Pet Giant Linked To Puppy Mills

Humane Society Alleges Petland Buys Puppies Born In Overcrowded, Unsanitary Conditions

(CBS/AP)  For anyone planning on getting a new puppy this holiday season, the key question may not be "How much is that doggie in the window?" but rather "Where did that doggie come from?"

It may be hard to imagine the cute pups found in reputable pet stores being born in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, but that is just what a new investigation alleges, reports CBS' Early Show resident veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner Bell.

According to a report by the Humane Society of the United States, many stores of the Ohio-based Petland Inc. pet store chain support puppy mills while telling customers the dogs come only from good breeders.

The animal protection group made the charge at a Washington, D.C. news conference, saying it conducted an eight-month investigation of the chain headquartered in Chillicothe in southwest Ohio.

Petland Inc. did not return repeated calls from CBS News seeking comment on the report. But in a message posted on the company Web site, Petland said the company does not support substandard breeding facilities and provides each store with humane care guidelines developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Petland also said the Humane Society's reports "surface every year around the holiday season in conjunction with their annual fundraising efforts ... This is sensationalism at its best."

The Humane Society said investigators visited 21 Petland stores and 35 breeders and brokers who sold puppies to Petland stores and reviewed interstate import records of an additional 322 breeders, USDA reports and more than 17,000 puppies linked to Petland stores.

"We found very classic puppy mill condition," the Humane Society's Stephanie Shain told CBS News. "Dogs in small cages. These animals were living in those cages 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year."

In puppy mills, hundreds of breeding dogs are packed into cramped, barren cages with no socialization, exercise or human interaction, she said.

The stores investigated are perpetuating an abusive industry where dogs are treated like a cash crop instead of as pets, said Shain, director of the Humane Society's campaign against puppy mills.

"They know that consumers won't stand for the cruelty inherent in mass-breeding facilities, so they make outrageous claims to hide the reality that the dogs came from puppy mills," Shain said.

The Humane Society said its investigators saw puppies living in filthy conditions with inadequate care at breeding operations linked to Petland stores. Also, many of Petland's puppies are not supplied directly by breeders, but are purchased from large-scale pet distributors or brokers - some of whom also buy from puppy mills, the Humane Society said.

[antoniof123]

Hey this is capitalism at it''s best but ask some neo con and they will say it is not against the law.

Brother business must be controled or you get GM.

Thanks but no thank you let them fail. Then nationalize the companies and sell it off bit by bit but don''t give one dime to the CEO''s and the rest of the failed exec''s.

[doglvr12]

This is an outrageous claim. I have bought one of my dogs from Petland, and know for a fact that they do not get their dogs from puppy mills. They gave me all of the breeder information, and I even went on to get my Second puppy from that exact breeder.

[easeup-2009]

Thanks but no thank you let them fail. Then nationalize the companies and sell it off bit by bit but don''''t give one dime to the CEO''''s and the rest of the failed exec''''s.

Posted by antoniof123 at 10:30 AM : Nov 21, 2008

Do you even have any idea what you''re ranting about?

[freckster]

doglvr12

The article does not claim ALL Petland stores buy their puppies from puppy mills. Considering the number of animals Petland peddles I have no doubt the accusation holds merit.

BTW - did you actually visit the breeder at the breeders'' breeding facility?

Not only do puppy mills raise their animals under cruel conditions, the animals are likely to be from a small gene pool. This creates a variety of health problems that cause pet owners to endure a lot of treatment costs and heartache.

Save an animal - adopt from a breed rescue (if you must have a purebred) or a shelter. Don''t encourage and perpetuate the puppy mill practice.

[dronemonk]

Please, nanny state government. Please save us from those dastardly short sellers and puppy millers. Amen. Stocks should only go up, and puppies should be borned in government approved doggy hospitals.

[tnz650-2009]

This is an outrageous claim... Posted by doglvr12 at 11:13 AM : Nov 21, 2008

Just because your dog came from a registered breeder, doesn''t mean that all dogs bought at Petland come from registered breeders. No where in the article does it state that ALL dogs coming from Petland are from puppy mills. Take a second to READ the article. I don''t know why anyone in their right mind would want to buy a dog from a chain store. It''s the height of laziness if you ask me. Take the time and buy from a breeder that has a good reputation, or get a dog from your local animal shelter or Humane Society. Petland is a chain and it''s only motivation is profit. Period. Cutting corners and turning a blind eye in order to increase profits is standard practice. It''s sad that there''s a market for mass produced pets, but when some lazy, ignorant person will walk into a chain store to get their family pet, then animals will be subject to the cruelty that will invariably result from profit and greed.

