Anonymous? In my opinion, your name should be Ignoramus.

"They got tons of sex. They are not complaining" you said about puppy mill dogs.

Really. Really?

They stand in their own feces for days on end.

They rarely if EVER get veterinarian care. More likely, if they are injured, hurt, starving, infected, they get taken out in the field and shot.

They are mostly in outside wire cages, in 100° plus weather, and in minus 0° winter.

If they do try to 'complain' by barking ? one of the workers will come with a steel pipe and ram it down their throat to break the vocal cords, often times breaking the jaw in the process. They don't care, it's just a money making machine to them.

If you are not SICKENED by ANY of these truths...

if you are not ANGRY at all of this cruelty...

if you CHOOSE to remain IGNORANT of all of these facts and NOT do your research....

Well it looks like the owners of this Petland are commiting fraud.

No response in all these months, and here is the truth:

Please visit hsus.com for all the information.

Petland-Chicago Wheaton 80 Danada Square West Wheaton, IL 60187 Phone: 630-752-4800

Hunte: Cited for Small Cages and Underage Puppies

This store received shipments from a massive Missouri puppy broker, The Hunte Corporation, in 2009. Hunte is a middleman animal dealer which the USDA has cited for keeping dozens of animals in too-small cages, repeatedly transporting underage puppies, and other violations. The Hunte Corporation sells about 80,000 puppies a year from hundreds of different kennels and puppy mills.

Conrad’s Cuddly Canines: Selling over 5,000 Puppies a Year
In 2009, this store received shipments from a large-scale commercial puppy broker in Missouri that ships puppies all over the United States. Conrad’s Cuddly Canines sells over 5,000 puppies a year and reportedly grosses over $1,000,000 in sales.

This store may also buy from other dealers.

This is from the Humane Society's website. And by the way to all the innocent consumers that didn't know......there is a statewide class action lawsuit against Petland for selling sick and dying dogs from puppy mills. Visit the website for all the information.

ADOPT DON'T SHOP AND SUPPORT PUPPY MILLS!

Petland Owners -

If you are selling dogs that are NOT from puppy mills, please let us have the names and addressess of ALL of your breeders. Oh, Adam and Mike, ever hear of Steve Kruse? Is he one of your breeders?

And I don't mean a PO Box from rural amish country. I want the exact addresses of the parents of the dogs and their history.

Also, may I meet the parents of the puppies?

Also, do the breeders drop off the dogs to put in the cages? How do they get to the store?

Is there someone there at night to oversee the puppies?

Anxiously awaiting your response Mike and Adam. Here's your chance to prove to our consumers that you do not use puppy mills. Speak up.

Your response speaks volumes as to what kind of person you are.

lucyloo:

1.Don't care, they're animals.
2.Ask zookeepers, not me.
3.Don't care, they're animals.
4.Did the seller know the animal was going to die? Sounds like your friend abuses animals.
5.Yes, another waste of lawmakers, police, and court's time.
6.No, I have more important things to do with my time.
7.No. I also don't think a puppy mill operator would do so as it would cut into their profit.
8.No, I have more important things to do with my time.
9.Do you have anything to back your claim that 50% of dogs die in transit to pet stores?
10.Take it to the vet for disposal, and get a new one.

lucyloo, it is people like you with a childlike grasp on reality that waste so much of the court's time with cases that should be dispatched with a fine. They are animals, not human beings, no matter how much you think they understand everything you say. I guess if no human will accept you, you are stuck acting like an animal is human. Luckily, I don't have that problem.

Hey anonymous and Ken for that matter, before you go sticking up for the abuse and neglect in the puppy mills, answer me some questions:

1. Where do these dogs come from?
2. Do you think the most important years of a dog's life should be spent in a cage?
3. What do you think happens when someone "returns" a puppy? Or it gets too big for the cage?
4. Do you think it's ok to sell dogs that die? My friend had two dogs die from happiness is pets which uses the same breeders from petland, namely Steve Kruse. I can give you ALL the breeders names that they deal with, who ALL run puppy mills, but I want YOU to give me ONE name that is a reputable breeder.
5. Do you know what "Chloe's Bill" is?
6. Have you ever been to a puppy mill?
7. Do you think a responsible breeder would ship their puppies in a truck stuffed in a cage with other infected dogs?
8. Have you ever watched a video on Levi Graber a breeder for happiness is pets and petland?
9. Have you ever seen a dog that is lying dead in the truck that was being shipped to the store? Just for your own information, half the dogs die on the way.
10. What would you do if your dog died tomorrow?

Just for the record, anyone can register their dogs with the AKC. It's 25.00 bucks per dog. I am not with peta, I just happen to have rescued a dog from a puppy mill. And I have done my research. Visit happinessisnotpets.com.

The Department Of Agriculture has been revamping thier priorities for the coming year which is going to mean STRICTER LAWS ON PUPPY MILLS!

Waiting to hear your answers anonymous and Ken.......

Ken - have YOU ever seen a puppy mill? It's children like you (and I'm assuming your're a child because no adult would write such nonsense) that keep places like this in business.

No offense and nothing personal. But come on....Of course the pet store dogs are going to have health issues. You are actually encouraging people to BUY from a pet store.

They come from puppy mills period. If you need an idea for an article, please do one on the over population in our shelters. Some people are going to read this, and say, well wait, this person thinks it's ok to buy a dog from a pet store. There must be no difference.

I think it's a poor idea.

Why not do an article on how fraudulent these stores are? They are selling sick and dying dogs which is considered personal property in the eyes of the state. If someone sells me a car that explodes, I'll sue them. In my opinion, selling sick and dying dogs is fraud. They should be charged and shut down. There's an article for you.

Or why don't you see how these dogs are delivered to the store? Did you know that some dogs die on the way? Try peeking in one of the trucks they ship them in and see them lying there dead. It's quite sickening.

Please consider doing a follow up article on how these stores are deceiving the innocent consumer.

For the people who think puppy mills are okay, do some research on the computer I guarantee it will make you angry and tear up!!!! These animals have no lives and live in horrible filthy conditions, they are usually shot when their breeding days are over, and require medical attention. They cannot walk because they live and are crammed in a chicken wire cage, covered with sores, having litter after litter etc., the puppies that come from these conditions are in ALL petstores, I have seen it first hand. If your petstore say's they get them from breeders and have papers, they are full of crap. These breeders are called pet brokers and they make their own papers, and are making a fortune. They view these animals as livestock and cash. Millions of animals sit in shelters... puppy mills are just adding to the overpopulation problem. When you buy from a petstore that just opens up another spot for a puppy from a mill to come in. Alot of times people feel bad and want to get the dog out of there, me too, but puppy mills will stay in business as long people keep buying them. I am saying it again, ALL PETSTORES get puppies from puppy mills.

Mimi...

Well you certainly act like you do not know that. Where did you see me say to bury your head in the sand & do nothing? See this is why we wonder when you reply this way. Reread I guess. Didn't you read that I said the particular locations that are doing this are to be held accountable & if they do not change close. I said I would be there then demonstrating. Why do you make comments like this after I have said that?

No it does not say that at all to me. It says they do have to provide rules & if they do not adhere they probably have a process of step by step actions that are taken. Every company has that otherwise they complain & sue in court that you did not give them a chance. Now as far as the place you are mentioning, you can have a primary go to place but not mandate it is used. It can be if you want to her is a place but you can pick your own. That does happen. I can't say for sure you'd have to look at the info they provide to franchises when they open. As to whether this company is a poorly cited place, perhaps it has been but why is it still allowed to function unless it has been approved to be or has a set time period in which to conform to standards. What is their status currently? Do you know?

To One Who Values You,

I didn't know there were unethical people in all walks of life. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

If a company has rules and doesn't enforce them, should we as consumers just bury our heads in the sand and say "Well, they tried."? Or should we as consumers hold them to a higher standard, especially when dealing with living things?

It's obvious to me that Petland, Inc., doesn't adhere to or enforce their own rules. If they did they wouldn't have allowed the Cleveland Heights store to use a source that has repeatedly been cited for violations by the USDA. That says to me that Petland, Inc., is blowing a lot of smoke up their customers behinds.

Actions speak louder than words.

If each Petland store (which are independently owned) chooses their own breeders then why does Petland, Inc., have a business relationship with Hunte Corporation? That doesn't make any sense. If each Petland is using sources chosen by them and inspected from time to time by them why do they need the services of the largest puppy broker in the country? I guess because they aren't doing what they say they're doing.

See Mimi why don't you get it? It means there are unethical people in all walks of life. Any company can have rules but not all employees will abide by them. What do you do then? Sometimes you may be able to fire them on a first violation but sometimes you have to give them warnings & then if they continue to violate you do tell them they are fired. Petland's statements are they are to do this so you can't necessary blame Petland corp & ALL independent franchises for those who do not obey laws. If the company did not have these rules then that would be different. When the principal of the HS got caught for plagiarizing did they fire all the teachers? Or all in the district? No! Did they close down the schools? No! Now some wanted him just warned & some fired. It all depends on the seriousness of the violation. Those Petlands that do this I would personally want closed myself but I am not about to close all because some are violating. You want to demonstrate at stores who violate, go for it but otherwise that is not right. I hope one day someone does not assume you do something unethical just because a coworker of yours is.

Make sure you take a look at this while your checking out Petland's website.

http://petland.com/PetlandNews/PetlandNewsDetail.asp?PetlandNewsID=172

Hunte Corporation is the nations largest puppy broker. Petland, Inc., is one of their biggest customers. Petland, Inc., Hunte Corporation and Hunte Delivery Systems are being sued in a class action lawsuit by former Petland franchisees.

http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/30941.html

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/companion-animal-breeding/article/621

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/companion-animal-breeding/article/620

http://www.freewebs.com/michelle_and_dinglehopper/thehuntecorporation.htm

Does this prove that the Naperville or Wheaton Petland's are using puppy mills as their source? No, but it does prove that Petland, Inc. and some Petland franchises are. Why would you want to be associated with a company that uses puppy mills? Why don't the Naperville and Wheaton locations cut ties with their corporate family?

