Britney Spears Angers Humane Society

(CBS)  Poor Britney Spears - she can't even get a new pet without causing controversy.

On Friday, the pop star purchased a new pooch at Pets Of Bel Air in Bel Air's Glen Center. According to reports, Spears picked up the Yorkshire Terrier puppy in a transaction that took a brief 30 minutes.

The Humane Society of the United States isn't happy about Spears' apparent power-shopping.

"The Humane Society of the United States is extremely concerned not only that the pop star purchased a dog from a pet store, but also that she apparently took very little time to make such a major decision," read a release by The Humane Society sent to The ShowBuzz.

"Ms. Spears is setting a damaging example to the public. Most dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills - factory-like facilities, churning out purebred and "designer" puppies in large numbers," said Stephanie Shain, the HSUS director of outreach for companion animals.

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Photos: Britney Spears

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According to the store's Web site, "All of our babies come from private breeders, locally and out of state (we do not use puppy mills). Our puppies are registered, micro-chipped, and WARRANTIED."

The Humane Society acknowledged that most stores claim that they do not get their dogs from puppy mills, and Shain offered to help determine the pup's true origins. "If you send us a copy of your dog's papers, we'd be happy to look into the situation for you," she said.

[ralan40]

I figured they already complained when she 'flashed her beaver'

[kimberlyco1]

Trust me they are trying to shut them down... but only we can help spread the word because if you buy from a pet store you give them money to stay open and room for another puppy mill dog to be bought.

Unfortunately there are no laws against puppy mills. Please read the information on the web site before you post about pet stores and puppy mills, you then will be more educated and know that these things can only be stopped by law enforcement making them illeagal (which they aren't now) and us NOT buying but Adopting.

No one is trying to be mean to Britney, only using her to help the cause and make people aware!

[previn2]

If these pet stores are really, what sounds like, a canine version of a "sweat shop", why aren't they shut down? She's just trying to get a pet, yet she's also the one catching all the heat...The "puppy mills" are the one's you ought to be barking at. Geez, leave this girl alone. You've become far worse in your own actions, then she EVER was.

[mwgoss]

I couldn%u2019t disagree more with the statements that as long as the puppy now has a good home, it doesn%u2019t matter where or how Britney got it. Most of the dogs sold at pet stores come from puppy mills, where profit is put above welfare and the dogs and treated like machines. The %u201Cbreeding stock%u201D dogs are crammed into cages, bred again and again, and have little hope of ever finding a home with a family.

Check out today's blog by Wayne Pacelle (President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States) for more info about why you shouldn't buy a dog from a pet store (and why celebrities shouldn't, either): http://www.waynepacelle.org

[abigail531]

PLEASE!LET BRITNEY SPEARS ALONE TO LIVE HER LIFE WITH HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

[rasabaka]

No only is there a problem about where this puppy came from, but what she did with the puppy after she got it. Didn't they say she went bar hopping with it to all those noisy clubs...certainly not a place to take a small, young Yorkie. That is if she really cared about the animal and not just what kind of attention she was going to attract.

[rasabaka]

No only is there a problem about where this puppy came from, but what she did with the puppy after she got it. Didn't they say she went bar hopping with it to all those noisy clubs...certainly not a place to take a small, young Yorkie. That is if she really cared about the animal and not just what kind of attention she was going to attract.

[kimberlyco1]

This has nothing to do with Britney, just has to do with spreading the AWARENESS that most puppy stores support puppy mills...ADOPT DON'T Shop... read up on it at www.stoppuppymills.org.

All the HSUS is trying to do is spread the word. We are the only ones that can stop this treatment of animals. And if you go to that site and the pictures don't make you ashamed of yourselve for buying a puppy at a pet store then you aren't fit to own a puppy. I know I was. Our next dog is from the HS. Let's all try to speak for the animals and ADOPT!

[gaelgwen]

The HSUS is not concerned about the quality of life this puppy is going to have. Rather, they are concerned about the quality of life of the parents of this puppy. Puppies bought from pet stores come from puppy mills, that is a fact. The parents of this dog live in horrid conditions, with little food and no human contact. They never leave their cages and often never step on grass in their lifetimes. The females are bred every single heat cycle and starved to death when they are no longer useful. Britney has set a terrible example once again to her fans and the world.
To the cattle farmer, if you inbred all of your cows and didn't feed them, then you'd be out of business. Too bad puppy mills don't work the same way.
This is NOT about what kind of owner Britney will be, it is about the example she is setting to the young impressionable fans she has. If you want a purebred puppy, buy from a responsible breeder that cares about the animals they breed, not from a pet store that is only in it for the profit. Not everyone buys from pet stores, only the uneducated people who truly only care about themselves.

[hollybear5]

Hey I just adopted a dog from a pet store, why am I not on the cover of magazines? LOL
Is everyone really concerned about this dog or her kids......she has people who take care of them for her.....so what if she buys a new dog.
WHO CARES??????