Update:NO MORE! Group Wants to Stop the Sale of Dogs and Cats in Petland

[Bertuzzied]

Great idea!! but what a horrible website or lack of it.

I guess the only way to sign the petition is going to be at the Pet Expo this weekend.

Petland needs to be stopped. There is no way their dogs are not puppy milled considering how many dogs they have and it's year round too. Also Pisces also sells dogs and cats there. I do not know of any other stores that do that.

Looks like Richmond has already implemented a ban.

http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/Calga...943/story.html

[Ace]

So if you want to get a new dog where are you supposed to go...do you have to hunt down a breeder?

Wouldn't a store like petland know exactly how many animals they need and source them appropriately?

[Bigtime]

I think I know what happens to extra dogs at Petland that they can't sell:

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by Ace

So if you want to get a new dog where are you supposed to go...do you have to hunt down a breeder?

Wouldn't a store like petland know exactly how many animals they need and source them appropriately?

Petfinder.com

Tens of thousands of dogs need homes. No better feeling in this world than adopting a dog.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Ace

So if you want to get a new dog where are you supposed to go...do you have to hunt down a breeder?

Wouldn't a store like petland know exactly how many animals they need and source them appropriately?

I think the preferred option is a shelter where you can adopt a dog.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Ace

So if you want to get a new dog where are you supposed to go...do you have to hunt down a breeder?

Wouldn't a store like petland know exactly how many animals they need and source them appropriately?

You do research and find a reputable breeder. You can't just buy a dog like you can buy a tv or something.There is no way they can stock there stores year round with that many dogs if they did not use puppy mills. Not only that they put large breeds, like golden tetrievers, labs and bermese mountain dogs into those tiny little cages.

Also I've known people to buy dogs from petland and 1 from picses and they are all mentally messed up and some physically.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Instead of stopping the sale of animals why doesn't the group try to make some changes so the source of the dogs is more apparent? If they force the sale of dogs away from a corporate entity then it will become more private and then to me it would have more potential for animal abuse.

I got my dog from Petland many years ago. She was a dog who was rescued after being dumped on a reserve. If it was not for Petland how would have this dog been saved?

[Finner]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

Instead of stopping the sale of animals why doesn't the group try to make some changes so the source of the dogs is more apparent? If they force the sale of dogs away from a corporate entity then it will become more private and then to me it would have more potential for animal abuse.

I got my dog from Petland many years ago. She was a dog who was rescued after being dumped on a reserve. If it was not for Petland how would have this dog been saved?

I don't think they mean the adopted animals pet stores sometimes take in (ie Petsmart has cats/dogs for adoption), i think they mean puppies that Petland buys from puppy mills.

[The Yen Man]

So why don't they limit the amount of dogs breeders can breed? It seems to me like Petland is just a middle man for people to purchase puppies and kittens. Cap the number of animals that can be bred, and petland won't have all the pets to sell.

[JDub81]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

So why don't they limit the amount of dogs breeders can breed? It seems to me like Petland is just a middle man for people to purchase puppies and kittens. Cap the number of animals that can be bred, and petland won't have all the pets to sell.

Agreed - it's not just the stores that need to be regulated - it's people who breed dogs. Right now, any idiot can go buy a dog, not spay or neuter it and breed it. Even if they know nothing about the breed, raising puppies, anything. I call that abuse.

Plus - big breeders are a problem as well - so many purebred dogs, of all shapes and sizes have mental and physical deformities because of over-breeding. Cracking down on pet stores who use puppy mills is a good start. However - just because you buy from someone who calls him or herself a "breeder" doesn't mean you are supporting a better cause.

Do your homework if you're getting a dog. I always say adopt a dog that needs a home. But - if you want a purebred (and I can certainly understand why some people want to go this route) or a pure cross, research the breed, the breeder and owning a dog in general. Try to talk to other everyday people who own that breed. This is the only way to prepare yourself - and to make sure you aren't supporting a puppy mill type attitude by buying direct from a breeder who raises animals based on the same philosophy.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

Instead of stopping the sale of animals why doesn't the group try to make some changes so the source of the dogs is more apparent? If they force the sale of dogs away from a corporate entity then it will become more private and then to me it would have more potential for animal abuse.

I got my dog from Petland many years ago. She was a dog who was rescued after being dumped on a reserve. If it was not for Petland how would have this dog been saved?