The letter to the editor that was submitted by the local Petland owners state "As a condition of our franchise agreement, every Petland store is required to purchase puppies from breeders who adhere to its Humane Care Guidelines." So if that's true, why is there a paper trail of repeated citations documented by the USDA, from cited puppy mill to a Petland store? "Government records show that the Petland in Cleveland Heights, for instance, is buying puppies from a mill in Minnesota that has been repeatedly cited by USDA for unsanitary conditions and failure to provide veterinary care." You can read the article here: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/animals_in_the_news_2.html

This is taken directly from Petland, Inc's., website. Here is the link: http://petland.com/AboutPetland/PetlandCommitment.htm

Petland Commitment

Petland is committed to helping raise standards at all levels of the pet industry. To this end, Petland:

* Has developed relationships with professional pet distributors dedicated to improving and providing state-of-the-art pet care facilities.
* Works with professional pet distributors and their veterinarians who educate and make some inspections of pet breeding facilities.
* Sends members of its Petland Business Improvement staff to make on-site inspections of associated pet distributors' facilities to ensure facilities and procedures are of high standards.
* Requires all new Petland store operators to offer pets from Petland, Inc. associated distributors.

What does the last requirement listed above mean? At first they have to use the distributors Petland, Inc. uses and then after a while they can chose their own distributors??????

FYI; Anyone looking for a new dog, Petland has a full page ad in the Sun today, all puppies 1/2 off this weekend.

There also is the address to their web site where you find the truth about where they get their inventory and to what standards they hold the breeders said inventory comes from.

Whoa...Mr. Ken...this time I need to comment against you.

Yes, there are people with medical problems who do not get help but they do have a voice. It may not always get heard & someone needs to help or there may be some that can't voice for themselves, maybe some elderly who are being mistreated in a nursing home or children who are being abused...I'll grant you that, but animals don't have any really voice expect ours. I guess I 1/2 agree with you on your point & want you to point out the part you are missing on animals. I also think it is not a black or white, one versus the other issue. Why can't you voice for both? Heck, many voice for many different topics, children, animals, elderly etc.

Yes, Ken, I did adopt one of my dogs from a puppy mill. I didn't buy my puppy mill dog from a pet store. Your comment makes no sense. There is a big difference between adopting and buying.

Yes, there is. When I buy a dog, I don't have to answer intrusive questions about my family, my house size, my income, etc. I might pay a little more, but I know I am getting a dog that I can raise and train my way, not one abandoned by someone that first mistreated it and then got rid of it.

It's people like you who perpetuate the misery at puppy mills.

Actually, it's people like me that realize these are just animals. I can't get worked up over an animal's medical problems when there are people with medical problems that don't get help. I look at all the money and time wasted by groups like PETA and wonder what would happen if those people cared about human beings as much as they care about animals.

Mimi,

Now you are using the word IF to cover your tracks. Very clever.

Stop damaging their reputations unjustifiably.

I have only had one dog in my life and I bought it from them. I never dreamed I could get such a wonderful and healthy dog.

If they abused his parents and they were unhealthy, I doubt my dog would have turned out so healthy.

Most pet shop owners are in the business because they love pets. Running a pet shop is not easy. You have living animals in there. You can not have a day off. You must work 365 days a year. You have to clean poo poo all day. If you forget to feed a puppy he will die.

Some of these pets cost over a 1000 dollars. Why would an owner or his employees not feed or mistreat a puppy? Even if it was all about money, they are not going to abuse a dog that costs 1000 dollars.

Would you burn ten $100 bills, Mimi?

So why would you think others would burn ten $100 bills.

I think One Who Values You has said it best. Try to see the light, Mimi?

We all love animals except for the Atlanta Quarterback and his likes. The Feds threw him in jail. Did you not hear?

And it appears you are not willing to produce your Federal and State Tax returns for the last 3 years to prove to all of us you filed them. Why not, Mimi? Why should we believe you when you say you filed them? We want to see the proof. Your word is not good enough to us if the word of the Petland owners is not good enough for you.

Do you still not get it???

And I am not either of the Petland owners!

Mimi...

Yes...IF!!! You don't have proof though!

I think the owners could face lawsuits for deceptive trade practices if they are using anything besides what they say they are.

You know Mimi is not wrong that the paper trail is proof but you still do not understand that one has to have that to prove guilt & not if one is innocent. Several of us have given quite a few examples already.

I agree...there is too much attacking rather than just discussing facts. No one as of yet has shown a fact that the Naperville or Wheaton stores use horrific puppy mills. If & when such a time occurs you will not convince me otherwise. I'd really love it if the owners are sure if they went after those claiming it. They probably could for slander right?

Anonymous at 4:11 PM:

What purpose are you serving by blogging? Who are you educating?
What are you contributing to society? All you do is attack your fellow bloggers....get a life....get a purpose in life!

Anonymous at 5:16 PM:

There are so many fools on this blog site ... Keep making fools of yourself. ... In the meantime, I like Anonymous since it exposes all my adversaries as FOOLS....DUMB FOOLS.

Mood swings?

AnnE.,

There are so many fools on this blog site, I can not remember one from the other. Aren't you the one that accused Caroline of being the Herd and were 100% sure until the moderator proved you 100% wrong???

And you and/or others have accused me of being Shawn Collins, DF's attorney, the Petaland Owner, Barack Hussein Obama, the multi Napergatians and on and on. Keep making fools of yourself.

Do none of you have a clue how to debate? Why all these attacks on bloggers instead of discussing the issues?

When and if I choose to change my handle, I am permitted according to the rules set by Moderator Chris. In the meantime, I like Anonymous since it exposes all my adversaries as FOOLS....DUMB FOOLS.

No, Ken, I don't take their letter to the editor as proof. They should be showing the paper trail if they want to prove where their puppies come from. Maybe the SUN will interview them about this, or maybe one of the local stations will pick up the story.

Yes, Ken, I did adopt one of my dogs from a puppy mill. I didn't buy my puppy mill dog from a pet store. Your comment makes no sense. There is a big difference between adopting and buying.

It's people like you who perpetuate the misery at puppy mills.

I just realized who Anonymous is - as he talks to animals, his real identity must be Dr. Doolittle.

Let the flame wars begin - now no one should eat red meat. OK - all you PETA people and Vegans - join in now.

Anonymous said:

"And you should not be eating RED MEAT if you love and care about animals so dearly. A LAMB is just as beautiful and sweet as a DOG. Neither deserves to be abused or slaughtered."

And yet you slaughtered a lamb for distribution over the holidays? Your illness deepens.

We know who you are, don't try to go there, it just makes you look more ill.

By Mimi to Fred:

Obviously you are a very unhappy individual. People like you are the reason this world is so messed up.

I can see why he would be unhappy with these organizations. They use terrorist tactics and falsehoods to spread their agendas. People like you, Mimi, who buy their lies hook, line, and sinker are the real reason why this world is so messed up.

If the owners of the Naperville and Wheaton Petlands have nothing to hide then why don't they prove all of the protesters and the bloggers wrong? Why is that asking too much. If I was in their shoes I'd be shouting from the rooftops that I'm legit.

You don't consider an open letter to the Sun doing just that? Even when the owners do what you say they should do, you dismiss them out of hand. For people like you, there is never enough proof.

One last thing. You are a strong advocate of adopting animals, yet the one you adopted came from a puppy mill. Personally, I would rather cut out the middleman, and their gestapo like questions, and just buy a puppy. There are as many horror stories about "rescue shelters" as there are about puppy mills.

Anonymous on January 15, 2009 2:27 AM
My German Shephard is sitting next to me while I blog away. He is telling me to tell you that he is healthy and happy and that you need to get a LIFE.

And you should not be eating RED MEAT if you love and care about animals so dearly. A LAMB is just as beautiful and sweet as a DOG. Neither deserves to be abused or slaughtered.

____________

Classic: Telling Mimi to get a life is laughable, Anonymous, you have now gone from being 50+ personalities to having conversations with their dog. Tell me, anonymous, is your dog's name Sam?

As for lambs, weren't you the one who went on and on about having a lamb slaughtered for the holidays and given to the poor? Maybe it was a goat? I don't remember.

Mimi,

Let us say I falsely accused you of fraudulently filing your Federal and State Taxes here.

What you are saying is that it is your duty to publicize your returns to prove your innocence? That is hogwash and immature.

Since I have accused you of filing false tax returns and you are not willing to post them on this site so we can see you are INNOCENT this debate is over and you LOSE. Are you catching my drift? Innocent people don't have to prove they are innocent. Those who accuse them have to prove they are guilty. When is the last time you read our constitution, Mimi?

It is really that simple.

I bought a great dog from Petland in Naperville and they treated me superbly. My German Shephard is sitting next to me while I blog away. He is telling me to tell you that he is healthy and happy and that you need to get a LIFE.

And you should not be eating RED MEAT if you love and care about animals so dearly. A LAMB is just as beautiful and sweet as a DOG. Neither deserves to be abused or slaughtered.

We should all be vegetarians in an ideal society. Plus that is healthier and we would live much longer. If you saw how a poor lamb was slaughtered you would never eat lamb meat again. Have you ever heard how a lamb bas and bas begging for his life before the knife is put to his throat. Well, I have seen that. It is disgusting. You should be promoting vegetarianism if you truly cared about animals.

Obviously, you are here to promote a selfish agenda. Dogs have it a 1000 times as good as lambs. I once had a lamb pet and they are adorable and lovable. They are as sweet as any animal on this earth. And they don't bark all day and blow your ear drums out.

