Fish heads, fish heads. Rolly pully fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads. SpongeBob loves to eat them, yum!

SpongeBob soaks up the little swimmers.

They have alot more then worms!! Upper Respiratory Diseases & Giardia to name a few.

I am not a vet and I am not pretending to be one either. I have had a few dogs in my life. I am not saying Petland is perfect or the worst. I am pretty sure I am familiar with what to look for when a puppy has worms (which by the way can kill them) and even though it is very easily taken care of; from what the vets I have had said to look for; I am pretty sure that the last time I was in there most of the puppies I looked at had a good case of them. Maybe less dogs at one time would help. I am not sure how fast (or slow) their puppies sell though.

Alliance for Animals,Rock co. works hard to educate and encourage the public to work with groups such as Shelter from the Storm. We highly advocate going to such rescues. As an animal rights group, we strive to encompass a vast array of animal issues. As a group we host and attend protests and demonstrations. Along with that we participate in multiple educational outreach events, host guest speakers for public forums and presentations, arrange low cost spay/neuter appointments,assist with trap/neuter/release programs, attend lobby days, campaign for multiple issues, and help with many individual situations that come up. As a community, it takes a multi-faceted approach when working on changing long set traditions. We work in conjunction with many other local and national groups to achieve a more consistant resolution to the many issues that concern animals of all species. It takes everyone working as a unit to accomplish saving the lives and preventing the deaths of millions of animals annually. From grassroots groups to members of congress~ we can all participate in stopping the sad tragedies that happen to innocent lives. Every effort adds up. It's the same effect as turning off the water when you brush your teeth. With all of us doing our part, we're conserving massive amounts of resources. In the case of animals~ we all need to step up and stop these abhorrant practices from continuing.

I got my dog from Petland. Besides the lazy eye and the underbite he is perfect.

Stuckhog...OUCH. That is just horrible. What a nightmare.
For that same $60 you could have gotten a free kitten and had her spayed at Shelter from the Storm- which includes a rabies and distemper shot- for a grand total of $30.
Shelter From the Storm is a group of vets who neuter for $15 and spay for $20. I daresay they have prevented more animals from being born, and subsequently gassed, that Alliance for Animals has.

I also want to say something about HSUS...I think they are necessary...
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Do I agree with every position they take?...NO, I DO NOT....Would I donate to them?...No, I would not....Do I badmouth them?...No, I do not, they have and do a lot of very good work agaist pet mills.
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Someone said they have a hundred-million dollar annual budget..If so, I'm glad they do.

That really takes some *DOING* to produce a genetically defective cat...I have actually never seen a genetically defective cat or kitten and I've seen a lot of 'em.
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After all I've heard about various pet stores, I'm actually even a little surprised at that...wow.

Evansvillehousewife,
My family are one of the poor suckers who purchased a cat from Petland. They and my children played upon my emotions big time. We got a full grown female mother cat that no one else would take for a "deal" of $60. Vet papers for shots and supposed clean bill of health. Well she went into heat maybe 3 weeks after we got her. She managed to sneak out of the house and get pregnant. The entire time we had the cat she had diarrhea. I assumed at first it was her getting used to new environment. Well she gave birth to 5 kittens all deformed. Three had deformed legs and couldn't walk, one had part of his brain on the outside, one had his intestines hanging out. All but one died at birth. I ended up having to put both of them down they had feline leukemia. So much for clean bill of health! Now I have children who are upset over loss of their pets. Thanks Petland.

Protesters should not be in the street and should not be standing right ON the curb, yes I agree with that...
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I've also seen some very poor protesting etiquette at times, I'll agree with that for sure.

Truth, I'm glad you agree with me that protesters should not be in the street. By the way, it looks like Virginia is fifteen feet into the street not fifteen feet away from it. Maybe the Petland protest wasn't sanctioned by the Alliance?

With all respect to anyone else's opinion, promoting safety is getting the drunk and/or reckless and those excessively speeding off the road and the light-runners. Protesters would be on the very bottom of any list of traffic hazards, if they are one at all...

At each and every Alliance for Animals Rock Co. demo, we adhere to strict laws and local regulations. We stand in the grassy median because that is where we are allowed. We're not permitted on private property, thus the median is the only place we're allowed. We have had a full review and contact with local authorities in order to ensure that our demos are legal and safe. In NO way would we ever want to harm anyone passing by and in no way would we want to harm ourselves. To imply such is rediculous. I find it disturbing to read the comments about stifling our rights as American citizens. We are grateful to live in a democracy where one can speak their views freely. To ban protesting would quickly evolve into one slippery slope. Would these people also be willing to sacrifice their own right to speak out? We're all concerned citizens willing to stand up for these animals who suffer miserable existences daily on an incomprehensible scale. Because someone else may not share our viewpoints does not entitle them to take away our rights as free Americans. These animals need our help and it's time to step up as a community and take action. (sidenote: YEA! what a great follow-up in today's gazette! Thanks to the staff for continuing to bring these issues into the attention of the public!)

I could spin the words in my favor to. The fact is that being on the curb and causing traffic to stop because people are in the street, or they're handing out pamphlets, or having people honk their horns randomly is unsafe. If these protesters stayed fifteen feet off the curb it might be as bad but they don't. I haven't seen anyone protesting on Milton Ave. that hasn't been right on the curb.

These people were right on the curb when I passed them on my way home from work.

The law is that you have a right to protest within 15 feet of any curb.

roadking- The first thing that "physical" disruption requires is *trespassing*.....Most protesters do not trespass....That law has no application here at all.

Kudos to the OUR VIEWS section on the opinion page in today's Gazette!!!!!

kettleblack: you've been misinformed, they DO get their puppies from puppy mills

Reread the act - It could be argued that "anything causing physical disruption" could be protests that result in loss of business. I don't know if isolating protesters is the best idea but if it gets them off the street I'm all for it. I do think people have a right to protest - I don't think it's ok for them to do it at the expense of my or my families safety. I don't really care if you're protesting animal treatment, abortion, the war or someone picking their nose. It shouldn't be done right next to the road people drive on. A time and place for everything doesn't mean in the street when I feel like it. I don't think the Beatles meant protest when they sang "why don't we do it in the road."