I'm talking about the 'purebreds' that they sell for like $1500. It would be great if all they had were rescued dogs though.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

So why don't they limit the amount of dogs breeders can breed? It seems to me like Petland is just a middle man for people to purchase puppies and kittens. Cap the number of animals that can be bred, and petland won't have all the pets to sell.

I think the same principle should be applied to some people as well! There are some people out there that just shouldn't be breeding. Help close the shallow end of the human gene pool!

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

So why don't they limit the amount of dogs breeders can breed? It seems to me like Petland is just a middle man for people to purchase puppies and kittens. Cap the number of animals that can be bred, and petland won't have all the pets to sell.

Wha? What is easier, policing the thousands of breeders to make sure they are only breeding one puppy litter a year, or shut down the mass market distributor driving the demand for these milled dogs?

Petland has been caught using puppy mills before. It is a no brainer to shut this kind of thing down.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27822309...th-pet_health/

One of the most depressing things in my life is going near that Petland in Market Mall. 80's style mall pet mart with the pets crowded together in blinding light and noise.

[Sr. Mints]

I bought--correction, I rescued--one of my dogs at Petland in April of last year. Funny thing is, during Easter a week or two before I got him, I was lecturing my cousin over dinner about the evils of pet store dogs, and spend pretty much the entire evening talking about all the great dogs that need homes.

Here's how it went down:

My girlfriend and I were at Market Mall, and we did the obligatory Petland stop. I hate going in there, it depresses the living #### out of me. Usually I wait outside. Anyway, I went in and there were three little dogs, boston-terrier chihuahua crosses, and one looked so lethargic and scared, and was barely moving. I felt sick.

I couldn't get it out of my mind.

Perhaps fate, but I had to stop at Market mall by myself two days later, and something pulled me into Petland. Two of the dogs were gone, just the remaining sad, depressed little guy. I asked to hold him, he was all skin and bones, and when I held him, he squirmed into my jacket. Again, I felt sick.

So of course I bought him. $1500. What the #### was I thinking? I was asking myself this when I was purchasing him, while I was filling out the paerwork, while the ditzy girls working there were trying to upsell me on all the crap didn't need but they told me I did. What was I doing?!

I felt sick at what I had done. I expected my girlfriend to be mad when I brought him home, even though she doesn't live with me, but she wasn't. My other dog, who is a rescue dog pretty much hated him. It was just an awful situation, very stressful. I am ashamed to admit that I even contemplated returning him, losing half of the price of him.

Anyway, the first night having the new dog, who is named Wendel, I woke up to see that he had pooped blood all over his kennel. I freaked out, and took him immediately to the vet Petland said I had to take him to for warranty reasons ('warranty,' that sounds so f'ing cruel!).

The vet actually told me he was fine! They signed off on this dog, even though he was skin and bones, had diarrhea, was pooping blood, had little energy. Then they told me he had a chipped tooth and I should have it pulled and I should have his feet operate don because they were splayed or something. They did some blood tests and they came back clean.

Calling bull#### in my mind, I went home and made an appointment for my regular vet. Had blood work done, and turns out my dog had campylobactor (sp?), giardia and one other thing I forget what it was called. By this time, my other dog was pooping blood and had insane diarrhea. And, low and behold, I had the worst diarrhea and stomach pains in my life.

So I got both my dogs on medication, and they slowly got better. Wendel was 12 weeks old and four pounds when I got him, a week later he was seven pounds.

I had bloodwork and stool work (?) done and was diagnosed with campylobacter, my girlfriend also had it. I went on antibiotics because it wasn't going away, though my girlfriend did not need to. Had my carpets cleaned.

About a month later, I notice little bald spots on Wendel. Took him to the vet and it turns out he had Mange. More medication. About three months later that went away.

I have no idea how much money I spent on this dog. But he came from deplorable conditions, and surely would have died at Petland. And now I have a great, loving little dog with not a mean bone in his whole body. Both my dogs get along, we're one big happy family.

But F--K Petland. One of my biggest regrets was not exposing this somehow.

[BigBrodieFan]

I have something to say on this subject, speaking from experience.

We bought Hannah at a pet store, a very reputable place. She is a Wheaton Terrier, here is a pic:



Then we bought Hank, a German Wire Haired Pointer, from a rescue place about 3 1/2 years ago, and he's now around 8 or 9 years old, we're not really sure.



Hannah is about the sweetest, most loving, well behaved dog in the world. She is truly the best pet. We raised her since she was just a tiny puppy and she's never been 'punished' physically. We don't believe in hitting any animal, period, for any reason.