I am hoping I will still be able to hear in my old age. My dog loves to bark. I am not going to stop him as this is his way of communicating. My only point is that lambs may be a better pet than dogs and we need to stop slaughtering them.....immediately. Turn your groups energy to that and I will support you and your group.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/petland.htm

To One Who Values You,

If the parents of the puppy are not going to a vet how are they having healthy enough pups to survive to sell to Petland much less look good to us buyers?

___________________________________________________

The gestational period for a dog is about two months. If one adult dog dies there will be another one to replace it.

By Fred on January 11, 2009 5:24 PM

I also agree that these save the... (insert cause here), need to get lives.

Obviously you are a very unhappy individual. People like you are the reason this world is so messed up.

If the owners of the Naperville and Wheaton Petlands have nothing to hide then why don't they prove all of the protesters and the bloggers wrong? Why is that asking too much. If I was in their shoes I'd be shouting from the rooftops that I'm legit.

Mimi...

Here is a recent example...did some believe him/her? Hmmm Why would he do this?

http://news.aol.com/article/police-say-man-posed-as-female-vet/306988

To Mimi...

This country you are innocent until prove guilty. It is up to a person to prove someone guilty, you do not have to prove you are innocent. Someone needs to prove they are in violation!

There may be many others in Petland that do & if they are in violation then those should be demonstrated if they still use places in violation but not anyone who has not been proven guilty!

I made the comment on crate & yes I agree those factors would be of concern but still you were all talking about pets being FREE! So in a cage of any kind all day is not free for the majority of the day. Many crate then when they go to bed so what few hours they are FREE to roam! See grass I think someone said etc.

If the parents of the puppy are not going to a vet how are they having healthy enough pups to survive to sell to Petland much less look good to us buyers?

You mention USDA inspectors, that is why I asked about ASPCA...can't they go in also? I've seen some individual owner go to jail on the show so with many dogs I would think they would report & if they opened with another name but are the same owners they would be denied by USDA right away.

Oh I beg to differ on figuring out which are lies & which are not. Come to my classes & see people of all ages be fooled by websites.

I mentioned videos being edited. Oh many you would not even believe the people who do it. To gain sooo much! You mentioned VOICE..some like their own voice, power etc. There are unethical people in all walks of life. Why would doctors be unethical? Why would police officers or teachers be unethical? Why would a principal & valedictorian plagiarize???? :-) It is not laughable but sad.

Stadium...well first I did not mean it that way, but let me tell you not all are there by choice...talk to them! Mom & dad force them! HA! Next, the point was you can't just use size! Please watch for the point that is being made!

By mimi on January 14, 2009 10:01 PM
"Maybe the Naperville and Wheaton locations don't use large scale USDA farmers. But it seems that a lot of the other Petlands do."

That is the problem with your types Mimi, you have no idea where the Naperville Petland gets their puppies, yet you will try to ruin their reputation because of guilt by association. Real nice. Why don't you and your group prove where the Naperville Petland gets their puppies, and if you find them guilty of using puppy mills, then go after them?

I wish there was legal recourse for to go after these fanatical groups financially and make them pay every time they falsely accuse a legitimate business of wrong doing just for the sake of media attention for an agenda. For most for groups guilty of this it is the only way to get any attention and gain members, at the expense of legitimate a business.

Perhaps if Anonymous thought that puppy mills were like Gaza, he would be more more supportive.

Glock 22,

My dear blogging friend, thank you for saying that. It means a lot and I hope it didn't hurt too much.

If nothing else, I hope people will rethink where to go to when they are ready to get that new family member. I hope I've been able to open some eyes to the underworld of puppy mills.

To One Who Values You,

I adopted a puppy from a group that rescued him and many others from a puppy mill. As you or someone else said, they deserve a home too. What I would never do is purchase a pet from a pet store.

If the owners of Petland say they don't use puppy mills then they should prove it. Where do their dogs come from? If they have nothing to hide then they have no reason not to be forthcoming in providing the public the names and addresses of where their puppies come from. I'm not talking about the "middle man broker" either, I'm talking about where the puppy was born. I don't think thats too much to ask. I'd love for them to prove me wrong. That said, the HSUS has been able to link Petland Inc. to puppy mills. Maybe the Naperville and Wheaton locations don't use large scale USDA farmers. But it seems that a lot of the other Petlands do. Why is that? And why is it ok if only some Petlands use puppy mills?

Someone else commented on keeping their pet in a crate. There is nothing wrong with crating your dog. But, is the crate made of wood and chicken wire? Or is it the kind you buy at Petsmart or Petco? Because there's a vast difference between the two. Also, does your dog stay in it's crate inside or outside of your home, no matter what time of the year it is? Because again, there's a vast difference between being caged in a climate controlled environment versus outside in the elements. Size is a concern too, but I assume you're only putting one dog in your crate, not 5 or 10 in a space that's meant for maybe 2.

Do you groom your dog? You know, get it's nails clipped, ears cleaned, anal glands expressed or clipped if it's a non-shedding animal. Puppy mills don't bother to do much of that, so their non-shedding dogs have terrible mats which pull on their skin, sometimes even covering their eyes so that they can't see. Oh, and lets talk about all the veterinary care they don't get.

Did you know that a lot of puppy mills will cut the breeding dogs vocal cords so they don't have to hear them barking or crying out in pain? Sometimes during birth the process doesn't go as it's supposed to, like any birth, but there isn't a vet there to provide help or anesthesia, so a lot of times the mother and pups die.

Someone also commented on why these places don't get shut down. They do get shut down and their animals are taken in by shelters, humane societies, rescue groups, etc. State laws aren't tough enough so they pay their fines and start another operation. There aren't enough USDA inspectors, there isn't enough money.

I don't see why the owners of Petland are making such a fuss about what the HSUS does or doesn't do. They are a voice for animals. The HSUS has copies of the USDA's documented violations of known Petland puppy suppliers. I would think that proves the allegations are true. Petland uses lobbyists so they can continue to do what they do. It's only fair that the other side has someone in their corner.

Children and animals have no voice. We as adults are their voice, we are their advocates.

About Google, I know it's not the end all be all, but it's a great search engine that most people use. If you're an intelligent person you can figure out which are lies and which are truths.

I find it laughable that one poster thinks the videos are doctored. Do tell why you think someone would go to all the trouble of falsifying videos or pictures. What would they gain? They don't sell puppies, so they aren't trying to kill the competition. They do want to raise money to raise awareness. But I'm sure they'd happily go out of business if they could close down every single place where animals are abused.

I'm sure the next question will be if I eat meat or not. I do eat meat, I also think that animals raised for consumption should be treated humanely from beginning to end.

And finally to the poster that is comparing class sizes or a stadium full of people to puppy mill conditions - I don't know what to say to that. It's one of the most ridiculous comparisons I've ever read! My only thought on that is those people chose to be there.

Where to get a pet depends on what you want. A show dog might have to come from an AKC breeder. A specific kind of dog may have to come from Petland or a specific rescue group. I like Dog Patch myself were I looking for a specific kind of puppy. But the best dog I have ever had came from Adopt a Pet IL org. We adopted a Lab-Corgie dog that was rescued from Franklin County IL Animal Control by the Adopt a Pet group. He was almost a year old, house trained, past the chewing stage and a very intelligent dog that knows a couple dozen words. He is a loyal companion and always with an exuberent greeting after a long day at work. It pains me to say it but MIMI is right this time. Make dog ownership easy; find one at a shelter thats already trained and past the puppy stage. It makes life easier. Gives you more time to blog.

Chris, in all fairness to the Naperville Petland, could you possibly post the letter to the editor from the owner that is on page two of today's Sun? I believe his case needs to be stated as well, seeing as Mimi claims that Petland isn't being above board.

Mimi...

What I asked is why hasn't ASPA gone into the Petland Puppy Mills & basically stopped their business? If they did they would have to use other sources or not have puppies right?

Mimi...

Why are you saying to adopt from a Puppy Mill? Why isn't that continuing the cycle?

I agree you have to prove someone is guilty not have to prove you are innocent!

Again I just can't see the extreme situation you are stating. If so many people were getting bad puppies in society the Pet stores would have major problems. People would be talking about it more & you know word of mouth info does get around fast.

You give A case of a bad one for you but many have wonderful cases from pet store purchases. I have no problem if indeed it is a bad situation, someone show me what they are doing at X location, where they are getting them, then I would want them to clean up their act or close but I will not go for generalizations and slamming all because of a some doing something. If I claimed all my students cheated because I caught a few boy would I be in trouble. Show the proof that the Naperville location is using a puppy mill or anything that has poor breeding conditions and I'll be there also making sure it changes but otherwise you should not be trying to harm this particular owner.

I'll give one other example on what I posted before on bias. In my Lifespan class I asked one day when the heart starts to beat gestationally. I had a student raise her hand very quickly & eagerly. I thought it was an enthusiatic nursing student who may know. She said 3 days! She was smiling so proud she knew the answer. Now the heart is not even formed to beat at 3 days. You are just a bunch of multiple cells. I could of slammed her but instead I thought who gave her this information? Who did her such a disservice? How do I make sure she does not make errors like this again? I used it as a teachable moment for all my students. When I asked her where she learned this she said, "My Right to Life Group." Now I'm not knock this organization, in fact, I won't even say what side of the issue I am actually on. Either side...you need to have ACCURATE information or you just hurt your cause. She felt very upset when I got showed her a reputable medical website which shows what develops day by day & then month by month. You can have what you think are "facts" or "support" but you have to make sure it is valid. Just because something is on the web or one makes a video does not mean it is Accurate. And quite frankly, even very reputable sources make errors from time to time. It is even harder when you get information from very personal sources which we trust but we have to remember they may not be telling us this information with intent to deceive. They may just have trusted someone else & not checked themselves.