Roadking- That federal law has nothing whatsoever to do with protesting, it has to do with break-ins to a property and arson and the like...If you want to do something about driving hazards, then lobby lawmakers to put drunk drivers and reckless drivers in prison.

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

Roadking: After 9/11, our government began putting protesters in pens that were miles away from pertinent locations and far away from the public eye. Be wary of a government that works so hard to silence the voice of its people.
That said, I would not consider people with pickets shouting at passing cars and stepping into the street as an effective method of raising awareness. When police remove a middle-aged black woman from a bus for sitting down when she was tired, the world watches and begins to question the way things are. When police remove shouting, angry picketers from a street corner, people are relieved that they no longer risk hitting one of them with their car. Peaceful noncompliance is the best way.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/pl... They can be arrested under federal law

Anyone with half a brain can see it's a safety hazard.

Dumba** people with nothing better to do than harass a business owner who provides jobs and pays taxes to this city and who is not obtaining animals from puppy mills. Yeah, keep this nonsense up and you will because a mini Detroit sooner then you already are.

truth1: Do not confuse my saying that rights are rights with saying that nonhumans should have the same rights as humans. I have not been presented, however, with a logically consistent argument that indicates why one individual's right to not be property is different based on species. How is this any less arbitrary than basing it on race or gender? I implore you to think about any or all of the points I've made regarding the whimsical nature with which humans assign rights and value to others.
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JSM: you've misused the red herring fallacy. There is nothing more glaringly related to the rights of animals than when they are being mass produced, industrialized, and sold as property. You bring up a good point, however, about how far-reaching people's compassion stretches when the truth is brought to their attention. Party lines become irrelevant when empathy is allowed into the mix. At the outset, anything that breaks tradition seems wrong, but an appeal to tradition is fallacious, as is your appeal to history. The amount of time humankind has been doing something has no bearing on the morality of the act, itself. Your analogy regarding methamphetamine is peculiar in that there doesn't seem to be anything really effective about that measure at all. If anything, you've shown that legislation risks putting matters out of our control. I agree about your comment on humane societies. I would bet the vast majority had not been abused. Yet the vast majority will be euthanized. Breeding more animals only exacerbates this plight. I also agree that legislative measures and protests are not mutually exclusive, but in the instance of fighting for rights for animals, legislation is a terrible option that provides zero evidence of lasting efficacy or movement towards paradigm shifts.

It is a red herring to turn the puppy mill argument into an argument about all animal rights/vegetarianism, etc. Dogs and humans have a complex, symbiotic relationship going back to the end of the Ice Age. Look at outcry even politically moderate Wisconsinites have raised at the prospect of Michael Vick joining the Packers. Of course dogs have a special status in society.

And legislative efforts can work. The restriction on Sudafed purchasing has decreased domestic meth production and forced a lot of meth production to Mexico. Meth smuggling has skyrocketed. It's probably easier to smuggle meth than puppies, though neither is ideal.

Some states and/or municipalities don't allow the sale of dogs in pet stores. This is especially common out West.

It is erroneous to think that because pets come from the humane society they are abused. Many end up there, especially recently, due to economic factors, divorce or death. If you saw one of the pets (and yes, they do have puppies often), s/he would be indistinguishable from a neighbor's pet.

Lastly, people opposed to puppy mills can protest publicly and seek legislative change simultaneously. They aren't mutually exclusive. Unless you want to repeal the 1st Amendment, people are free to state their beliefs.

People CANNOT be cited or stopped from protesting in the USA...Its been tried and tried and tried...Never, never, never happen.
No matter what laws they try to say it violates, it has NEVER held up and never will.

roadking- Drunks, speeders, light-runners, reckless, etc. etc. etc. are "road hazards"....Protesters are the least of any possible concern.

The police could possibly cite them under Janesville city ordinance 9.39.010 and 9.42.050. I couldn't find one specifically for protests.

Mike, this is where you and I differ..It looks like you believe in "animal rights" equal to human rights, I don't, and thats ok.
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I want to stop PUPPY MILLS and that kind of abuse. This particular abuse has many, many facets to it that affects both dogs AND people. Thats all the interest I have in dogs...I also believe that anyone involved in dog fighting should be killed.

There oughtta be a law against all protesting right next to city streets. It's a safety hazard. The intersection at 26 and 14 is bad enough without people standing right on the road causing all the distractions. Milton Avenue has to be the worst for protesters. The city should have some kind of ordinance against this practice. Free speech does not mean it's ok to potentially cause an injury accident regardless of someone's hard on for a cause.

truth1: upon what premise do you base your conclusion that a dog's purpose is to serve humans? Surely the purpose of the pet industry is to serve humans by trapping or breeding animals into captivity and selling them as a commodity for the purpose of human pleasure, but how can you look at an independent animal that can think, feel, and suffer, and decide that her purpose is to serve humans? Where does this purpose come from? Who assigns this? He/she who has the might to do so?
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If you believe that the purpose of a dog is to be the property of a human, then what right do you have to tell me how I can treat my own property? Why should it matter if I beat my dog if it's part of how I train her? I paid for her.
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How can you say that an animal has the right to be free from an arbitrary amount of suffering decided by an arbitrary committee, but the animal should not be free, period?
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How much suffering is too much?
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9.6 million animals being euthanized every single year and hundreds of thousands more winding up on the street. This is a byproduct of the industry. All industries have waste. Can our desires and pleasures really justify this?
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Why can I not apply these same concepts to humans? If I have the might to breed them into captivity for my entertainment and companionship, do I have the right to do so? What if I took excellent care of my human after he was taken from his mother at just under 1 year? I fed him, clothed him, gave him shelter, and I even used mild forms of discipline. He simply would have no choice when he ate, where he slept, how much exercise he would get and where he would get it, how much he got to play, how he was cared for when sick, and I would also be able to choose when he would die. But he would live a great life. What do you say? Can I buy a human from a human breeder?
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....properly cared for and NOT... !!!FARMED!!!