[yongamerica]

What is news here. This is common knowledge to anyone with a brain.
Rules for buying a dog:
1. Don''t buy a dog from a pet store.
2. Especially don''t buy a pedigree dog from a pet store.
Just because a dog comes with papers doesn''t make it a show dog, which its often billed as.
3. Don''t buy a puppy from someone who can''t tell you who the breeder was or where it was born.
4. Trust the kid selling you the dog in the pet store less than President Bush asking for $700 billion dollars for his banking buddies with no controls over how its spent.

[jess4678]

ALL Petland stores get their puppies from the SAME puppy mill brokers. That is how Petland Co does business. It''s been known and proven for years..

Here are just some of the puppy mills that Petland buys from through brokers. http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/PupMillNewsStory3.htm
And yes, they are USDA licensed and inspected. Many of these mills are in Missouri too, etc.

Petland buys cheaply, to mark up high in the store. Cheaper puppies means poor care, no matter what "inspections" they talk of.

Quite bluntly, Petland is not telling the truth.

And customers of Petland have experienced this deception for years.

USDA licensed MEANS puppy mills. The USDA has admitted it can''t handle the puppy mill problem, and the USDA has been criticized for enabling the puppy mill problems.

USDA licensed means dogs caged for life, often outdoors in the weather, not treated by vets, literally bred to death with no socialization or exercise, and full of disease and genetic problems.

That''s the problem. In the pet store, people hear all sorts of glossy sales talk about "licensed breeders" or brokers, but the buyer can''t SEE the terrible kennels these puppies come from, and the parent dogs suffering.

And the Petland store owners are not being honest with customers or the media about this problem. It all comes down to money, sadly

[jess4678]

One way Petland gets away with lying is that they buy the puppies from puppy mill brokers like Hunte Corp and Lambriar.

The brokers buy direct from some of the worst puppy mills in the country.

So Petland tries to distance themselves in a sleazy way, but they are all puppy mill puppies.

[legacyabq]

This is crazy.. We euthanize literallys 10''s of thousands of dogs a year at shelters.. Including puppies.
Why cant people get dogs from the shelter??
There are some GREAT GREAT dogs there, I know, I got my wonderful Boxer there.

[jinxkity]

Puppy mills should be in the same category as Michael Vick and prosecuted to the same degree.

[newsjunky5]

I worked for a veterinary hospital once. We would regularly get puppies from a pet store chain (not this one) who were in bad shape. Some would have to be euthanized for ailments that could have been easily treated if they had acted earlier. But on the outside chance the dog would get better on it''s own, they opted not to treat it early.

[dusk9871]

i adopted a puppy from a petland. the petland near me keeps cages open for the local shelter. the puppy i adopted was a shelter puppy. she is now 3 and healthy and smart.

[armydog2]

pUPPY MILLS NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN AND ANY PET STORE THAT GETS THEIR PUPS FROM THEM NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN. tHESE POOR FEMALES ARE SO OVERBRED THEY DO NOT EVEN GET THE CHANCE TO REBOUND FROM ONE LITTER AND THEY ARE PREGNANT AGAIN. BECAUSE OF ALL OF THIS OVERBREEDING AND THE GENERAL HEALTH OF THE MOTHERS THE PUPPIES ARE USUALLY NOT HEALTHY OR SUFFER FROM GENETIC DEFECTS. THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY AT ITS WORST.

[lynbir1-2009]

no reputable breeder would sell to a pet store

The question: What is a reputable breeder.

A reputable breeder takes care in planning a litter. They make sure the parents are in good health and have had the proper health screenings in order to try to prevent passing on health problems. This is not to say it doesn''t happen, but the odds are better for the future pet owner certainly.