Here are two websites that you can go to and research where your pet store puppy came from. I have not personally used either as I have no reason to.

http://petshoppuppies.org/psppuppyreport.htm

http://www.petshoppuppies.com/request.asp

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_puppymills

Mimi,

I honestly believe you are well intentioned but being a little ridiculous.

One thing we all have in common though is we all love dogs.

The other thing we should have in common is that we never accuse the innocent of being guilty.

That we never libel an innocent store owner. I was around when the owner of Extra Value Liquor was wrongfully libeled repeatedly by the residents, media, prosecutors and the City of Naperville. You probably were in your Mom's womb. You have not been around the block like us grandfathers.

I am not selling puppies, I am not Shawn Collins, I am not the owner of Petland and I am not the President of the United States of America. And it is me writing and not my German Shephard. I can not prove to you that my dog can not write....you are just going to have to believe me!

I am simply a Naperville Resident who enjoys blogging as a way to influence the media to do more investigative reporting and try to get the facts straight. I am trying to make a difference in this world by bringing CHANGE to the media in this country which I think is misinformed. Especially the National Media.

I have no problem with the reporting of the Naperville Sun on local issues. I think they are very fair and balanced on LOCAL ISSUES which is their DOMAIN!

mimi on January 14, 2009 1:15 PM

Thank You. It's true if you buy cheap you may be in for long lasting vet bills.

How about all of the posters defending Petland prove that they aren't selling puppies that came from a puppy mill?

By Anonymous One on January 13, 2009 8:39 PM

Mimi, you are very passionate on this topic and I want to ask you about an area that hasn't been discussed on this blog yet. I agree that getting a pet from a breeder (probably the most expensive way?), or from a rescue shelter (least expensive, ADOPT, et al) is the best way to go. How do I get assurances that a pet I may rescue from a shelter wasn't originally part of a "puppy mill"?

___________________________________________________

The cost depends on a lot of different things. I know some pet stores sell their puppies for 3 or 4 thousand dollars. Some of them sell for much less. I paid two thousand dollars for each of my dogs from an ethical show breeder who has 3 litters a year. She breeds only dogs that have been health tested. Most reputable breeders will adopt out former show dogs for the cost of spay/neuter. Nothing more.

In some cases getting a pet from a reputable breeder might be more expensive than getting one from a pet store. But by purchasing from an ethical breeder you are vastly improving your chances of having a healthy, good tempered and fine example of the breed. Both of my dogs from my breeder have had no health problems. Our puppy that we rescued from a puppy mill is aggressive. Since we got him in June we have spent about a thousand dollars on vet visits. That's not including his neutering. He came home with tape worm, kennel cough and stitches from his eye having to be removed.

My breeder will also take my dogs back in the event I can no longer care for them. She has a spay/neuter agreement, meaning I can't register their offspring. I would never breed a dog and most people buying a pet aren't going to either. My breeder interviewed me, we spent several hours on the phone over a few months. She wants to know where her puppies are going. She checked my references, vet and groomer.

As far as rescuing/adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue group. I am not saying that you shouldn't adopt a pet that came from a puppy mill. What I am saying is you shouldn't buy a pet from a pet store, those puppies come from a puppy mill or from a backyard breeder. Neither of which are health testing or socializing their dogs or puppies. By doing this you are perpetuating the cycle of misery. I have a puppy mill survivor! In my version of a perfect world there would be no puppy mills.

I am not a member of PETA, I think for the most part they are a bunch of nuts. If they had their way no animal would ever be bred for any purpose. Their perfect world includes no domestic animals, they want them to all be wild and free. It's a little too late for that.

Our last two pets were purchased at pet stores. The first provided us with unconditional love and joy for fourteen years. Our current Yorkie has done the same for nine years. I wouldn't trade either for a pet from the best breeder known. Whether from a puppy mill or shelter, they all need good homes.

Mimi...

First your idea of "Google, Google, Google" OMG...you can find anything on Google. That is why we tell our students it has to be a reputable source not just anything on google so that tells me something about what you use for you logic.

Next, you are saying all these puppy mills are out of the country? I'd like to see info/proof on that. Then you say because only 5 people will drive by. Oh my so what is media etc for?

Next, I saw those passages/pages you placed in your post but when you provide numbers you have to provide some perspective of those numbers. 17K of how many sold? That could be 90% or only 1% of the puppies sold through Petland. Yes, we do critically think here. This is basic. I discuss this with my students with research. Like the stats on the news etc. They do not always provide whole numbers or just say 64% of whom? Gender, Age, Culture etc. Now do I like even 1 puppy mistreated? No, but if you are saying this is a huge problem then give out of how many! 21 Petlands of 140 is 15%. Then they did not say all those 21 had been unethical just 17K puppies. Those could be from only 10 of the Petlands? They do not say.

Again you have the Humane Society. I do salute all they do and for the most part think they hearts are in the right place and are ethical but not always. They do get into trouble also. They also place restrictions on potential pet owners that are discriminatory at some locations & that is interesting to me that only some locations do this.

As to breeders only breeding for the betterment of the breed that is just not always true. I've been to cat shows with my baby & talk to those breeders. They do make money also. They do not always spay & neuter because some do sell to those who want to show in a category where the animal can no be neutered.

Size does not mean anything to me necessarily either. So then should we call certain colleges Student-Mills if they are beyond a certain number and assume they mistreat the students? Colleges with more than 10K? Classrooms with more than 100 in a classroom? Just because it is a high number does not necessarily mean the quality of the care & education of the students is poor? I've have wonderful professors in large classrooms and some very poor ones in small classrooms & vice versa. It is the individual. I did not blame the whole school if I had a poor teacher & demand the school shut down. I did not picket against the school.

Did you notice the word usage in some of those SMALL portions of quotes? "SOME" does not mean all & really not conveying a majority even. There is one "MANY" what does that mean? Words can powerfully persuade & yet not hold supportive data. Many of my students cheat...how many is that?

I have another question? How many people keep their pet dog in a cage while they are at work & then when they come home they let them out. Many breeders show their cats & dogs to get higher championship ratings so they can have the titles & then get more for their litters. Now they spend what about 8 hours (close when I showed mine) in a cage at a show for 2 days usually. Some do more than one show. Then they are in their carrier/cage in the car as they travel to & from for some that is out of state. Could be on a plan...add up all that time & see how much time they are caged up. When they get home do they let them roam freely to get dirty when they just paid what for a groomer to make them beautiful? Now are some also given the finest food & have princess almost Coach Cages etc ya. I'm not slamming all here either but just making you think a bit. Do they look healthy and well taken care of? Perhaps...but are they happy? HMMMMMM...nature of animal consciousness & emotions we discuss in class.

You know I don't think anyone would be arguing here if we saw horrific puppies in the stores. We would all question it. As someone mentioned if the parents are not being well cared for for the most part the puppies will not look good & have more problems than obviously they do. You do not see massive people returning puppies etc. Can there be some. Sure I would never deny that. Unethical people in all walks of life. And you know doesn't ASPCA have a tv show that they go in for abuse. If these so called "Puppy Mills" are so bad why are they not cracking down on them & taking all the dogs? I would think that is a better way to go.

Very well said One Who Values You.

Also very well said Anonymous.

And just for the record I am not Anonymous of 7:09pm.

As you can see these 2 recent bloggers seem to indicate you are shoving your agenda down our throats.

I agree.

My posts were actually neutral and factual.

I simply stated that I got a very good German Shephard at Petland. A fact.

I did not say all puppy mills are good or bad.

I did not see any abuse in the 8 minute video I watched.

I saw a lot of puppies in a big cage barking.

Hello, we put 110,000 people in the University of Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State stadiums and they also seem to be barking but happy especially if their team is scoring. Is this cruelty to humans?

Most people do not want to be alone and I assume neither do puppies.

If you are a hermit that wants to be alone all the time, Mimi, more power to you. Some of us like to socialize.

===================================================================

For those who think they are going to win their arguments by thinking everyone is me, keep dreaming. I have had no problem taking on 20 of your kinds on the other thread about the Palestinain-Israeli War. So far not one of you has been able to debate me or dispute one fact I presented. Just personal attacks like immature puppies. Even puppies grow up! When are you folks going to grow up and start debating? Are you capable of debating?

Mimi, you are very passionate on this topic and I want to ask you about an area that hasn't been discussed on this blog yet. I agree that getting a pet from a breeder (probably the most expensive way?), or from a rescue shelter (least expensive, ADOPT, et al) is the best way to go. How do I get assurances that a pet I may rescue from a shelter wasn't originally part of a "puppy mill"?

To One Who Values You,

Petland Linked to Puppy Mills

November 20, 2008

Nov. 20, 2008—Today, during a news conference, The Humane Society of the United States reveals the results of an eight-month investigation into Petland Inc., the country's largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores. The results show that many Petland stores across the country are supporting cruel puppy mills, even while telling unsuspecting customers that the dogs only come from good breeders.

There are approximately 140 Petland stores in the U.S., selling tens of thousands of puppies each year. In the largest ever puppy mill investigation, HSUS investigators visited 21 Petland stores and 35 breeders and brokers who sold puppies to Petland stores. Investigators also reviewed interstate import records of an additional 322 breeders, USDA reports and more than 17,000 individual puppies linked to Petland stores.

Take Action for Dogs:

Contact Petland now, and help end puppy mill cruelty»
According to Stephanie Shain, director of The HSUS Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, "Petland is perpetuating the abusive puppy mill industry, where dogs are treated not like pets, but like a cash crop. 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. People have a right to know exactly what they are buying, but the real victims are the breeding dogs who are confined to life in a cage for as long as people are duped into buying their puppies."

