HSUS Investigation Of Petland

The HSUS investigated 21 Petland stores over an 8 month period of time. When the Petland corporation was notified of the poor findings, they went on the defensive. Petland Inc.'s Elizabeth Kunzelman had this to say, "There's no way to substantiate any of that, honestly, and we're not going to comment on it. They don't regulate the business." Instead of adressing the issues at hand, Petland decided to trash the HSUS, so that they won't look so bad. Here is one qoute from the Petland website, "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." They have an entire page dedicated to making the HSUS look bad, I don't want to give Petland a link here, but you can copy and paste it into your browser if interested. http://petland.com/PetlandInformation/HSUS.htm

According to the Petland website they say, "Our number one priority is and has always been the health and well-being of our pets." That sounds good, but I've been to my local Petsland, and personally just don't buy it. What I remember is sick looking puppies sitting behind glass, and pushy salespeople. I've never been back, as the place was depressing. That is my opinion, and apparently the HSUS agrees.

This is what the HSUS found, so you can be the judge. In an interview with former Petland kennel manager Denise Jenke, she describes how many of the puppies were delivered on trucks, and in poor condition. "They came in with runny eyes, some were kinda lethargic and nervous, a lot of them were sick, many had upper respiratory infections and had to be put in nebulizer before sale." When Denise asked her superior at Petland if these dogs came from puppy mills the response was "Yes, these puppies are from puppy mills, but we don't tell our customers that. We just tell them that they are from 'USDA approved breeders."

The HSUS investigated breeders used by Petland, and found puppies living in dirty cages that smelled of urine, with inadequate care or socialization. "One of the most common sales pitches made by Petland staff is that the company uses "USDA licensed" breeders. However, investigators reviewed publicly available state and USDA inspection reports for more than 100 Petland breeders and found more than 60 percent of the reports listed serious violations of basic animal care regulations. Many USDA breeders exhibit a long history of substandard care and yet remained licensed. While USDA regulations are minimal, some of the Petland breeders are not even complying with these basic animal welfare standards."

"Some of Petland's puppies are ordered online using a pet auction website called the Pet Board of Trade, demonstrating that many Petland stores are not screening breeders as its website claims. In fact, in some cases they may not even know the breeder's name until after purchase." Please watch this video on the HSUS website, about the sale of puppies at Petland. On the same page, it also allows you to send a message to Petland, to request that they stop selling puppies. The HSUS has presented evidence in this case, that Petland cannot deny. Instead of adopting a dog at Petland, please check out your local shelter and rescue groups instead.