A nationwide pet store chain, Petland, has been tied to puppy mills according to a report by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce large numbers of purebred dogs. Many times the facilities are substandard, and this is the crux of the report against Petland.
In a press conference, the HSUS said:
"They are buying from puppy mills where these dogs are not treated like pets. They're treated like a cash crop, where mother dogs live in wire cages, sometimes stacked on top of each other in filthy, dirty, cramped conditions, where they receive little socialization or human interaction or exercise."
Petland responded with a statement on their website:
We do not support substandard breeding facilities and we provide each Petland store with “Humane Care Guidelines,” that were developed in conjunction with the U.S.D.A. to assist with breeder facility inspections as it pertains to pet selection.
Besides that, however, they went on to cast the HSUS in a dim (or rather, extremely dim) light:
Reports such as those posted on the HSUS web site surface every year around the holiday season in conjunction with their annual fundraising efforts. Unfortunately, we were not interviewed or consulted nor were we a part of any of the editing process. This is sensationalism at its best. HSUS has a history of publicizing false information in an effort to raise money. They do not operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere in the U.S. To the contrary, over the last 10 years, Petland has adopted out more than 270,000 homeless puppies and kittens nationwide.
Additonal information to understand about HSUS:
1. During 2006, HSUS contributed only 4.2 percent of its budget to organizations that operate hands-on dog and cat shelters. In reality, HSUS is a wealthy animal-rights lobbying organization (the largest and richest) that agitates for the same goals as PETA and other radical groups.
There's more on the site. Personally, I am more inclined to believe the HSUS. Individual Petland stores have been targeted before for puppy mill complaints, so a corporate policy would not be surprising.
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Comments
#1 Petland and Puppy MIlls
ALL Petland stores get their puppies from the SAME puppy mill brokers. That is how Petland Co does business.
The USDA has admitted it cannot handle the puppy mill problem.
USDA licensed MEANS puppy mills. It 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. In states where there are few humane laws that aren't enforced, like Missouri.
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.
This is the problem with ALL pet stores that sell puppies.
As far as the Petland comments about HSUS, they are not true and come from this former tobacco industry lobbyist that now lobbies for the dog breeding and pet store industry, among other things http://www.consumerdeception.com
Berman and the pet store/breeder industry routinely just fabricate lies about many humane organizations to try to manipulate and distract from breeding business activities.
Telling falsehoods is how the puppy mill and pet store industry have gotten away with the puppy mill game for so long.
#2 ANIMAL RIGHTS = BAD NEWS!!
Guess what though? PETLAND is RIGHT about HSUS! And Petland is involved in adoptions of homeless animals, more so than HSUS is; that's right, you heard it here and it is the truth! Besides, this is OLD NEWS... yes, there are commercial breeders; YES, lots of pet shops get their puppies from commercial breeders. I'll tell you something MUCH WORSE. The Humane Society of the United States (this is NOT an animal shelter!) and it's friend PETA (People For Ethical Treatment of Animals) DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE PETS ANYMORE! They don't think ANY animal EVER should be bred, owned, eaten, shown, worn, etc......... They are animal rights EXTREMISTS. They are responsible for all the anti-dog laws sweeping the nation. Now THAT's NEWS.