This is the latest in a series of HSUS investigations exposing abuses at puppy mills, dog auctions, and pet stores around the country. The new Petland investigation revealed:

• Despite assurances by Petland staff and on their corporate website that the company knows its breeders and deals only with those who have "the highest standards of pet care," many Petland puppies come from massive commercial breeders in Missouri and other Midwestern states, where hundreds of breeding dogs are packed into cramped, barren cages—often for their entire lives, with no socialization, exercise, or human interaction.

Hear from a former Petland employee

"People need to see what goes on inside a puppy mill. Once you see it, it hits you."

• When HSUS investigators visited 35 of the large-scale breeding operations linked to Petland stores, they witnessed puppy mills where puppies are factory-farmed in large numbers. At many, investigators saw appalling conditions: puppies living in filthy, barren cages reeking of urine, with inadequate care and socialization.

• Many of Petland's puppies are not supplied directly by breeders but are purchased from a "middle man"—large-scale "pet distributors," otherwise known as brokers—showing that the company may not even know who the breeders are or what their standards of care may be like. The investigation revealed that some of Petland's brokers are also buying from puppy mills.

This is just one of the many puppy mills investigators visited which supply puppies to Petland stores. ©The HSUS

• Some of Petland's puppies are ordered online via a pet auction website called the Pet Board of Trade—demonstrating that many Petland stores are not screening breeders as the company's website claims. In fact, in some cases it may not even know the breeder's name until after purchase.

• 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.

• Documented USDA violations at some of Petland's breeders and suppliers included dirty, unkempt enclosures; inadequate shelter from the cold; dogs kept in too small cages; and inadequate veterinary care. Some of the breeders were found with sick or dead dogs in their cages.

Puppy mills are a source of unbearable cruelty where breeding animals are kept in tiny cages without any socialization for the sole purpose of supplying pet stores and the Internet market with puppies. The HSUS urges all of its members and supporters to spread the word about the great suffering associated with these mills, which also contribute to tragic pet overpopulation.
__________________________________________

USDA equals Puppy Mill because you have to be a certain size to be overseen by the USDA. They don't oversee small operations, such as backyard breeders or show breeders.

No, I am not against all breeding, I'm against puppy mills. I'm against someone breeding for the sole purpose of making money. Ethical breeders breed their dogs to better the breed. They don't breed dogs that have medical problems, they test their animals before breeding. Now that doesn't mean that problems don't arise, they do, but when that happens they no longer use that dog to breed. They spay or neuter said animal and adopt it out or keep it as a pet.

People don't picket or protest at puppy mills because they are out in the country, not on Main Street, USA. What good would it do to protest somewhere that maybe 5 people will drive by? You protest where it is going to be noticed.

From what I've seen and read, Petland uses puppy mills and backyard breeders to produce their commodity.

If my posts and most of the others posts help change one mind about where to go to get that new family member, than I have done my job. I am passionate about this cause and I'm not going to apologize for it or spend anymore time trying to prove to you that pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills. Do the research yourself! Make phone calls, do whatever it takes to find the answer. Google, Google, GOOGLE!

As someone who spent a majority of my childhood and teenage years in 4H and Future Farmers of America, and working on a variety of the farms in the area (You know, when Naperville Plainfield, Oswego, and the surrounding areas were farming communities instead of golfing communities.) I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that USDA "approval" means almost nothing when it comes to the quality of life of the animals they're "inspecting".

http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/USDA.html

First of all, I don't believe there is only 1 Anonymous that is on these threads so please be careful with identity & no need to call names. The editor has stated a few times not to have personal attacks.

Next, Mimi you said you are trying to "educate" people but educate them can mean many things. The KKK tries to "educate" people too. No, I'm not comparing you to them just trying to make a point that this is not just "educate" but "educate" on what & how. You stated one is ignorant & "what will it take to prove" well, most "proof" is legal documentation of some type that has is not altered in any way. Pam Zemekas exposes places & shows her proof when one is conning. Perhaps you have seen her on tv. I haven't heard that she has ever altered via editing etc her tapes. She shows the proof then. A court of law will not even consider you seriously if you do not have proof.

I do know Petland is nationwide but we are talking about the demonstrations at Naperville. If Naperville is bad enough for people to demonstrate there & hurt that independent franchise then you better have proof that they are doing this type of illegal activity. I take it by your comment that then Naperville does not but you are stating others do nationally. That is not fair to the Naperville establishment then. You don't blame everyone when some are doing it.

Now Naperville's location has this link:

http://www.petland.com/PetlandNews/PetlandNewsDetail.asp?PetlandNewsID=244

From that...

"Petland works with USDA licensed and governed professional breeders. The USDA is the governing body overseeing and regulating breeding facilities in the United States. They are responsible for inspecting and licensing such facilities and establishing required regulations. Petland also has a local-buy program and Adopt-A-PetTM, a national community service program which has placed over a quarter of a million homeless pets in the last 10 years.

Above and beyond the USDA guidelines, members of the Petland Field Operations Team at Petland, Inc. make personal inspections of breeder facilities to evaluate the level of animal care.

Each Petland location is locally owned and operated. As required by Petland, Inc., Petland operators conduct their own site visits of breeder facilities. Breeders must be in compliance with any applicable local and state government regulations, in addition to the USDA."

Now am I trying to proof the Naperville location is not unethical, to defend them...heck no, I'm not about to, I don't know for sure but, if you want to prove they are unethical you better have some pretty substantial & legal evidence to convince people. If they are so bad why are they not closed down? Why aren't there people making complaints to the city of getting bad animals & problems with buying from them. Those people would be demonstrating, writing in the town paper ETC! Is everyone talking poorly about Petland in town saying, "Ya, I had that problem too" etc? If it was that bad I'm sure this would be happening.

This is like my students who may be totally against animal research and find out in class first how little animals are used for research in psychology. I'm not including Medical, Cosmetic Industry etc...just psych. Have a guess everyone & I'll let you know the percentage a bit later if you want. Then I go on the APA website & show them all the ethical guidelines. Now could some be unethically treating their research animals? Sure. Does that mean all are NO! And to say all are because you may have caught a few does not make sense at all. Can you imagine if all research in medicine was stopped because some were being unethical. That is like saying all doctors are bad because there are a few unethical or all teachers are bad because a few are, or all police officers are bad because a few may be. Education of logic is the first step! Now if someone wants to state that X Petland in X location is doing something unethical & they should be made to clean up their act or closed, I have no problem with that. I have no tolerance for mistreatment of anyone but, you have to "show me the proof" and not just say "I swear they are!" You also allow them to change. As I menttioned prior the PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) organization who is suppose to be the most ethical you'd think, had people who were being unethical, euthanizing animals & throwing them in trash bins in malls (http://www.topix.com/forum/football-players/michael-vick/TFCHT1N6PFDQSUU42 I know the link says Vick ??? but that is what it goes to!) so then is the whole PETA organization bad? You know there are some independent breeders that sell themselves who are unethical also. Should we say all breeders are bad then? No! Whenever you go to extremes for either side one usually has problems.

And why does "USDA mean Puppy Mill". I agree with one poster...are you upset they are just being bred or how they are being bred. Not all breed badly. So how are the fish, rabbits & birds bred and brought to the petstores? No one seems to have a problem with that? Or other animals. We have USDA meat don't we? Now I'm not going to get into the whole Oprah thing here but, sure now we are all into no artifical meds in the cattle & chickens, and I buy free range eggs at times...but how are the chickens bred? Are some mistreated? Yep, and when they do you tell them to clean up their act & may not buy from them until they do, but I don't stop eating eggs or meat...sorry not a full vegetarian here. How is my salmon raised? No, I don't want dolphins killed for my tuna, so I do what I can when I purchase it, but I don't stop eating tuna totally. And why is Petland getting the flack so much for these places? Why aren't these "Puppy Mills" or breeders that are unethical getting the flack. Why aren't people just picketing there. You know there are families who are cruel to their pets & then we take them away from that family but we do not take them away from anyone with the same last name regardless of whether they are abusing their animals. You should treat them all independently. We had a famous chain restaurant in our area that was cited for salmonella. Now did they close down the whole chain? No. Did that store have to clean up its act or close...yes.

You also have to be very careful on either side of an issue for bias. Just as the tobacco industry doing their own research & stating cigarette smoking is ok in the past was ridiculous, the other side can also be bias for their side, just like a researcher may be & that is why you use a double (or more) blind study. You really need the third party who is independent for proof. Puppy Mill websites are going to show nothing but Puppy Mills. They have a vest interest and yes that means Petland could not be showing the whole picture also. I'd like to see some independent investigation or something in court papers that states X location has & they have to resolve the problem by a certain date or they will be fine, closed etc. That may be a location then I certainly would avoid but if they are attempting to resolve the matter I would let them try first.

By mimi on January 13, 2009 6:24 PM
"My posts are meant to educate the rest of the public that enjoy learning and becoming better human beings."

Actually Mimi, your posts are meant to shove your agenda down anyone's throat that doesn't buy into your rhetoric and the manufactured facts put forth by PETA.

While you claim your information comes from reliable sources, it is very one sided. Once one sees through the agenda, your facts don't hold water. Follow the money Mimi, PETA needs people like you to survive financially.

Anonymous on January 13, 2009 5:31 PM
My point is there is 2 sides to most stories.

__________________

Except in your case ("Anonymous") where your side of the story is always right, and everyone else is a zionist racist aphartheid loving Nazi! By the way Barak, what kind of dog are you going to bring to the White House?

Only on this blog could you twist the topic of "puppy mills" into a rant about Israel and Hamas. Give it a rest puppy dog. By the way, weren't you the one who kept talking about how badly poor "Abby" (NGM's Dog) was treated by the NPD?

To: Anonymous (troll)

You don't get it! This is really starting to become funny! My posts are meant to educate the rest of the public that enjoy learning and becoming better human beings. I can tell that this fact has been lost on you. I don't even have to read anymore of your rambling, misguided manifestos to know there is something that just ain't right with you! So bye bye Anonymous, so pathetic that you can't even use your first name.

