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Petland lands in center of rabbit-drowning posted on Facebook
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Drowned rabbits/PETA
NOTE: GRAPHIC IMAGE
Following two investigations and a class action lawsuit for selling dogs from puppy mills, Petland pet stores has landed at the center of another controversy.
This time, it's for an employee who drowned two rabbits at the Akron, Ohio, store where she worked and then posted it on Facebook.
Elizabeth Carlisle posted a picture of herself holding two dead, drenched rabbits up to her face after she drowned the them in the back room of the Petland store, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) reported today.
Carlisle wrote on her Facebook page that her manager took the picture. PETA reported:
"[S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture."
Before being drowned, the rabbits attacked and ate each other, according to additional Facebook comments made by Carlisle. Injuries to the rabbits included bites, a missing eye, a possible broken jaw and paralysis from the waist down from injuries.
The injuries would not have occurred if the rabbits had been properly cared for, PETA stated.
Petland immediately terminated the store owner's franchise agreement for its "horrific mistreatment of the animals". All Petland signs have been removed and the Akron Ohio store will not be reopened, a spokeswoman said. The animals were transferred to a store in the Chapel Hill Mall.
Charges are being filed against the employees involved in drowning the rabbits.
"Petland will in no way, shape or form tolerate any abuse of animals in its care. We are outraged of this gross violation of Petland's animal care standards," according a written statement issued by the company. "Petland policy demands that medical treatment and protocol is to be provided and determined by the store's consulting veterinarian and not be undertaken by an employee. Petland policy also dictates that no animal be euthanized in ANY manner by any staff member."
Animal advocates across the nation were saddened and disturbed by the rabbit drownings.
"Obviously, we're horrified by it," said Stephanie Shain, a spokeswoman for The Humane Society of the United States who is based in Washington, D.C. "It's a very disturbed person who does that to an animal."
Stain said it's not an isolated incident.
"It just doesn't match up that they talk about the incredible care being given in their stores and things like this happen," she said.
In November 2008, the Humane Society released the findings of an eighth-month investigation that showed many Petland stores get their puppies from puppy mills. The investigation found that many of the dogs come from mass-breeding centers in Missouri and throughout the Midwest.
Dogs raised in puppy mills are typically confined to filthy conditions in cages -- sometimes for life. The dogs often have no interaction, socialization, or contact with humans. The investigation noted that in some cases the breeders failed to meet even minimal USDA standards for basic animal welfare. Some dogs were kept in cages that were too small; others lacked proper veterinary care.
In March, Humane Society members and other consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Petland. In July, the Humane Society released the findings of it second investigation which confirmed that more than 95 percent of Petland stores buy their dogs from puppy mills. The Humane Society indicated that Petland is still buying from puppy mills cited in the first investigation.
Shain said the Humane Society hopes Petland will change its business model and not sell live animals.
For additional information:
Petland
250 Riverside Street
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
(740) 775-2464
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