Mike, That is very good thinking and I mostly agree with everything you said except that I believe dogs actually are for the purpose of human service and companionship as long as they are properly cared for.

truth1: I see your point about trying to discourage the road-side operations by making startup costs higher, but in a business with such little overhead, these amateur breeding farms will still exist. They may simply operate illegally and consider becoming legitimate once they have enough capital. You said yourself, they exist outside the public eye. Plus, without culpability placed on the buyer, as well, there would be little deterrent from simply having a black market setup.
Your comparison to cars, buildings, etc is a false analogy, because in those cases, the concern is about the regulation of sales and protection of the consumer. That is exactly my point about regulations. If your focus is primarily on the consumer (notice that all of the "care" points on the bill were centered around the consumer getting a healthy animal...much like a lemon law for cars), and you continually build a framework around this, then you are merely building upon a preexisting paradigm of property status.
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Think about this: if every penny that went into creating and promoting this bill were spent on advertising campaigns and awareness activism, then the puppy mills would shut down, because puppies would not be a feasible commodity to exploit. TV ads, newspaper articles, pamphlets/leaflets, awareness concerts, school activities...the list is endless. And every one of these activities helps dissolve the ingrained notion that these animals exist for the purpose of human servitude/companionship. These activities get RID of the property status. And this is the only thing that will ever make us consider change. If the demand for a product is there, all the regulation in the world will not suddenly make the product not a product at all.
You CANNOT effect positive change with legislation. The arguments for legislation are empty arguments that say things like "baby steps" or "at least it's something" or "how else can we reach the major corporations" or other nonsense. These are always unsupported arguments, and the efforts have wallowed in futility time and time again. Meanwhile, HSUS, PeTA and others will advertise their "success" and ask you to donate to their cause so that they can tackle another meaningless topic with more expensive, flaccid legislation.

truth: http://www.townofjanesville.org/uploads/.... The State of Wisconsin doesn't appear to have any type of state level kennel law that I could find. usually kennel ordinances are more localized in nature and local municipalities can be more restrictive than state or federal law, however they may never be less restrictive. This being hte case you would have to look at the municipality in which the kennel is located at the county, town,village, or city level

What "laws and ordinances"?????

new legislation isn't the answer. Enforcing the already existing laws and ordinances would be nice. You can make as many laws as you want however they mean nothing unless they are enforced.

Mike, just think of this in reverse..What would happen if we eliminated all licensing and regulations for selling used or new cars, real estate, building permits and inspections,employment, etc., etc.....That would not be a positive thing....We just need to attempt to bring this rogue bunch into line with the rest of civilized society as best we know how, which is not all that easy to do very well.

Mike- A pet store generally draws it's customers from a certain radius, it's "customer base"..If that store gets it's animals from cruel mills and/or sells sick animals among other things, that "customer base" can eventually be educated so almost no one in that "customer base" buys from them anymore....Whereas, mills that sell directly to the public and located out in the middle of nowhere generally have no such customer base, their "customers" can be from anywhere in the nation..Anyone "driving by" seeing their highway sign and stops to hand them cash(tax-free) for a puppy...The legislation may get the taxes enforced among other things..When these things start to happen, it makes it more difficult for these degenerates to make money doing this.
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It WILL depend on how well it is enforced and we must make certain that it IS.

Thanks for reading my posts, truth1, but I should make clear that my point is that legislation is RARELY good, and regarding animal rights, it has NEVER been shown to do any good.

I'm curious as to what you think this bill will do, and why you think it will be effective.

I'm also interested to hear why you feel that proximity limits education. Exposure of lies, undercover material, and constant flow of facts are how education about these matters occurs.

While I hope this bill will finally be that magical "first/good/baby step" that welfare legislation supporters keep attributing to their latest initiatives, I suspect it will be ineffective at best, and detrimental at worst.

Mike1316 makes a most pertinent point.....legislation may be good, but its NO substitute for educating the public.
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People may believe the legislation will accomplish something, and it might, but it WILL NOT accomplish what ongoing education of the public will do.
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I actually do support the legislation because I think it will do something about the ACTUAL mills that sell directly to the public..Its very hard to educate against them because they're out in the middle of nowhere and depend on drive-bys for "customers"........although I think the educational classified ads in the "pets" section are quite effective.

We agree on the idea of small steps and the patience. I just feel that top-down legislative initiatives are not steps in the right direction. Several issues to consider:
***Why would I consider not buying from a pet store once I've been told that an initiative has been passed that makes sure the animals are healthy and happy? A regulatory initiative gives false confidence regarding the transparency of their purchase.
***When you support welfare initiatives, you must be aligning to one of two conclusions: 1) there will be a point where you will be satisfied with the commoditization of companion animals or 2) you expect there to be legislation outlawing the sale of companion animals. The first conclusion has solved nothing and history has shown that regulations on commodities shift and change. The second conclusion cannot be logically reached from small changes in the way the treatment of a product is regulated. They are two different concepts.

Put into law a bill that bans the possession or sale of more than 25 dogs and requires neutering, and you have my full support. Put into law a bill like the one proposed, and you've done nothing to help the animals, nearly 10 million of which each year will die by gas, lethal injection, or other means at some point in their lives, anyway.

***Large quantities of money are being spent to produce and promote these bills and the organizations that back them. Every dollar being spent on legislation is a dollar not being spent on getting the word out to as many people as possible.

Individuals vote with their dollars, not with their ballots. Teach people how to be conscious of their monetary votes, and progress will be made. Focus on legislative votes, and he/she who has the most money will always win; whether a law has been put into place or not.

