Petland My dog from monroville petland died within 5 weeks West Mifflin Pennsylvania

I am confused as to how many people on this website admit to buying a $1400 dog from a RETAILER! Please, use the internet to search for reputable breeders in your area before buying a dog. Don't be afraid to ask for references as they will help put you at ease when purchasing your new pet. I would never spend $100, let alone $1400 on a dog that is being peddled by an 18 year old at a retail pet outlet. It's amazing that useful tools such as the internet and local dog breed groups aren't being utilized enough. Oh, and the puppy mill aspect of the company is just the icing on the cake.

I am confused as to how many people on this website admit to buying a $1400 dog from a RETAILER! Please, use the internet to search for reputable breeders in your area before buying a dog. Don't be afraid to ask for references as they will help put you at ease when purchasing your new pet. I would never spend $100, let alone $1400 on a dog that is being peddled by an 18 year old at a retail pet outlet. It's amazing that useful tools such as the internet and local dog breed groups aren't being utilized enough. Oh, and the puppy mill aspect of the company is just the icing on the cake.

I am confused as to how many people on this website admit to buying a $1400 dog from a RETAILER! Please, use the internet to search for reputable breeders in your area before buying a dog. Don't be afraid to ask for references as they will help put you at ease when purchasing your new pet. I would never spend $100, let alone $1400 on a dog that is being peddled by an 18 year old at a retail pet outlet. It's amazing that useful tools such as the internet and local dog breed groups aren't being utilized enough. Oh, and the puppy mill aspect of the company is just the icing on the cake.

2006 Tax Return Return of organization exempt from income tax:

$91.5 million amount HSUS received from direct public support.

$85.8 million amount HSUS spent in functional expenses such as; $28 million spent on HSUS salaries and benefits; $17.8 million spent on mailing costs; $8.9 million spent on publications and campaigns; and $3.7 million spent on travel costs.

$127 million amount HSUS has in stocks and publicly traded securities. None allocated to any support programs.

Petland urges consumers to donate to their local shelters, where their donations will directly impact the lives of the animals in their communities.

Petland has asked Stephanie Shain of the HSUS to turn over documents detailing the stores investigated, the breeders visited and the nearly 17,000 puppies in question, none of which was turned over to the USDA.

Petland intends to request and review ALL of the documentation. Petland will assist the USDA in any investigation of these facilities and will conduct their own unannounced inspections. And, if necessary, Petland will take immediate action.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the HSUS, recently told Newsweek, I don't require that my audience be in complete agreement with me that's the point of having dialogue you sit down with people who have different emphasis.

Petland asks, where is our dialogue?

Petland has not been asked to sit down and have a conversation with HSUS. That is, until Petland called Shain and asked for documentation, only then was a discussion requested.

At Petland, our number one concern is for the health and well-being of the pets within our care. The fact that HSUS has conducted an eight-month investigation and at no time did HSUS contact the proper authorities or call the police to shut these kennels down is completely unacceptable and demonstrates their lack of concerns for the animals themselves.

HSUS held on to the footage and waited until November sweeps to publicly release it, unbeknownst to the USDA (the governing body) and to Petland. They used this same maneuver with the cattle industry in January of 2008, waiting nearly two months to release their report, which charged that what the investigation revealed was a danger to our national food supply. What responsible agency would hold on to information that was potentially dangerous to our nation's food supply or endangers animals?

Petland has a strong commitment to our pets and our communities and has been an industry leader in pushing for better animal care. Petland has volunteered its help in recovery and rescue efforts and has rallied their communities for homeless animals and animal-related charities. Through our Adopt A Pet program, Petland nationwide has adopted out more than 270,000 homeless puppies and kittens by working with local shelters, hobbyists and rescue groups. Petland is part of the solution.

If the HSUS wants to do some real good, they need to become part of the solution. They need to report the results of their investigations promptly to the proper authorities and actively work to shut down substandard facilities.

HSUS should be spending their considerable dollars ($91 million) not on salaries and fundraising propaganda ($85.8 million), but on no-kill shelter efforts and direct donations to local humane societies who are in dire need of support.

Elizabeth Kunzelman

Director of Marketing and Communications

Petland, Inc.

On Nov 21, 2008 www.consumeraffairs.com - another complaint board has an article citing Petland using Puppymills
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/11/hsus_pet_stores02.html

It is based on a Humane Society of the United States - here is an excerpt from the article

Those puppies are raised in deplorable conditions and often have health problems, genetic defects, and behavioral issues, according to the HSUS.

During its investigation, HSUS investigators visited 21 Petland stores nationwide. At each of those stores, employees told HSUS investigators that its puppies came from reliable, USDA breeders.

HSUS investigators also tracked the sale of nearly 17,000 puppies sold at Petland stores across the country and found nearly every one of those dogs was shipped hundreds of miles from puppy mills in the Midwest.

I have rescued cats and dogs and they are the most loving loyal pets you will ever find.

First of all, I despise Petland. This is not meant to defend the stores, just to clarify a point of veterinary medicine.

The incubation period for Parvo is 3-14 days. This means that the puppy was not sent home with Parvo, but was exposed to it after arriving in the new home. I'm very sorry for your loss. For anyone else reading this rebuttal, please take away the knowledge that young puppies should not be taken to areas where other dogs frequent until they are at least four months old and had all of their vaccinations and boosters.

The reason they give several puppy vaccines over the first few months is that the mother passes along antibodies in her milk which prevent vaccines from taking effect. There's no way of knowing at which age this will wear off, so there are repeated vaccines given in hopes of them being effective at the earliest opportunity.

And please don't ever buy a puppy from a pet store. Go to http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/ for more information about puppy mills.