I watched your video. If you have a problem it is with the United States government and not Petland. The USDA inspects these puppy mills.

I see no problem putting puppies together in a large cage before shipping to the retail stores. They get to play together. Puppies when babies are very destructive. You just can not let them run around in the first few months.

I hated caging mine so I had him on a long lease and gave him access to my kitchen area until he stopped eating furniture and chewing remote controls. After 6 months, he stopped chewing and I allowed him to go anywere he wants in the house. Sit on any sofa and sleep in any bed. I bathe him once a week to keep him clean.

I can not imagine how I had my dog on a lease in the house for 6 months now. It seems cruel. Of course I took him off the lease often to play with him. But at the time it was necessary.

Just because I said I bought a good dog at Petland does not make me the owner of the Petland Store. A few days ago I wrote a respectful dissenting opinion on the Furstenau case and I was accused of being his attorney Shawn Collins. I enjoy debating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and I am accused of being an imposter of Barack Hussin Obama. What is wrong with you folks?

Can't you all debate without making accusations and personal attacks? I am sorry you guys think I am everyone. I am only one person expressing my views in an intellligent and logical way.

As I said there are bad puppy mills and good puppy mills. I have only bought one dog from Petland, a German Shephard, and he has exceeded all my expectations. He is the perfect dog.

I am not the only one who ever bought a dog at Petland. One of my neighbors bought 2 dogs. One died at age 15 and one made it to age 17. Very good dogs who ran in the front yard and stayed off the street.

Another neighbor bought a dog directly from the breeder. The owner has him chained to a tree all the time he is out. She can not let him loose. She took him to all kinds of dog training but he always runs away. At 9 years old he is showing signs of arthritis. The dog barks at every truck or motorcycle that passes by. He hates all other dogs. It seems to me like he is a mental case.

Another neighbor bought a dog from a breeder and it bit the neighbor's dog which required 17 stitches.

My point is there is 2 sides to most stories. You can get a good or bad dog from a breeder and you can get a good or bad dog from a pet shop. Are you going to dispute that? That is all I am trying to say.

If you want to say I was lucky with my German Shephard...that's fine....I would rather be lucky than unlucky!

Let us stop arguing and agree to disagree.

Let us also put this in perspective.

USA BOMBS are being used by Israel to kill Palestinian children and babies. We have humans living 30 to a room and being bombed by war planes and killed. Now that is an issue you should be concerned about if you are truly concerned about being humane.

The puppies for the most part are being treated fine. They are babies and will not remember the first month or two of their lives. Eventually, they end up in loving homes. Everyone, I know treats his dog very nice. If I saw a dog abused I would call the Naperville Police Dept. I have never in my life seen a dog abused by anyone in Naperville.

So again let us worry about the children of Dafur, Rawanda and Palestine that are starving and being slaughtered....need I say more. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet seem to have their minds in the right place and helping truly suffering humans throughout the world.....why is you mind stuck in the dog pen?

Just ask Petland if you can see there freezers when you go there.
I know its disgusting but its real.

Very well said Keyboard Rambo. Can't wait to see the trolls reply to my proof. What a pathetic life he/she leads....

I feel I must warn Mimi and the other people posting in this thread that I haven't seen before on The Potluck, Anonymous is nothing more than a massive troll who posts remarkably obvious flame bait in response to everything Chris posts here to wind people up... and it's working. He/she probably doesn't even have a dog, and probably has never even been to Petland, much less talked to the owner.

Please don't take anything he/she says seriously, they're just trying to stir the pot. For more examples of this, see pretty much any thread. He/she posts under several names, but anyone with a brain can easily point them out.

To anyone who seriously wants to debate pet shops versus reputable breeders, all you have to do is follow the dollar. Most quality breeders do what they do as part of the larger hobby of traveling around and competing in dog shows, and barely turn a profit on selling their puppies, much less make a reasonable amount for the time involved. A friend's late grandmother bred champion cocker spaniels. She figured she made around $200-$300 profit per puppy after 10 weeks of care, feeding, vet bills, a litter would make a profit around $1250, or $125 a week.

Puppy mills or backyard breeders on the other hand, forgo most if not all of the genetic testing, vet supervision, and other things which make life good for puppies in exchange for a massive profit by breeding as many puppies as possible, and making female dogs have as much pregnant "uptime" as biologically possible. I could list all negative things about puppy mills for hours, but you'd be better off just visiting this web site suggested earlier- http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/

Now, I don't doubt that you can get a good dog at a pet store, there's exceptions for everything. By and large though, it's a much better idea to save a dog from being put down at a shelter, or buy a dog from a reputable breeder so you can verify you're not getting an inbred mutt with all kinds of ticking genetic time bombs, not to mention all the latent psychological problems your dog may have from being raised in a factory/abusive environment.

Is it possible the owner of the Naperville Petland is a good guy and refuses to buy from puppy mills? Sure, anything is possible. What doesn't make sense to me is why someone with good ethics would knowingly buy in to a franchise like Petland which has had a lackluster reputation for quite a while now.

By Anonymous on January 13, 2009 3:07 PM

Mimi,

You need to prove that Petland buys from unethical and abusive puppy mills and not from breeders. The owner told me he buys from breeders. What proof do you have that he is dishonest?

He sold me an excellent German Shephard that has not been sick once in 6 years.

I am sure some puppy mills are bad and some are good.

Why would a puppy mill cage their dogs day and night. I doubt it. They need to be healthy to reproduce. Males have low sperm count without proper nutrition and exercise. Females don't ovulate without proper nutrition and exercise.

It is not in the interest of a puppy mill operator to abuse his dogs. It is in his interest not to abuse his dogs unless he is a stupid ignorant idiot. We do have stupid ignorant idiots in all professions and businesses.

You are attacking dog breeders that sell to pet shops as if they are all from the same mold of puppy mills. Most dog breeders and/or puppy mill operators love their animals or they would not be in the business. It is not the most profitable business in the world.

If you can be more specfic you can gain credibility. If you are going to blanket bomb everyone you will have no credibility with me or the viewers on this blog site.

__________________________________________________________

I can only guess that the reason you are so adamant about your stance is because you are too embarrassed to admit you made a mistake. I'm not here to gain credibility, I'm here to try and educate people like you that have either buried their head in the sand, just don't care enough to make a difference or honestly don't know what the real story is. Maybe you are the owner of Petland Naperville.

What exactly is it going to take to prove to you that pet stores get their pets from puppy mills or back yard breeders? The company he franchises from gets their puppies from puppy mills, that's how I know he gets his dogs from puppy mills! I assume you are capable of doing some research of your own, maybe I'm wrong in making that assumption.

There is no such thing as a good puppy mill.

Here, take a look at some of these lovely videos and websites. Stop typing long enough to do a little research.

prisonersofgreed.com

stoppuppymills.org

ararebreedoflove.com

almosthomerescue.org

paw-rescue.org

2008: EXTENSIVE Humane Society of the United States investigation of PETLAND links Petlands all over the U.S. to--what else?--puppy mills. Please visit this link and watch the 8-minute video!

http://video.hsus.org/?fr_story=b224f6032ef5f9bda79fdcaf446e491e5ede509d&rf=bm

Additional information about Petland, including USDA inspections of Petland breeders, is currently available at http://www.stoppuppymills.org/

*******************************
December 1, 2008:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/12/01/daily35.html
"Former Petland Franchisees Suing Chain"
The article begins..."Former Petland Inc. franchisees are suing the Chillicothe chain for fraud, alleging the stores are doomed from the start--and the company knows it." It says "A major allegation from the franchisees...is that pets supplied to the store through Petland's vendors were sick or dying."

***********************************
Most animal abuse takes place at the breeding and transporting facilities, before the animals even get to Petland. But behind the scenes at Petland stores, things are going on that you wouldn't expect from their cheerful exterior. Check out this investigation into Petland in Columbus, Ohio, conducted by the Companion Animal Protection Society:

http://www.caps-web.org/view_video.php?video=petland.swf

Mimi,

You need to prove that Petland buys from unethical and abusive puppy mills and not from breeders. The owner told me he buys from breeders. What proof do you have that he is dishonest?

He sold me an excellent German Shephard that has not been sick once in 6 years.

I am sure some puppy mills are bad and some are good.

Why would a puppy mill cage their dogs day and night. I doubt it. They need to be healthy to reproduce. Males have low sperm count without proper nutrition and exercise. Females don't ovulate without proper nutrition and exercise.

It is not in the interest of a puppy mill operator to abuse his dogs. It is in his interest not to abuse his dogs unless he is a stupid ignorant idiot. We do have stupid ignorant idiots in all professions and businesses.

You are attacking dog breeders that sell to pet shops as if they are all from the same mold of puppy mills. Most dog breeders and/or puppy mill operators love their animals or they would not be in the business. It is not the most profitable business in the world.

If you can be more specfic you can gain credibility. If you are going to blanket bomb everyone you will have no credibility with me or the viewers on this blog site.

By Anonymous on January 13, 2009 11:50 AM

Mimi,

It is ignorant that you can not differentiate between Petland and Puppy Mills.

Your comment that the health of my dog will deteriorate as my dog ages is another ignornant comment.

All dogs and humans lose their health as they get older and eventually die.

If my German Shephard has been healthy for 6 years without one single incident, I seriously doubt Petland sold me a defective dog.

The dog has been wonderful. It is more intelligent than any other dog or animal I met in my life. It kisses. It is playful. It is obedient. It is adorabel. It is lovable.You can leave it at home for 8 hours and causes no destruction and can hold it.

It can do dozens of tricks.