Slavery is illegal in the US? Ok, cool, Nike, Monsanto, and the gang will just enslave the rest of the world and make it invisible to their financial backers: that's us.

The bills that make the difference are dollar bills. The conscious consumer who lives his/her values is the one who generates positive change in the world.

Mike~ we do disagree with the massive breeding facilities. It's a sad fact that these businesses will not be outlawed completely. Currently, our state is one of the worst in the country as far as numbers of mills exisiting. The passing of the bill is a step further in exposing these places and their motives. The reality of the matter is that it takes small steps to make progress. Patience and persistance pay off. Combining the passing of more regulations, more inspections(and larger fines for violations) and the grassroots initiatives will further the education of the public, which in turn leads to more people adopting rescues and shopping at stores that don't sell animals. It's all small steps culminating into one goal of protecting more lives. We are in support of this bill passing because it is one step further in the right direction.

Alliance for Animals, Rock co. is also AGAINST factory farming, although i see no need to start an overall debate on ALL animal rights issues in this forum. We advocate peace, compassion, and consideration for all species. No animal deserves to suffer, we do our best to speak up on behalf of each and every one of them. To think of these actions as "radical" is disturbing. When did the definition of radical become 'standing up for someone or something in need?' We see a void and we work to lend our help in any issue that we may encounter.

Allegrea: Thank you for clarifying that. Then, since your organization is against the breeding and selling of animals, is it also safe to say that you will not be supporting a bill that would put into law the process by which individuals will be allowed to do exactly what your organization is against?

interested: I have yet to read a bill that will actually end an enterprise. Your suggestion that this bill does this is misleading. Supporting legislation does one of two things: 1) It further entrenches the property status of animals by writing into law the very nature of our acceptance of nonhuman animals as commodities and 2) It convinces the masses that something is being done about the issue and that the government, once again, is taking good care of everyone. Don't be duped. Legislative "victories" are really just traps and obstacles set in motion by multi-million-dollar corporations. It is for them that your government works. Make no mistake about this.

--Now on to your bill: The smallest section in it refers to care. This should be your first indicator that the true intentions are elsewhere.
Surely you can spot the incredibly vague requirements here. Other elements in the bill simply state that they will be determined by the Department of Agriculture. The USDA are the same people that monitor adherence to the Human Slaughter Act. Are these really the people you want to place in charge of your puppies?
Basically, if I'm a puppy mill, here is what I will LEGALLY be allowed to do:
Keep hundreds of animals younger than seven weeks old in wire-floor cages outside with minimal food and water, provided that I can find a veterinarian that will sign off on the facility and quantities of resources. I can sell as many dogs as I wish, provided that I pay a small fee. I do not have to spay or neuter any of these animals. I do not have to show these animals any interest or affection, so long as they have basic necessities. I can sell these animals in seven week cycles.

I will be notified once every two years when an inspector will be visiting. In the event that I am penalized for not being able to mask the quality of life I've been providing for puppies over the past two years, I may receive a relatively small fine, and I may need to reapply for a license.

Let's assume the absolute best, here, and say that I run a top-notch facility. I'm still producing new animals at an alarming rate while hundreds of thousands of animals are being exterminated each year.

Creating animals is a business. They are merely products. To suggest that any legislation can ever truly ensure that we recognize our products as having rights is preposterous.

All this, and we mustn't forget that for every new bill created, its abolition becomes more and more difficult. For every new big rally for a legal change, it becomes more and more difficult to open people's ears and eyes to the immorality of animal commoditization.

Yes, I've read your bill. No, I will not support it.
In the history of animal welfare legislation, there has never been any notable change in the status or treatment of animals.
Education and grass roots initiatives are the only way.

Please remember, many of the posts on this forum are NOT from members of Alliance for Animals. Blanket statements implying our group are taking away from the issues at hand. Alliance for Animals, Rock co. is AGAINST the breeding/selling of small animals, birds, reptiles, any living animal, from mills. We addressed these issues in the article but that part was omitted. Our stance is that ALL mills should be shut down. Any industry supporting the exploitation of animals is wrong. We advocate adopting a rescue animal, whatever species you prefer.

snuba>> I shared my opinion on how I feel about the issue. I agree that this shoudln't happen but IMO it pales in comparison to other issues. Sorry if you don't like my opinion, that's what it is.

to bullysarebest: this forum is about petland/puppy mills, not children's issues

I think mark-twain is actually Mr. Sardine

http://mophoz.com/2008/11/john-graber-od...

Anyone want to see an example of a REAL "radical extremist"?....Watch the internet video of "John Graber Odon Indiana".
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Now THERE is an "extremist radical"!!
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truth1>> I agree completely with you. The puppy mill people are extremists and radicals themselves!!! And a few more adjectives I could throw out there!

I notice the terms "radical" and "extremist" get used quite a bit.....Can one get much more "radical" or "extremist" than to lock up not just ONE dog, but many dogs in cages their entire lives just to pump out puppies as fast as they can or to support a position that says thats ok?
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No, I don't believe you can get much more "radical" or "extremist" than that!!
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3bblame- You make no sense to me. How is this article not about more than dogs? It is about your group protesting for animal rights. If your group only supports stopping puppy mills then change your groups name to People Against Puppy Mills!
If you refuse to acknowledge that all animals rights are important and not just the cute little fuzzy puppies then your group is a joke and no one should support you.

Mike1316 I agree with your philosophical views, but if I understand you correctly, you wouldn't support legislation that is aimed to stop puppy mills and set humane standards for those animals? You sound like a humanitarian, and although this legislation doesn't solve all of the problems, it is a beginning. I believe, the evolution of humankind has moved towards compassion and I have hopes we will continue to progress. I am hopeful that you will read the bill and support it, because if folks like you don't, how will these changes ever be realized?