A reputable breeder NEVER ever sells through a broker or pet store. They want to make sure the family has been screened and knows as much as possible about the breed they wish to own. They want to be sure the family is prepared and able to care for that puppy and fits their lifestyle. A reputable breeder considers themself responsible for that puppy for its lifetime and will want it back if the new family cannot keep it. They do not want to see their puppies in a shelter or bad situation.

A reputable breeder will say no if it''s the wrong home for their puppy and hopefully guide the prospective buyer to another breed or perhaps to another type of pet that will work for them.

In contrast, at a pet store (or a nonreputable breeder) ... hand over your money, you can have whatever puppy you want. And if it turns out not to fit your lifestyle, too bad, find it a new home, dump it at shelter, they don''t care.

Caring is the difference.

[sandy777-2009]

There is a Petland store here in Mount Vernon, Ohio. They are located at 1005 Coshocton Ave. They are still listed in the yellow pages here and their # is 740-392-5900. It''s odd their phone number is listed in the phone book when their store APPEARS to be shut down. I know they will open the store sometimes and then they will shut it down.

I reported them to PETA & The Humane Society of the US, quite awhile back, maybe that''s why they open for awhile and then shut down. I wish they would shut Petland down for good here in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

[erasmus81]

There is a Petland store here in Mount Vernon, Ohio. They are located at 1005 Coshocton Ave. They are still listed in the yellow pages here and their # is 740-392-5900. It''''s odd their phone number is listed in the phone book when their store APPEARS to be shut down. I know they will open the store sometimes and then they will shut it down.

I reported them to PETA & The Humane Society of the US, quite awhile back, maybe that''''s why they open for awhile and then shut down. I wish they would shut Petland down for good here in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Posted by sandy777 at 01:20 PM : Nov 21, 2008

I hate to be rude, but you sound like you are a little DENSE.

What was the purpose of giving out the phone number?

You said they are still listed in the yellow pages. It''s a little hard to remove it once it''s there.:)

[summarex]

This country is in trouble. There are tons of important things that need to be done and done now. We don''t have the time or the money to worry about nonsense like this.
let''s get our priorities straight.

[easeup-2009]

I hate to be rude, but you sound like you are a little DENSE.

What was the purpose of giving out the phone number?

You said they are still listed in the yellow pages. It''''s a little hard to remove it once it''''s there.:)



Posted by erasmus81 at 01:26 PM : Nov 21, 2008

I hear that whenever a company goes out of business, the phone company sneaks into your house & switches phone books.

[lady_organs]

Whats the difference between a puppy mill and the inner city? Nothing.

[redbds]

Has PETA taken over the CBS News site? I thought they were all Obamanites. Stories about puppy mills and turkey farms. Who cares?

[lady_organs]

Why dont we sell our excess dogs and cats to Korea and China?

[libsh8theusa]

WOW THIS IS NEWS REPORTING AT It''s finest. Wow...

What is next? A story about cows being butchered..


You have to admit that CBS digs deep to come up with NEWS...

[chrsas]

I purchased a 5mo. old Eng. Bulldog in the Novi, MI Petland store in 2004 at 12 Oaks Mall. With her, we received the breeders name and address to contact them if needed. She is also registered with AKC. My question is, with all this that we purchased, is she still legit. We tried several times to write the breeder, but no one has ever responded. Her name was Bobbi Lydell from MO. Now with all this in the media, this is making me wonder about our Bulldog. She is still and always will be an important part of our family.

[barbaraf4]

"This country is in trouble. There are tons of important things that need to be done and done now. We don''t have the time or the money to worry about nonsense like this. let''s get our priorities straight." Posted by summarex
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The highest realms of thought are impossible to reach without first attaining an understanding of compassion." ~ Socrates

[k9sr4me-2009]

summarex:

you heartless b@astard

[smithtyler2]

k9sr4me - I totally agree with you. What a terrible person this ''summarex'' is. I don''t even want to know or be around anyone that doesn''t love dogs/animals.

[aerodog]

Count me in too, smithtyler2!!! Anyone that doesn''t have compassion for these innocent animals that don''t ask to be born, should rot in h.ell for all I care.

[displeased]

This country is in trouble. There are tons of important things that need to be done and done now. We don''''t have the time or the money to worry about nonsense like this. let''''s get our priorities straight.
Posted by summarex

Yes, let''s dwell on our problems. We can''t drift until everything is perfect! I''m pretty sure there are other articles regarding the issues you are concerned about. Perhaps you should remain there until the problems are solved.