Why don't you go have a chat with the local owner of Petland. He is a very nice person and extremely helpful. He will tell you exactly where his dogs come from. Was he ever scammed by a wholesaler? Of course, but that does not make him a con artist participating in the abuse of dogs. No way!

___________________________________________________________

Anonymous, please explain the difference between Petland and a puppy mill. I'd love to hear your ignorant explanation on this.

Count yourself as one of the lucky ones! I'm not willing to take that kind of chance on my pet.

I know that animals and humans health deteriorates as we age. What I'm trying to get through to you is that by buying an animal from a pet store you are playing russian roulette. The greeders as I call them are NOT concerned about breeding for the betterment of the breed, they have only one concern, the almighty dollar.

I don't need to talk to the owner of the Naperville Petland, I know where his animals come from. They come from puppy mills.

Tell me, where do you think his puppies come from?! Where do you think any pet stores puppies come from? If they don't come from a puppy mill then why are there thousands of puppy mills in this country?

Google "prisoners of greed" and then tell me you'd go to Petland or any other pet store and buy a puppy. If, after educating yourself, you would still go to a pet store and buy from them, then there really is something wrong with humanity.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” - Mahatma Gandhi

By One Who Values You on January 13, 2009 6:48 AM

Mimi...

I just did what you suggested & checked out Naperville's Petland on the BBB...they have a satisfactory record. What is more they only listed 3 complaints, 2 the customer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB & the other actually did. Three complaints does not seem to support what you are suggesting.

_____________________________________________

You are aware that Petland is nationwide? I don't recall saying to specifically look at the Naperville Petlands record at the BBB. Petland uses USDA licensed breeders. That means puppy mill!

Mimi,

It is ignorant that you can not differentiate between Petland and Puppy Mills.

Your comment that the health of my dog will deteriorate as my dog ages is another ignornant comment.

All dogs and humans lose their health as they get older and eventually die.

If my German Shephard has been healthy for 6 years without one single incident, I seriously doubt Petland sold me a defective dog.

The dog has been wonderful. It is more intelligent than any other dog or animal I met in my life. It kisses. It is playful. It is obedient. It is adorabel. It is lovable.You can leave it at home for 8 hours and causes no destruction and can hold it.

It can do dozens of tricks.

Why don't you go have a chat with the local owner of Petland. He is a very nice person and extremely helpful. He will tell you exactly where his dogs come from. Was he ever scammed by a wholesaler? Of course, but that does not make him a con artist participating in the abuse of dogs. No way!

Good news on Petland. I have taken in two strays in my life and they were the best dogs ever. I also got a dog from Petland. It wound up having Kennel Cough. Petland paid all the vet bills for my new dog and my old dog who got infected. My new Petland dog-(3 years later) is the healthiest, happiest, smartest dog I have ever met. I would go back to Petland in heartbeat!

Mimi...

I just did what you suggested & checked out Naperville's Petland on the BBB...they have a satisfactory record. What is more they only listed 3 complaints, 2 the customer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB & the other actually did. Three complaints does not seem to support what you are suggesting.

Yes, animal shelters and animal rescue groups take in puppy mill survivors. There is no discriminating between strays, owner surrender or mill dogs. They will continue to be a part of the landscape until every last mill is shut down. Which won't happen until people become educated about where that cute little puppy in the window comes from.

It's very easy to find everything you need to prove the facts about the Petlands, Happiness is Pets, etc. of the world on the internet. There are tons of reliable sources and facts on there. Or go to the library if you don't deem the internet as reliable. Check out the BBB for complaints about these companies. You are sure to find a wealth of horrid information about these places.

Adopt or buy from an ethical breeder. You can find ethical breeders by talking to the specific organization/association for whatever breed you're looking at. If you want a yellow lab go to the American Labrador Club, or for a Maltese go to the American Maltese Association. These clubs monitor their members. Unethical breeders are banned for life.

By Anonymous on January 11, 2009 9:07 PM

Ted,

Are you saying I just got lucky with my dog from Petland.

If Petland was that bad they would be out of business.

People are not going to pay 599 dollars for a badly bred puppy.

While I don't doubt some breeders are evil, I think most breeders are good and love their dogs.

Most of my neighbors bought their dogs at pet shops and their dogs are as adorable as mine.

They even gave us a one year warranty. I don't think they would give one year warranties if they were given us bad puppies.

If they were running a fraudulent business, the government would have shut them down by now.

If you want to libel a business, please be 100% sure of your facts. You can cause damage to an innocent businessman trying to make a living in this rough economy.

And I would not trade the dog they sold me for 599 for any other dog. It has been given all its shots which is not free. Stores need to pay their 5.000 to 10,000 rents. They need to pay their employees. They need to pay their electricity, heat, phone bill and insurance. They can't afford to sell puppies for 100 bucks.

If you want a puppy for free, you are going to have to become a breeder yourself. Otherwise you are going to have to pay the market rate. I think 599 dollars for a good dog is a bargain.

_____________________________________________________________

Wow, I can't believe the ignorance that you are spewing.

YES, you are lucky you haven't had any major medical problems with your dog. Your luck will wane as your dog ages.

An adorable dog doesn't spell 'well bred'. An adorable dog doesn't spell 'always going to be healthy'. And that adorable dog has parents that are living in sheer misery.

How dare you speak about something you obviously have no clue about. All pet store puppies are provided by either puppy mills or back yard breeders. Sure, they have papers, anyone can register their dog. It costs practically nothing to register your dog via AKC, CKC...etc.

No ethical breeder would EVER sell their puppies to a pet store. They have no reason to, they have waiting lists for their puppies. It might seem crazy to you but people actually wait for months and months to get their puppy. In this instant gratification world we live in the vast majority of people don't want to wait to get a well bred dog. That is a sad fact.

I have a 10 month old Shih Tzu that my husband and I adopted from a rescue group. His story is like so many other puppies that are born into misery. Some how his eye was injured, the puppy millers didn't do anything about it. If festered and became infected. He is no longer useful to the puppy millers. Why who would buy a one eyed puppy? Surely you wouldn't. Along comes a wonderful caring woman who got him out of that horrific place. His eye was removed. He's one of the lucky ones that wasn't left to starve to death or had his neck snapped or some other form of brutality.

Do yourself and everyone else a favor, don't speak of something you so obviously know nothing about. Instead, educate yourself and then come back and apologize for your ignorance.

The reason they give you a one year warranty is because they count on the fact that you have fallen head over heals in love with this little puppy. Do you know what most health guarantees say? You will be given another puppy to replace the "defective one". Are you really going to take that puppy you've fallen in love with back to the pet store...do you think they're going to get it the medical attention it needs? No, it's going to be put to sleep. They know you don't want another puppy.

The sad truth is there are not enough government employees to make sure these defenseless animals are being properly treated at the mills.

Your remark about -if you want a free puppy breed your own- is about the most laughable thing I've read in a long time. Ethical breeders spend a lot of money raising dogs. It ain't free my special little friend.

Someone pointed out that a lot of the rescue dogs may well have begun their lives in a mill. Odd how no one ever seems to mention that. This IS a subject that can be very difficult for people to be open minded about, as it very often comes down to "Yes, but MY dog".
Having read the story, what I would like to know is if there is any evidence that the Naperville location of petland is using puppy mills. I get that the chain itself seems connected with this practice.
What it comes down to is not supporting places that breed indiscriminately and without caring for the mother dogs. But unless you visit a breeder's location, how can you possibly know?
For my part, shelter dogs are the way to go.

One of the best personality, healthiest and people friendly dogs that I have seen in recent memory came from an animal shelter that evaluates the dogs for adoption.

The dog was a unique and very attractive 20 lbs mix breed that may have been collie and spaniel?

My first stop would be such a shelter and I would take a good look at the selected mix breeds as they are likely to be some of the healthiest dogs.

Why have the same dog as everyone else?

If you want a pure breed, talk to your friends, visit the breeder's operation and buy direct if you really want to know how your dog was treated.

I had a friend that was given the runt of the litter by a top breeder that couldn't sell her as a show quality dog. This dog turned out to be a gem of a dog weighing 40 lbs instead of the 65 to 75 for show quality females.

Furious Angel on January 12, 2009 8:53 AM

To Original Joe, yes, there are end-all-be-all places to get pets and that is from a rescue shelter or reputable breeder plain and simple.

____________

I agree with you about the Anonymous person - it is the same person who has been posting on every thread - most of us just skip their rants.

On to the topic: Do rescue shelters take in animals that were originally products of "puppy mills"? If so then I guess these animals are still a part of the landscape - a number of people have commented that their pet was from a rescue shelter and is a wonderful pet. If the rescue shelters do not take in "puppy mill" animals then where do they go?

I have 2 rescue dogs that I adopted about 2 years ago. One is a purebred long-haired mini doxie and the other a black lab mix. Owning a pet is a lot of work and responsibility, whether you adopt or purchase. I personally will never "purchase" a pet because there are too many unwanted dogs that are put down. Many, many of these dogs are wonderful and ended up in the pound through no fault of their own. My motto: "Until there are none, adopt one."

Anonymous has to be a troll. No one can be that stupid.

Even if the back yard breeder only breeds their mutt once a year, they are still badly bred as no genetic testing was done and it was not bred for the betterment of the breed. It's that simple. And yes, those dogs are badly bred and get 1 year warranties. Read the fine print, they wont cover any of the typical genetic issues the dog will have and even if it did, those issues don't appear until after the first few years of the dogs life. Any reputable breeder will give you a life time warranty or agree to replace your animal if it should come down with any of those issues. They've taken so many precautions to make sure the animals aren't bred to come down with those conditions they rarely have to worry about it anyway.

To Original Joe, yes, there are end-all-be-all places to get pets and that is from a rescue shelter or reputable breeder plain and simple. To get a dog from a pet store, back yard breeder or puppy mill is just continuing to fuel the industry of ignorant/poor breeders and puppy mills that abuse animals. And no, $599 is not a decent price for a poorly bred mutt. They get away with it because people choose not to educate themselves on continue to support them in this horrible practice.