3bbame>> Your response is typical of those who wear blinders when it comes to an issue they feel passionate about. You have no desire to learn more that in the long run could help your cause. You don't want to field the questions or thoughts of others. It's obviously okay to be passionate about something, but not so much that it blocks out all other things. It's then that you tend to turn people away from your cause rather than draw them in and increase your strength by numbers.

People, the article is about dogs. You are using it as a platform to get other opinions across about other controversial subjects. You are right, I don't know about commercial farming, and if you don't want me to refer to farm animals romping in the grass, then don't use the word farming so freely; indicate commercial farming, just as the word puppy mill is used in the wrong context. Keep bantering back and forth about my comments and have a good time, I will not read them, as this is a waste of my time.

dreec said: "I find it interesting that you animal rights activists have no problem with how animals are treated if they are not domesticated. The only reason dogs are "above" cows, pigs and sheep is because you put them there."

This is an excellent statement that shows a great deal of clarity. I was surprised, then, to find that you are not, yourself, an animal rights proponent. You recognize that our treatment of others is completely arbitrary, and typically based on a "might makes right" mentality. Yet our values surely do not align to this mentality. This requires an overhaul of our moral reasoning. Can our pleasure, convenience, or tradition really justify our behavior?

A consistent and logical human rights activist would never say that the rights of white Americans are above the rights of another human.

If you encounter a self-proclaimed animal rights activist who does not apply basic, natural rights (freedom from being property, freedom from unnecessary pain and suffering) to all animals, then you are not dealing with an animal rights activist. You are dealing with someone who is struggling to live their values but is resisting education and change.

It is nice to see that there are people reading this article and approaching it logically and in an unbiased manner. It is this form of connected thought that will lead to some astounding conclusions regarding our unjustifiable use of animals.

3bbame, while I suspect that you and I are on similar sides of the puppy mill issue, make sure that your facts are straight, as well, before telling others to do so. I did not read the entire thread of comments, so I'm not sure to whom you are speaking directly, but your efficacy will increase proportionately to your research and consistency of debate. You are clearly unfamiliar with the process of factory farming, or you never would have stated that puppy mills and farmed animals have no comparison. You will notice every single debate about companion animal treatment will invariably gravitate towards food animals. The reason for this is because it is a glaring inconsistency in our thinking, our moral reasoning, and our behavior. Bringing your leather purse to a fur protest is as hypocritical as hosting a puppy mill banquet with pork chops for dinner. To say that farmed animals are outside running around freely is a gross misunderstanding of the majority of food animals slaughtered in the US. It's all relevant and all very on topic, because you can't have it both ways. Either you are drawing a line at the species, Homo sapiens and insisting that no one outside of this is worth our moral consideration, or you are finding a valid and consistent circle of compassion. As much as I respect your love for dogs, your compassion is inconsistent and arbitrary. The suffering caged dogs undergo is unimaginable, but until we consider our treatment of animals as property, nothing will ever change. I would never support legislative efforts, because these moves without education first, would result in the further entrenchment of the property status of animals. If you get a law passed with criteria for dog breeding, then all you're doing is validating the treatment of animals as property. It's an unsustainable practice. Education is the only way. And it can start by you looking into what farmed animals truly undergo before they arrive at your supermarket.

That is how Conrads (and notice the other two places refused a comment) and the others can sell over 5000 puppies a year

3bbame-Have you been to these 3 facilities personally? If you haven't then how do you know? Read the article...
"Heritage Puppies sets high standards for its facility, said Steve, the owner, who requested his last name not be used. The adult dogs have access to indoor and outdoor run areas. The buildings are temperature controlled, and dogs have access to automatic feeders dispensing food and water 24 hours a day."

I find it interesting that you animal rights activists have no problem with how animals are treated if they are not domesticated. The only reason dogs are "above" cows, pigs and sheep is because you put them there. Pigs have been used as service animals and many people own pot bellied pigs as pets.

Like I said before there are always bad businesses/people out there who aren't going to do things humanely but until you have actually gone to these facilities that you claim to be so evil how can you judge them?

If I were one of the facilities that was mentioned in this article I wouldn't have returned a phone call either. It is none of our business and they probably didn't want people making assumptions about their business practices and maybe they didn't want to be associated with an article focusing on puppy mills because maybe they aren't one...

I think it is only fair to give these places the benefit of the doubt because I bet none of us has ever personally been to any of them.

3bbame>>I hate to tell you when something like this is brought up it will bring many emotions, opinions and thoughts from people that will vary widely. The subject to you may be very clear and have no other ramifications to you, but it does to others. So don't tell us to save it for another article. The thought process on the subject for others is valid and justified. May not follow the same as yours, but just as relevant in how people deal with the issue. You might not like subject all muddied up with other thoughts but that's how it is. Nothing is indpendent of other issues.

A puppy mill cannot be compared to farm animals,FOCUS on the SUBJECT. This particular article has nothing to do with farm animals, let alone starving kids or abusive parents, save that for another article. The majority of us eat meat and wear leather, our husbands hunt. Those who don't, can do what they want with their time. This is about the adult dogs in mass breeding situations! The USDA regulations for breeding facilities(althought interstingly enough a dog is not stated as a farm animal anywhere on the USDA site)state the regulations are food, water, shelter and a cage big enough to turn around in. That is how Conrads (and notice the other two places refused a comment) and the others can sell over 5000 puppies a year. These ADULT dogs don't get out and get exercise, human contact (automatic feeders) or any type of mental stimulation. Sheep, cows, pigs,horses are OUTSIDE in the field, not just barely able to turn around in their own feces or living on wire bottomed cages damaging their feet. You say we should stop protesting and try to change the laws? WE ARE!!! SB208 Pet Facilities Bill Introduced to WI legislature by Sen Kreitlow and Rep Smith. Get your facts before you judge, we did. I am a proud member of the Wisconsin Puppy MIll Project and I do not represent any other group that have other agendas. This is about the ADULT DOGS who are living in barbaric conditions in this so-called Humane society.

