Humane Society says Petland stores tied to puppy mills

**Medusa** · 11-20-2008, 08:53 PM

Sigh. This is so disheartening. Does it ever end?

http://www.yahoo.com/s/990720

**Reachoutrescue** · 11-20-2008, 09:13 PM

I received an email from the Humane Society today about this....this is just horrible. Sad truth is, most pet stores sell puppy mill pups....as long as people buy there...it will not stop. We all know that though. I have had people in the past who surrendered their pet to us state that they bought them at a pet store and the dog had major issues from the beginning. I just wish people would open their eyes and change their ways. Maybe the H.S. can shut down Petland....at least that would help a bit.

**Twisterdog** · 11-20-2008, 09:22 PM

I just posted this in Dog General, too.

I like to think not that it is disheartening, but that it shows progress by everyone who has been fighting for years to gain some publicity for the animal welfare movement. A few years ago, this would have not made the news at all. The general public never heard the terms "puppy mill" or "back yard breeder", let alone cared about the issue.

I think the fact that this is front page news today is encouraging ... lots of well-meaning people out there simply don't know the facts. They don't mean any harm when they buy that cute little furball from a pet store, they just don't know. Information like this needs to get out.

**Medusa** · 11-21-2008, 06:00 AM

When I was in my early 20's, I walked into a pet store, a well-known chain, and fell in love w/a peke-a-poo. (I had no knowledge of puppy mills back then.) That was on a Saturday and her little face stayed w/me all weekend, so I went back on Monday and got her. We jokingly called her the six million dollar dog because she had so many health issues that we spent a fortune on her vet care. I spent the first several weeks sitting up w/her at night due to her kennel cough. She was only 2 1/2 lbs. when I got her and I thought she was going to cough herself to death. Anyhow, Charmin lived to 18 1/2 and her daughter, Daisy, lived to 17 1/2 but my vet joked w/me that I built the wing on his clinic.

**Twisterdog** · 11-21-2008, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Medusa

When I was in my early 20's, I walked into a pet store, a well-known chain, and fell in love w/a peke-a-poo. (I had no knowledge of puppy mills back then.) That was on a Saturday and her little face stayed w/me all weekend, so I went back on Monday and got her. We jokingly called her the six million dollar dog because she had so many health issues that we spent a fortune on her vet care. I spent the first several weeks sitting up w/her at night due to her kennel cough. She was only 2 1/2 lbs. when I got her and I thought she was going to cough herself to death. Anyhow, Charmin lived to 18 1/2 and her daughter, Daisy, lived to 17 1/2 but my vet joked w/me that I built the wing on his clinic.

Sounds identical to the story of the first dog I ever got on my own, as an adult. When I was 21 I bought a little black cocker spaniel from a pet store in Indiana. She lived to be sixteen, but there were untold thousands of dollars of vet bills that got her to that age. She was the quintessential puppy mill dog - with all the ensuing medical problems. But at the time I bought her, I had NO idea. I had never heard of puppy mills or back yard breeders, even in passing. I assumed, honestly, that because the puppies in pet stores were so expensive, that they must be of much better quality than your average ad-in-paper, free-from-a-box-in-Walmart-parking-lot puppies. Live and learn.

**Cataholic** · 11-21-2008, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Twisterdog

I just posted this in Dog General, too.

I like to think not that it is disheartening, but that it shows progress by everyone who has been fighting for years to gain some publicity for the animal welfare movement. A few years ago, this would have not made the news at all. The general public never heard the terms "puppy mill" or "back yard breeder", let alone cared about the issue.

I think the fact that this is front page news today is encouraging ... lots of well-meaning people out there simply don't know the facts. They don't mean any harm when they buy that cute little furball from a pet store, they just don't know. Information like this needs to get out.

Twisted (he he he), you are so right. Getting this information onto the front page of anything related to the news is huge.

**Giselle** · 11-21-2008, 08:32 PM

You know, I've said it before and I'll say it again. The reason education about BYBs and puppy mills is so difficult to disseminate is because the discussion is essentially based on ethics.

Physically, there's really nothing wrong with breeding dogs. Financially, there's really nothing wrong with breeding dogs for money. But ethically, there is something corrupt about the ways people breed dogs for the sole purpose of money in today's society.

I'm glad the education is getting out there, but I hope it doesn't degenerate to: "Oh, we should avoid pet store puppies because they'll end up costing a lot at the vet". Yeahhhh...maybe...but that's just a side issue. And it's placing the emphasis on money again. It's working on Kohlberg's preconventional stage. You avoid a behavior that solicits punishment (avoiding pet store puppies to avoid big vet bills), when, ideally, one should avoid pet store puppies because the place of their origin is inherently unethical. The big issue is ethics! Alright. My rant is over.

**Medusa** · 11-21-2008, 08:35 PM

Well, to be clear, I mentioned the large vet bills only to demonstrate just how many health issues Charmin had. Whether or not she truly was a puppy mill dog, I don't know. But I see your point.

**Twisterdog** · 11-23-2008, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by Giselle

You avoid a behavior that solicits punishment (avoiding pet store puppies to avoid big vet bills), when, ideally, one should avoid pet store puppies because the place of their origin is inherently unethical. The big issue is ethics! Alright. My rant is over.

Of course. In theory, we should ALL avoid all unethical things simply because they are such. However, in practice, Joe Public is often sadly lacking in ethical standards.

And it matters not to the dogs who are suffering and dying in cages whether Mr. Public decided to stop buying BYB puppies due to an ethical revolution, or simply a fear of getting hit in the pocketbook. In the end, the result for the dogs is the same.

If the drunk at the bar decides to call a cab instead of attempting to drive himself home because he fears getting an expensive DUI ticket, instead of the obviously ethical higher ground, does it matter to the family whos lives will be spared by his decision? No.