[spadeisspade]

As long as people keep taking the easy way out, buying pets in pet stores in the mall instead of adopting from a shelter or seeking a reputable (and local) breeder, the demand will keep puppy mills in business. Period. There is no possible way a chain store can back up where all their dogs come from-they have to meet consumer demand, that''s it.

[kansas1946]

No one should ever, ever, ever, buy a puppy from a national chain, or a pet shop in a mall. These puppies are always a result of inferior breeding and breeders only in it for the money. You can find any breed you want from a reputable breeder. People buy puppies in those places based on an emotional spur-of-the-moment decision. Never a good idea. Research what type of dog you want, pick up a dog magazine and looks for breeders in the back. Or contact the AKC for reputable breeder lists. Get on the internet. Visit the kennels if you can. And you know, a puppy or dog from the pounds is likely to be healthier and just as good a dog, or better, than anything you can get from those chains. Try your newspaper. Local breeders are often just people who love their dog and spoil her puppies rotten until they find homes. Much better.

[conservevoic]

I have two wonderful dogs. One I adopted from the "pound", one from an owner who had passed away. I can''t imagine buying one from people who treat these wonderful animals like livestock.

[nancyjoellefox]

I Have owned all kinds of animals in my life and also heard of puppy mills since i was quite young; I cannot imagine anyone that has not heard about them, so WHY would anyone buy from pet shops, unless they are small local shops. I have purchased dogs for many years at the animal shelter. They are fabulous dogs!!!!
Much to be said about adopting pets from shelters. The dogs appreciate you immediately, you feel better because you are saving a life. We now have a german shorthair pointer, and a mini sheltie beautiful dogs, love us as much as we love them.My parents raised petigrees for years, and yes they were wonderful too, as they grew free on a ranch so they were healthy, happy pups. Please save lives for christmas, do not perpetuate these mills, if we stop buying they will go out of business and animals will not suffer; as they will with SUMMAREX-- thankyou, CHRSAS, and thankyou, CBS for reporting lakes100

[nancyjoellefox]

I Have owned all kinds of animals in my life and also heard of puppy mills since i was quite young; I cannot imagine anyone that has not heard about them, so WHY would anyone buy from pet shops, unless they are small local shops. I have purchased dogs for many years at the animal shelter. They are fabulous dogs!!!!
Much to be said about adopting pets from shelters. The dogs appreciate you immediately, you feel better because you are saving a life. We now have a german shorthair pointer, and a mini sheltie beautiful dogs, love us as much as we love them.My parents raised petigrees for years, and yes they were wonderful too, as they grew free on a ranch so they were healthy, happy pups. Please save lives for christmas, do not perpetuate these mills, if we stop buying they will go out of business and animals will not suffer; as they will with SUMMAREX-- thankyou, CHRSAS, and thankyou, CBS for reporting lakes100

[pjs42]

I love how everyone is all upset about these puppies when there are MILLIONS of other types of animals in worse danager than these puppies. Personally i believe that someone out of the paper is a d@mn puppy mill they have NO FREAKING idea what thier doin they just want thier money. I believe that Pet-Stores arent all bad. Im sorry i had a bad up bringing my child hood was horriable but im now a full grown functional, bill-payin mother. Im perfectly fine. So what honestly i think everyone is being too over dramatic. We treat cows, chickens, turkeys, and all other kinds of animals as a cash crop and treat them as these supposed "puppy mills" but no-one gives a $hit about them. Why dont you think things completely throw before you go and judge them!! Most Pet Stores are JUST FINE they get thier puppies from USDA breeders. Oh wait do you even know what that is or do you just go by what The Humane Society says. And who exactly do they think they are someone needs to investigate them maybe then we''ll see the truth.

[rf35]

I''m surprised people still get dogs from pet stores. It is usually less expensive to buy direct from the breeder. My family''s dogs have all come from breeders we know personally. We know what conditions the dogs live and breed in. This is the best way to buy healthy, cared-for puppies. An even better option for finding a pet, as opposed to a show dog or working breed, is to go to your local animal rescue organization or pound.

[rf35]

Im perfectly fine.
Posted by PJS42

Considering the grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your post, that really doesn''t seem to be the case.