truth1: an appeal to intelligence levels is a slippery slope. You'd be forced, then, to draw a line. Pigs have been shown to be roughly as intelligent as a human 3-year-old. Would it be safe to say that all children three and under should be bought, sold, caged, or even slaughtered? Of course not. But this cannot simply be because they are human, because that would be the presentation of a prejudice and not a moral justification. You must look farther than our own anthropocentric view of a man-made intelligence continuum where humans sit comfortably at the top.

mark_twain is absolutely correct that animals are human property in our society. What he has not provided, however, is a logical explanation for how this behavior is justified. Instead he has used marginalizing and aggressive language towards those who have come to a more consistent conclusion than he. I am not a supporter of HSUS, PeTA, or others, because they, too, are hypocritical. But mark_twain is suggesting that any animal characteristic that points to sentience is merely a projection of ourselves onto them. This is an unsupported statement and packed with antiquated egotism. In this line of thinking, it would be safe to say that if there are other planets in our solar system, then all planets must revolve around the Earth, since the Earth is the most important planet.

Views that do not align to mainstream thinking may be referred to as extreme, but the implication by mark_twain is that they are, therefore, invalid. This appeal to majority is also fallacious.

Those who, for the purposes of convenience or pleasure, would support the continued breeding, confinement, and sale of animals may do well to consider why this behavior is unacceptable when performed on humans. Is it our ability to create and utilize technology that gives us the right to our freedom? Is it our advanced capacity for spoken language? Our detailed use of symbols?

Animals have been shown to exhibit a range of emotions, have an understanding of family, can communicate with others, can hold memories, can teach and learn, can feel pain and can suffer, and some have been shown to anticipate and plan for future events. There can be nothing more anthropocentric than to dismiss these behaviors as anthropomorphic.

The very best and most kind slave owners of the past would be considered to be immoral by today's standards for owning a human. Justifications such as excellent treatment by the owner or suggestions that slaves were somehow "lesser" on an arbitrary continuum would not be valid today. So, then, in order to support the commoditization of animals, one must present the logical distinction between humans and nonhumans that would justify such behavior.

Seek logical criteria for our natural right to not be property, and then see if you're applying it consistently to all beings who share those characteristics.

Mark Twain These animals are the same animals this "spoiled, rich society" depends on for search and rescue, bomb scares, drug busts; they are used to help the disabled and mentally challenged. They are used to help in nursing homes and hospitals, their capacity for love and assistance goes far beyond anyone of the mentality such as those who believe the work of humane-minded people is extreme and activist. I hope you or your loved ones never need the assistance of a "COMPANION ANIMAL." and if you do...that animal's parents are probably in a cage in a sweltering or freezing barn stacked on top of eachother, urinating and defecating on eachother because that is what the guidelines are...food, water and shelter... so they can have babies who will grow up to learn how to take care of the likes of YOU!

J.H.

That IS interesting.....

truth1>>Maybe you don't spend enough time with pigs LOL My sister had one that they had purchased to raise and eventually butcher. It ended up as a family pet LOL Played fetch and all sorts of things. Repsonded to her name and was really quite lovable. The whole pig vs dog thing is off track of the subject here, but I find it quite interesting!!

I don't know how high an intelligence level a pig has when it doesn't even know enough not to walk through and spill it's water bowl over and over and over like the water bowl isn't even there and seem like it doesn't even know it did it....Can't say that about most dogs.
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I never "taught" my dog ANYTHING, and I tell him "c'mere", and he comes to my side EVERY time...I don't know many "farm" animals to do that.

truth1>>While I completely agree with what you said. You do realize that pigs have a very high intelligence level? I may be wrong, but I believe higher than a dog?? Someone with more knowledge can correct me on that. I don't agree dogs should be 'farmed' but they can be raised in healthy way and still be sold as pets.

Some of you think its ok to "farm" dogs like any farm animal?
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I want to ask you this....Have you ever heard of a pig or chicken saving someone's life, helping a police officer on a drug bust, or helping a blind person, to name a very FEW things that dogs do for people?
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Its NOT ok to lock up that kind of an animal for it's ENTIRE life and care nothing for it except to make it have puppies for you!!
.
How can anyone POSSIBLY think thats ok???

mark twain- I must say, thats quite the contradiction of yourself in one post..You criticise people "living their lives through their animals", but advocate buying a dog at Petland....How, exactly, do you think those that pay $1000 for a pet dog at Petland are going to view that animal?

I should clarify that I don't know if the particular group featured in the article goes after the farmers, etc. But, that there animal rights groups out there that do!

dreec>>these people do go after farmers for keeping cows, sheep, etc. The more I research them, the more radical they seem. I agree that animals needed to be treated in a humane manner. But, sometimes these groups go way too far.

Purely ridiculous. How can any business take care of 528 animals?

I don't know but alot of places have at least that many if not more animals and they are able to care for them. If you own a business and that is what you do then I see no problem with it as long as the animals are treated OK. No one is going after farmers for having 500+ cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, etc...

I refuse to look at the links that have been posted that are attached to PETA or other radical groups. I know that there are lots of bad people out there trying to make a buck but it is the radical groups like PETA, etc that lump everyone together and assume that every place is the same. Have you ever thought that maybe these places get their puppies from breeders and then act as a broker for the pet stores? Unless you visit these facilities that the owner mentioned please do not pass judgment. I could assume that your radical views on animal rights make you a complete scary wacko but since I do not know you I will not make that judgment.

interested>> I completely agree that it isn't right when dogs are treated like that. But, whenever I hear a story like this or see a protest a small part of me always wonders why people aren't doing the same for other people instead of animals. Where are the outcrys of injustice for abused/neglected children? One protest aside that I saw in the paper at a trial where are the protests for our babies, our children. I don't know, while I feel the dog issue is important, it pales in comparison to the plight of the people who in our world that are abused.

