases (and we expect there are many more) in which this occurred in puppies purchased at the Fairfax Petland. The puppies were coughing within a day or two after purchase. When the condition worsened and the store vet's office was closed, the puppies had to be taken to an emergency clinic, voiding the Petland warranty, which requires that the dog be brought to the store's vet. Petland offered to pay only a fraction of the vet bills. Pneumonia is only one of the illnesses found frequently in Petland puppies. For these and other stories about sick puppies from the Fairfax Petland, see our Hall of Shame section, Petland--Virginia--Fairfax.

What happens to the puppies who are rejected by Petland's store vet and are put back on the truck? According to someone who has worked on this issue for many years, they are not sent "back to the breeder," as we have heard Petland employees state. If they cannot be passed off to another stop the truck was making, they are sent back to the Hunte Corp., who subjects them to yet another long truck ride and sells them, along with other "Grade B" puppies, at a flea market or to people selling dogs over the Internet.

Several local vets who have treated puppies purchased at the Fairfax Petland have stated that the many of the puppies are sick. One said, "I HATE Petland!" Another said of a Petland puppy, "This puppy is a walking time bomb." A local trainer working with Petland puppies found many of them unsocialized, extremely difficult to train, and mentally and emotionally ill.

If you purchased a sick puppy at the Fairfax Petland, please contact us at all4theanimals@yahoo.com. We will not give out names of vets, former employees, and other people who give us information about Petland unless specifically given permission. But we do encourage people to ask their vets about the health of pet-store puppies, and we encourage veterinarians who care about animals to SPEAK OUT PUBLICLY against pet stores and puppy mills and not just tell their clients privately after they have racked up thousands of dollars in vet bills.

4) HOMELESS ANIMAL CRISIS

All this abuse is made worse by the fact that it is completely unnecessary. Petland sells animals for one reason only--profit--in flagrant disregard for the homeless animal crisis not only in our local area but the entire country. In 2003, in Virginia alone, over 60,000 dogs and 73,000 cats were killed in animal shelters. Nationwide, year after year, a conservative estimate of 3 million dogs and 4 million cats are killed in U.S. animal shelters due to lack of homes. For dogs alone, that's 6 killed every minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It's estimated that a quarter of the dogs killed in shelters are purebreds. If you have trouble visualizing this tragedy because of the huge numbers of animals involved, please go to www.pleaserescueme.com/gone.cfm to see just a few of the innocent animals who have been killed simply for lack of homes.

The vast majority of the animals killed in shelters are healthy, friendly, and young. The 7 million dead does not even include the animals being killed outside shelters (for example, Greyhounds bred for racing and slaughtered when their racing days are over). While our local shelters and rescue groups struggle valiantly to rescue homeless animals, spending their energy and money to save innocent lives, Petland's contribution is to pump mass-produced animals into our community, as well as similar communities all over the country. IN FACT, EVEN WHEN DIRECTLY ASKED, OWNERS OF THE FAIRFAX CITY PETLAND REFUSED TO DISPLAY COPIES OF "PET LOVERS COMPANION," A FREE LOCAL DIRECTORY OF SHELTERS AND RESCUE GROUPS. Fliers accepted from a local rescue group were not visible anywhere in the store shortly afterwards. A former employee also reports that they were discouraged from mentioning shelters and rescue groups. Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the same store claims, "Whether it be through us, another pet store, a shelter, a rescue group, or a breeder, I want to make sure that my customers know all of their options."

Because the number of small animals killed due to homelessness is not even counted at shelters, many people are unaware that there is a homeless animal crisis among small animals, too. Our local rescue groups cannot even begin to save all the rabbits, birds, ferrets, iguanas, and many other small animals that desperately need homes.

Please do not buy ANY animal at a pet store, but please do contact local shelters and rescue groups (both purebred and mixed breed groups) if you can provide an animal with a good home.