You know this is what I meant with my post on the other thread. Being passionate is wonderful, great, better than "Whatever" (my least favorite word! Apathy!) but when you get to Anger & you are personally attacking & being closed minded to what the other person is saying & just denying before they present facts, yes ask them if they have not, then there is a problem.

Ok, I find that both sides of this issue has problems. Are there petstores, puppy mills, breeders who are unethical in the world? Of course. Are there some that are ethical? Yes. Are there organizations who claim to be all for the rights of animals & yet are unethical? Yes...look at all the trouble PETA got into with animal cruelty a few years back. Are there some organizations that are ethical. Yes. What do they tell students...usually the options which say "Always" and "Never" are not the correct answer. Also, not good to use those words while communicating with significant loved ones either! ;-) It never (oops) is true! HA!

When I looked for my first baby I went to many shelters & did not find one that touched my heart. Ok, so all of them do really. I would have taken them all home if I could. If I had a house with some land I'd have a zoo! HA! If I could just find a vet who wanted a big family! HA! But that special one that just fits your personality, is so excited to see you, smoothers you with kisses, wants to sleep with you & makes you just turn into mush and basically spoil him rotten....wait was I talking about a cats & dogs or a guy...anyway...I ended up getting mine from a Happiness is Pets almost 19 yrs ago when I was interning. I don't believe they sell cats anymore. I showed my sweetie in the household category in a number of shows the first year of his life & he has many 1st place ribbons & one trophy. How much did I pay? Just looked at the paperwork $32.08 with tax! He has rarely been sick, infection after neutering, swallowed a bee ??? can't think of too much else maybe one thing? And you would never know he is going to be 19 in a few months. Jumps half way across the room & runs so fast all you see is a grey flash go by. Many judges actually believe he is a Nebelung.

Now my other "big baby" is an adoption from my brother who adopted him from a shelter. I love him dearly, but he has not been nicknamed "Osma" by my friends for nothing! He terrorizes the other one...jealousy turns one ugly! :-) He also has thyroid problems, starting some mini seizures & a parkison's like shake they say. He is about 16 I believe.

All I would say for those who believe Petland is using puppy mills is to just present the facts. And do it in some legal way. The truth most often wins out.

Now I don't mean to be silly or whatever here but where do our fish come from? How about rabbits? Ferrets? Why are they only concerned with the puppies? And doesn't Petland sell kitties? Are they all ok, and well they just care about where they get the puppies?

Now I will go on record as saying I'm all for doing everything you can to adopt from a shelter. One of my past students is the head of our local shelter and is just wonderful. Though one has to remember, if someone were to get a pet from a shelter what is the guarantee? You usually do not know where it comes from & if it will have health issues. Now for some that is not a problem. My aunt goes & finds the most unhealthiest kitty & adopts that one in fact because she knows chances are if she does not what will happen to it. Now, if one does adopt one that has issues what might happen to it? I know not all have huge problems but you also have to consider the possibilities on both sides.

And to the person who posted about the captivity issue of dogs (or cats) I tell my baby every night how lucky he is to not have to be out in the cold and snow, looking for mice everday...though I think he holds the record...caught 5 mice in 45 minutes in my folks basement. Poor thing plays with them & suffocates them to death. Doesn't know he is suppose to eat them! HA! Thank god actually for me! Though I'm the one that has to pry them from him & throw them outside. Ugh! Usually at 3am! He also scared down a raccoon that got in the house, until the police officer came and stopped the potential defending of his household & family. :-) Ok, I'm going... ;-) Just remember lose the "Always" and "Nevers"!

OJ,

Very well said! I could not agree with you more.

My German Shepard sends you his love.

I fostered a rescue puppy 4 years ago. He was 6 weeks old and the time and it cost me $110 which basically covered the vet visit and shots. He's was a great addition to the family and incorporated well with our older dog.

You can pay a price all over the charts; cheap or expensive. If you are happy with what you end up with, that's what matters. There is no one end-all be-all place for pets. What makes a great pet is the love and nurturing in your heart and the time and love you give it.

Ted,

Are you saying I just got lucky with my dog from Petland.

If Petland was that bad they would be out of business.

People are not going to pay 599 dollars for a badly bred puppy.

While I don't doubt some breeders are evil, I think most breeders are good and love their dogs.

Most of my neighbors bought their dogs at pet shops and their dogs are as adorable as mine.

They even gave us a one year warranty. I don't think they would give one year warranties if they were given us bad puppies.

If they were running a fraudulent business, the government would have shut them down by now.

If you want to libel a business, please be 100% sure of your facts. You can cause damage to an innocent businessman trying to make a living in this rough economy.

And I would not trade the dog they sold me for 599 for any other dog. It has been given all its shots which is not free. Stores need to pay their 5.000 to 10,000 rents. They need to pay their employees. They need to pay their electricity, heat, phone bill and insurance. They can't afford to sell puppies for 100 bucks.

If you want a puppy for free, you are going to have to become a breeder yourself. Otherwise you are going to have to pay the market rate. I think 599 dollars for a good dog is a bargain.

USDA licensed MEANS puppy mills. It means factory farmed dogs raised in abuse for as cheap as possible (which means skimping on care and conditions)

It means genetically defective and sick dogs being bred (it's cheap) that result in puppies that are often sick and genetically defective.

USDA has admitted itself that it can't control the abuses at these commercial puppy mill breeders, and corruption has been rampant.

Scroll down (way down) on this page to the excellent exposes by journalist Steve Neavling about the FAILURE of the USDA with this issue
http://hollywooddog.blogspot.com/2007/12/posh-puppy-of-tarzana-and-beverly-hills.html

Petland and its owners throw around the "USDA licensed" or "government licensed" or "inspected" terms in hopes of convincing that this was a seal of approval and the government was handling this issue.

Quite the opposite!

Buyers would be shocked to see the conditions at the breeders that supply these puppies. Here are just some of them, the breeders that the buyers never get to see- http://www.prisonersofgreed.org

Petland stores pay about $50 for a badly bred puppy, then mark them up hugely to max the profits.

Consumer fraud has always been a big issue for Petland.

Hey Mommy,

I brought an awesome dog from them. Intelligent, sweet and trainable. It does not even need a leash when it walks.

I am giving you a fact.

Those videos could be doctored.

For every one bad breeder, 100 breeders are very good and love their animals.

There are always 2 sides to a story.

And yes if I were a dog, I would rather be a dog who can make love than one who can't. I guess you would rather be a dog that is nurtured.

Each to his own....lol!!!

By Completely Amazed on January 11, 2009 3:17 PM
Host Chris:

With regasrds to the post by Anonymous on January 11, 2009 12:28 PM

This is absolutely the most ridiculous post I have ever seen on any blog. If he was trying to be numerous, he missed the mark. If he was trying to be serious, he needs to get some counseling.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Buddy,

Comment on my post if you like, but watch the personal attacks.
Saying I need counseling for expressing my views in a fun and sarcastic way is not appropriate or acceptable.

If the moderator wants to be fair, he needs to issue a warning to you before an escalation takes place.

I will not lower myself to your level this one time and counter attack in order to keep this blog site civil as the Moderator is on record as stating he desires.

Oh my GOD! The comment above, Anonymous on January 11, 2009 12:28 PM is the most IGNORANT thing I have ever read in my life. I'm so infuriated by people who think they know what they're talking about with regard to this issue.

Anonymous, if you think these animals in mills are allowed to gallivant around in sunny, flower-filled pastures, making sweet love to each other under the sunset you're brain-dead. Educate yourself on the horrid conditions that hundreds of thousands of dogs in this nation have to live in every day of their sad, bleak lives. Some of their paws never even SEE grass...EVER.

There's plenty of undercover footage for whomever questions where Petland's puppies come from on this website -- www.caps-web.org

If you want a dog, adopt one from one of the shelters in the area! Find one with an impending euthanasia date on www.dogsindanger.com or if you must have a purebred, locate the breed club of the state in which you live and contact the board for breeder referrals.

NEVER BUY FROM A PET STORE. 99% of those puppies are MILL DOGS. If you doubt it, look at the breeder name and Google it. They've likely been investigated.

I thought it was funny. I also agree that these save the... (insert cause here), need to get lives.

Host Chris:

With regasrds to the post by Anonymous on January 11, 2009 12:28 PM

This is absolutely the most ridiculous post I have ever seen on any blog. If he was trying to be numerous, he missed the mark. If he was trying to be serious, he needs to get some counseling.

by the way - the style of writing is very reminiscent of the Anonymous posting the blogs regarding Gaza and Israel. Same person?

We bought a puppy from PETLAND in 2003 and it is the best dog ever.

Very obedient, adorable and lovable.

We consider it a member of the family.

At least these dogs that are in the so called "puppy mills" are not denied the right to have sex. Many consider sex the best part of one's life. They get tons of it. They are not complaining. Why are we? Maybe these Humane People have no lives and no sex partners. They need to get a real life.

If anything the dogs in our homes are being inhumanely treated because they are deprived of the natural right to engage in sexual intercourse.

Who says there dogs in "puppy mills" have no life? They get to interact with other dogs as nature calls for. Are we giving them a better life by enslaving them in our homes just so we can enjoy them and pet them?

Having said that I would never release my dog back in the wild. I love it too much. And hopefully it loves me. Don't point out the hypocrisy in what I am saying as I am fully aware of it.

As I said these Human Society people need to start dating each other and liven their boring lives with some sexual activity. Stop being jealous of the dogs.

I got my basset hound at the Humane Society. Roy is the best dog ever. I would never but a puppy from a place like Petland that supports puppymills. There are too many homeless dogs in the Chicago area so there is no need to buy a dog.