Sardina buys about 10 to 15 puppies a week, he said.

His dogs generally come from three breeders, he said—

So he gets 40-60 pups a month from mainly 3 breeders resulting in that many different specialty breeds?
That's an awful lot of dogs involved if you think about it.
And about a grand a sale...

Animal rights activists SHOULD be belittled and marginalize; as well as exposed for their pathetic anthropomorphizing of poor dumb animals. "Puppy Mill Project" indeed! Why don't you get a life and stop living in your animal cracker fantasy world! Only in a spoiled wealthy nation such as ours do people live vicariously through their pets. Let us promote and give as much business as we can to Petland!

Whether you are a hunter, fisherman, meat eater, farmer, animal rights activist, or animal welfare advocate..............THE FOCUS should be on the PARENT DOGS WHO ARE KEPT IN CAGES ALL OF THEIR LIVES, FORCED TO BREED, AND PUPPIES WHO ARE BORN IN THESE CAGES THEN ARE SHIPPED BY THE TRUCKLOAD, LIKE PRODUCTS, TO PET SHOPS WHERE THEY ARE PUT INTO CAGES UNTIL PURCHASED! PET SHOP PUPPIES = PUPPY MILL PUPPIES. We need to join the 21st century and stop the abuse.

As director of the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, I have talked to numerous state and local leaders in an effort to educate them about the horrors of pet profiteers. Many of them view our anti-puppymill advocacy as nothing more than the work of "a small bunch of animal rights activists."

Why is the term "animal rights activist" used in an attempt to belittle and marginalize humane-minded people? As children, we are taught in school, in church and in scouts to be actively "kind to animals." Scout troops give children merit badges for animal work...our whole culture tries to teach children kindness.

But when we, as adults who learned our childhood lessons well, speak out for animals and express the "humane-ness" that has become part of our personalities...we are labeled as crazy, "humaniacs," or tagged as "animal rights activists" as if our advocacy were a disease. This is a sad and tragic aspect of our culture...that humane people have to defend their very spirit of kindness...and to those who "represent" us, at that.

People who speak and work for animals are in the company of great scholars like Jane Goodall and Albert Schweitzer, great authors like Mathew Scully, and great statesmen like Mohandas Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. I am far more comfortable in their company than that of any "leader" who would belittle our efforts with trite tags and insulting labels. I am satisfied knowing that we understand natural beauty, incredible loyalty and unconditional love from animals.

And I, for one, could do without "representation" from those who view compassion as a liability. Why would anyone want to follow leaders who would discredit us for being "humane?"
Eilene Ribbens

According to snuba's link, that Heritage place had over 800 dogs and puppies on-site in May 2008! Petland considers them a GOOD source of puppies? NO WAY any place can properly socialize 275 puppies at one time! No wonder Steve "no last name" didn't want to comment on how many puppies he sells!

I think adopting a pet from the humane society is wonderful. But, as a mom with three young kids I wanted a puppy. Not just for the cuteness factor but because I wanted a dog that grew up in our family. A dog that I knew it's background/history. Adopting an already full grown dog scared me a bit. Abused dogs or ones that learned bad habits really scared me. I wouldn't take chance with my kids and a dog I don't know. My kids come first!!

We got our Olde English Bulldogge from a reputable breeder. But, before getting her we stopped into Petland to just look. There was the cutest mix puppy English/American bulldog and the money they wanted for it was outrageous!! I had done a ton of research and I completely understand why a full bred Bulldogge can cost $2000. But, a non registered dog from a pet store that cost $1000!?!?!? How ridiculous. The woman who worked there saw the look on my face when she mentioned the price and quickly told me I could finance the dog. Finance a dog? Again, how ridiculous. If I can't afford to pay the up front price for a dog, then I shouldn't be buying it. I informed her the price astounded me not because I couldn't pay it (I could and paid even more for the puppy we eventually bought) but that they could even begin to justify why a puppy like that was priced as it was. She didn't have much to say to me after that.

Here's a link for Heritage Puppies. Funny how Conrad's and Heritage are in IOWA & MISSOURI (notorious puppy mill states!)
www.petshoppuppies.com/report.asp?ID=42B...

Also, this dialogue has covered dogs and hamsters- has anyone actually purchased one of those snot-nosed little barn kittens for $300? I honestly want to know if anyone actually paid money for those poor cats they sell in there... when so many kittens are free for the taking and are healthier.

Allegrea:
I just want to clarify something about your group. You state you are an animal rights organization; by definition, this means actual civil rights for animals, correct?

Animal rights exclude any use whatsoever of any animal. Pet, meat, riding, pasture ornament, you name it. Animal rights mean animal equality.

Approaching this from an animal welfare viewpoint seems more reasonable. Animal welfare people work towards humane housing, euthanasia, slaughter, and disease control, which benefits the public health, and is more realistic in my opinion.

I certainly am sympathetic to the plight of puppy mills, but any animal rights group certainly draws my ire, if for no other reason they want to make my shoes and food illegal.

also what about using frozen sperm from a dead dog? Breeders of repute do store sperm from outstanding specimens in their lines occasionally. This also helps bring back traits that get rare within the breed due to breeding for other traits. As a vet tech you should be familiar with that.

Hey JoeSchmo reputable breeders do outcross breeding along with line breeding. sometimes pulling in dogs from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This is something that reputable breeders d. It's also how you help your genetic pool as a breeder as you are breeding for quality. If the potential wants to foot hte bill to ship the male here and whatever other costs associated with said international crossing over and vaccines etc. sure, if not you can always call the owner of the stud dog as reputable breeders breeed to other reputable breeders.

You should be able to see both parents if you are buying from a reputable breeder. Make an appt and ask to have them both there for your visit.

Interested-
I was suggesting people go to Mounds. I love Mounds.

