
The Humane Society of America found, after an eight-month investigation, that Petland Incorporated, the largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores in America, is the #1 supporter of puppy mills. Read more about it and sign a petition here.
An undercover agent from the HSUS visited Petland stores where employees insisted that Petland does not buy from puppy mills. "We only buy from 'reputable breeders,'" one employee said on camera.
However, shipping documentation traced the origin of 16,990 puppies at Petland stores to puppy mills in the Midwest.
Why are puppy mills so bad? Because puppies are churned out in massive numbers and kept in inhumane conditions. They are often kept locked in wire cages in filthy conditions. (One investigation found that a dead dog and puppy had not been removed from the cages filled with other puppies.) Female dogs used to breed are forced to have litter after litter, and are discarded or destroyed when they can no longer breed.
Watch the video to learn more about the Petland investigation...
The HSUS found that many pet stores selling puppies claim that none of their puppies come from puppy mills. (See video, below.)
At the posh Pets of Bel Air, where many celebrities--such as Paris Hilton, Demi Moore and Denise Richards--have come to buy puppies, employees told an undercover HSUS agent that they never buy from puppy mills, nor do they ever admit that a puppy is sick.
"I just say they have a cold or the 'sniffle' because that sounds cuter," said one Pets of Bel Air employee. But, puppies being sold at Pets of Bel Air were found to have been shipped from puppy mills hundreds of miles away, where they were born and kept in abhorrent conditions.
Consumers who may be asking all the right questions can be duped into buying a puppy that came from a puppy mill because of misleading statements made by pet store owners and employees.
A reputable breeder, the HSUS points out, would never sell a puppy without first meeting the family. You, in turn, should not buy a puppy until you have met the breeder and visited their facility.
For more information on how to avoid buying a dog that came from a puppy mill, go the HSUS website for their puppy buying guide. (Their #1 tip is that you should consider adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue group.)
Watch the Pets of Bel Air video here...