Well let me tell ya, Hank has been a nightmare. The first week we had him he gave me a warning shot/nipped at me, and I was really worried he'd do the same to the kids so it was touch and go for awhile. He was scared to death of being in a new place with new people. He was obviously extremely abused before he got to us. He has ripped up my house on more than one occasion and eaten things that no animal should be alive after eating, including glass, at least 10 leashes, plastic, shoes, coats, clothing and just yesterday he got into my pantry downstairs and ate about $200 worth of groceries and he has a terrible belly ache today! We have to lock every door in our home whenever we leave him. He cannot be kenneled. We bought a shoreline kennel which is as big as a refrigerator and he broke out of the steel welding in about 2 hours, had 157 stitches and my house looked as if someone were murdered. Now, we are not giving up on Hank. (Boy I could have a couple of times though) He's on vet prescribed anti-depressants (I am not kidding), and we're told he's so well adjusted compared to what he used to be. He has extreme separation anxiety, but as you can see in the picture, he is very loving and extremely sweet (as long as he isn't alone).

I would NEVER get a 'rescue' animal again, especially one with so many issues. It's been very stressful, and unless you have a LOT of patience, I would go with a puppy. True, not all 'stores' are the greatest, but you can find really good breeders that have great reputations. Never ever go to a pound/rescue place and fall in love with a dog and take it home the first day. It's not fair on you, or the dog, if you don't know it's history. If you raise the dog as a puppy, there really shouldn't be any surprises.

I am sure there are thousands of stories of rescue animals being the greatest things ever. I am just saying, mine turned out okay, but it's been really hard and you have to know what you're getting into.

I love both my dogs, but I really didn't know what I was getting into with Hank. It's taken a lot of hard work from my whole family to get him to where he is today. (In a Flames sweater!)

[fredr123]

Not all of the Petland stores are the same. Some, such as the Market Mall location, are independently owned. They do their own homework when it comes to finding reputable breeders and check up on them from time to time. The corporate stores are more likely to use larger-scale breeders in order to meet store demand.

Disclosure: I friends with the owners of the Market Mall location.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Not all of the Petland stores are the same. Some, such as the Market Mall location, are independently owned. They do their own homework when it comes to finding reputable breeders and check up on them from time to time. The corporate stores are more likely to use larger-scale breeders in order to meet store demand.

Disclosure: I friends with the owners of the Market Mall location.

It's hard to believe any reputable breeder would supply dogs to them year round and putting them into those conditions there. Small cages in the busiest mall in city.

Also they use the word "type" in all their dog descriptions. Like Golden Retriever Type or Pomeranian Type. Which means they are not pure bred and that the breeder probably has 10 different type of dogs in their mills.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

It's hard to believe any reputable breeder would supply dogs to them year round and putting them into those conditions there. Small cages in the busiest mall in city.

Also they use the word "type" in all their dog descriptions. Like Golden Retriever Type or Pomeranian Type. Which means they are not pure bred and that the breeder probably has 10 different type of dogs in their mills.

From what I was told, they have a list of breeders all over Alberta that they get puppies from. No single breeder, obviously, provides puppies to them on a year round basis.

I just wanted to point out that some of the stores are independently owned and operated. Stories like the MSNBC link above may or may not apply to them. It is, of course, entirely possible that the independent stores could be worse than the corporate stores.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

No better feeling in this world than adopting a dog.

Clearly, you've never had an orgasm.

[JDub81]

Originally Posted by BigBrodieFan

I am sure there are thousands of stories of rescue animals being the greatest things ever. I am just saying, mine turned out okay, but it's been really hard and you have to know what you're getting into.

I love both my dogs, but I really didn't know what I was getting into with Hank. It's taken a lot of hard work from my whole family to get him to where he is today. (In a Flames sweater!)

My family is an example of rescue dogs turning into great stories on several occasions - whether it be adoption by word of mouth, friends or family who needed help or shelters.

I can sympathize with your situation for sure, and commend you and your family for sticking with it and not giving up on Hank.

Just curious, do you have a big back yard? How much/often do you exercise your dogs?

Please don't take those questions the wrong way - you sound like a great, knowledgable dog owner. It's just that we got a young dog from a cousin once and had issues with her eating everything in sight, tearing the house apart, going crazy when we were gone. After a couple of weeks of this, I finally clued in that she needed more exercise than our older dog and started taking her out for challenging jogs with obstacles, etc. twice a day, 7 days a week. Within a week, she was a different dog.

Might be something you've already thought of, but I thought I'd mention it anyway! Love the Flames hoodie!