Humane Society accuses pet stores of selling dogs from puppy mills

The Humane Society of the United States is accusing Petland stores of selling dogs from “puppy mills,” where animals are bred in cramped cages with substandard care. The Kansas City Star reports:

Michael Markarian, Humane Society vice president, on Thursday announced the results of an eight-month investigation of Petland. The investigation, he said, used U.S. Department of Agriculture reports and other records to connect Petland stores to known high-volume breeders or brokers.

Missouri was one of the states singled out by Markarian as a haven for puppy mills.

Petland Inc. responded to the Humane Society report with a written statement.

“At Petland, healthy, happy, well-socialized pets within our care are our number one priority, as they have been for 41 years,” the company said. “We do not support substandard breeding facilities, and we provide each Petland store with ‘Humane Care Guidelines’ that were developed in conjunction with the USDA to assist with breeder facility inspections as it pertains to pet selection.”

Markarian said there are about 140 Petland stores in the U.S., a mix of corporate and franchise stores, with several in Missouri and Kansas.

Humane Society investigators visited 21 stores and 35 breeders and brokers that sold to Petland, he said, and reviewed records of 322 other breeders and 17,000 puppies linked to Petland. The investigators did not visit Missouri or Kansas stores.

Photo: Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Mary Ellen]

I don't know wny anyone, including the HSUS, is surprised that Petland sells puppy mill animals as that has been know for MANY YEARS.
REPUTABLE BREEDERS do not sell to pet store...that has always been a policy!
So this is not a startling discovery as it's been going on for a long time!

[skippy]

Every dog breeder in the country is under attack by the HSUS. It doesnt matter if it's a AKC judge with 2 dogs and no puppies he will be shut down. The puppy mill laws are like the factory farm laws there\s no written meaning in the law. The HSUS puts pressure on the police to shut them down. The only dogs that will be available in the future are one of the 500,000 dogs the animal rights brought in from other countries. This is a takeover of animal breeding farms brought to you by the Rockefeller Foundation. Go home.

[Steve Schneider]

With more than 5,000 dogs nationwide euthanized every night, selling puppies should be a crime. I've stopped buying food from any chain that sells dogs, cats, or birds in their stores. I have yet to see any store that properly cares for these creatures. Employee turnover is more than 100% so no employee every has a clue as to what needs to be done as a care giver. What goes on in our pet stores is a disgrace. And the people who supply these unfortunate creatures are worse.

[Cynthia]

I live in Springfield, MO where Petland started selling dogs about 1 year ago. Many people here were disgusted as not only is MO the buckle of the pet mill belt, but thousands and thousands of dogs and cats roam the streets and countryside, are legally shot and killed as the normal part of "animal control", and many people never bother to spay and neuter their pets. The pet overpopulation problem here is incredible...dogs are dumped constantly not only in farm areas but right in the middle of the cities and towns. Dogs are often chained for their entire lives, or live in little fenced areas waaayyyy behind the houses with almost no contact with any other living creatures. It's horrible and depressing and incredibly cruel. And I haven't even started talking about the puppy mills! Some of us are trying to make a difference thru subsidized spay and neuter assistance programs. www.snap123.org. But we need a low-cost spay and neuter clinic -- not just an assistance program.

[Earl]

I worked at Petland in Orange 1999 and saw the refrigerated semi trucks delivering puppies.

[Bella Parola]

As far as I'm concerned, every puppy at any pet store is a puppy mill puppy. I always advise people to avoid them, both for their own and their pets' longterm happiness and in order not to support those horrible breeders and conditions. I do not patronize any store that sells puppies and kittens, except the ones offered by local rescue and animal-welfare groups for adoption.

[Tannim]

Typical HSUS propaganda BS. Show the records. Petland deserves kudos for telling it like it really is and telling HSUS to STFU.

[jhon]

Something is fishy on this article. The HSUS is talking about all the ' mills ' that are supposed to be selling animals to Petland. and they had visted " 21 store and 35 breaders " that had sold to petland. And " reviewed records of 322 other breeders and 17,000 puppies linked to Petland ". Now they talk about Kansas and Missouri and especially Missouri being one of the top miller states.

Why was not any visits done in Missouri or Kansas? Especially when they say are it is a well known fact that Missouri is the numebr one miller state.

Sounds like to me some one is playing both sides of the fence or some of the investigatores may be on the take.

I would think that if an " 8 month " investigation is going to happen, they would investigate in the areas that are well known also. Which was not done, from this report.

Time for the USDA and/or USUS to get some new investigators and if they are going to spend all that money and time, they need to also investigate in the known areas.

[Johnathon]

I have purchased two puppies from Petland and have never had any problems. Did you know Petland provides you with the breeder information, so if you wanted to visit the site you may at anytime. I think that you people who sit there and pass the blame really need to just get a life. And relize that there will always be substandard breeding because its people who let that happen, and Petland does not seem to have any conection to the problem. People are the problem. I hope the buisness continues to provide people with awsome companion family members.

[angel]

I live in west Michigan and my best friend has gone with the operator of the largest adoption group in West Michigan to Shipshewana and purchased small breed puppies from auctions and sales located there. These puppies are then brought back to different stores in the area and are ADOPTED out. These breeders would not breed these dogs if not for the demand brought on by people and groups claiming they are saving these dogs. They are purchasing these puppies for approximately $50.00 and reselling them for approximately $200.00.
They are doing this because there is a demand for small breed puppies, and those are not the type of puppy or dog that is normally brought into the Humane Society or adoption group. So beware... this is a much larger problem than any of us really know.