A lot of the time both parents aren't owned by thee same breeder amongst those of us in the dog show world. You should be able to meet the mother but you might not always have access to the father. Sometime the stud dog is from across the country or even a different country or it could even be from an Artificial Insemination from a dog that has been long dead. Which might mean something to those that follow a certain breed or lineage of dog but not the average person. Generally people choose dogs using the completely wrong criteria(based on sex and color instead of energy level)when they should be realistic about themselves and their lifestyles. don't get the hyper dog if you are a sit at home in front of the tv type. don't get the dominant puppy if you are a submissive person. You also be realistic about what you really want for a long term relationship with a dog and listen to the breeder, they are around these dogs every day and should be knowledgable enough to help you make a good decision. The breeder should be asking you about your lifestyle, if you have children, any other animals or dogs. if you have a dog already a good breeder should have you bring that dog to help make you make a decision when you expand your pack. A Good breeder knows how to read dogs and can often times pick out the best match.

JoeSchmo, the puppies at Mounds are from shelters and rescues. They are doing a good thing.

Mespl, you asked, “What conditions would you require from the breeder so that you consider it a good practice?” Good question. Just Google “reputable (or good) breeder tips or criteria” and pick a source that you feel is credible. You will find they all say the same things. #1. Meet the puppy's parent/s – no excuses accepted, to check temperament, and how well socialized. Did the dog come from a home environment so it was used to the sights, and sounds of the home, max of 2 breeds for sale and puppies not always available. etc. Usually there are about 10-12 things you should check before buying. Remember Internet sites are not always what they seem, so be sure to apply good breeder tips when buying online or from ads.

Here is a link to Top Notch Puppies in Salem, IA.

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

In 2007, there were 528 dogs and puppies at two sites. Five-hundred and twenty-eight!! If that isn't a puppy-mill then call me crazy.
Purely ridiculous. How can any business take care of 528 animals?

"professional licensed breeders" this is what Sardine-head says his pups come from. Last I knew...people did not need a "license" to breed dogs! I won't even go into a Petland. My dog came from a rescue and she is so perfect. I didn't have to go through puppy teething, or any other naughty puppy behavior. $1500 for a mutt? When I can get an already neutered and vaccinated dog for $200? (That was the adoption fee for my dog) I'm not totally into breeders either. If they have a contract, and I can see both parents, and genuinely care about enhancing the breed and fitting a dog to your family and not just making a buck then I feel better about it, but it's shelter dogs for me all the way. I used to look at the puppies at Petland, but not anymore. Petland...You should be shut down. And I tell everyone that Petland should not be a business.

It's wonderful to read all of these testimonials of Petland stories. Not only do we have large files of local experiences with the store, but the HSUS lawsuit against petland has over 600 participants. All of these personal commentaries only reinforce the claims that this store is contributing to the problems of animal exploitation, pet overpopulation, and mass euthanizations. Google "puppy mill" and look under the "pics" option. These are the faces of the dogs that produce those fluffy puppies in the window. The sad truth is that most animals sold in stores come from these types of places. Many are sick, many die shortly after arriving home. Many, MANY end up in rescues and shelters due to the fact that they are sick, have emotional/attachment issues, or grew out of the cute puppy phase. Please shop for supplies at stores that support local rescue groups, or host satellite adoptions. You're not only saying "NO" to puppy mills, you're saving lives and saying "YES" to compassion.

Petland's breeders are NOT reputable. A reputable breeder would not sell their puppies to a pet store. Backyard breeders would, but a REAL breeder would not. There's more to breeding a dog than throwing a male and a female in a pen.

Not sure why my similar post got removed? Did I offend someone at the Gazette because they paid upwards of a THOUSAND dollars on a "designer breed" MUTT? My apologies!

As a vet tech, I rarely saw sick puupies. As soon as Petland opened, we became overwhelmed with the number of ill pups from there, and had to expand our isolation area to accomodate the little fellas. If you are in the market for a puppy, PLEASE consider the humane society or a rescue. If you want a purebred pup, research your breeder. Small, experienced family breeders are often the best, and take pride in their animals. Make sure you ask to see the parents and siblings of the puppy you are interested in. If they refuse, walk away!!!!
Also, consider purchasing your pet food and supplies from a store that does not SELL any animals. (ie-Mounds) Do not support the continued sale of poorly cared for animals (reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds) to people who are extremely under-educated about their proper care and life expectancy. PLEASE- I have seen so many reptiles that are half dead because of malnutrition. Please do not support this market!

BOYCOTT PETLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it should also be noted to never get a dog out of guilt or pity. If those emotions are why you get the dog and depending on the energy of the dog you could be setting yourself up for disaster especially if you are a novice with working with dogs.

Ugh, protesters suck.
You can adopt from wherever you want that's legal. If you have a problem with what is legal- than go about changing laws and really making a difference. Instead you just annoy us with your posters and I could care less about your cause. Most of the time if we're honking, we're also flipping you off.
I have adopted pets from the Humane Society, no-kill shelters and even from Petland- now aren't I a horrible person!

spikesmom - Your description of what you saw along the road put an absolute horrible picture in my head. People are sick, and animals take the fall.

to contact Alliance for Animals, Rock co. or to join in the cause, please email: allanimals.rock@gmail.com
or go to www.allanimalsrock.blogspot.com

Not all smaller breeders are bad in fact quite a few often take in rescues and rehabilitate them and find them homes to. We take in 1-2 rescues and rehab them within our pack and then find them a home. Please don't go grouping responsible breeders with the scum that do puppy mills.

gabby06 - Read the article from the link you provided. Thought I was going to get sick right at my desk. What a sadistic bitch!

Before you dismiss Alliance for Animals, the HSUS, or other groups speaking up these animals (who are very capable of feeling pain and anxiety, that's been proven scientifically), we ask you to look in your own pet's eyes. Certainly most of us have had a pet at one time in our lives, please take a second to picture your beloved critter locked in a filthy cage, being forced to reproduce, to never know love or see the light of day, to live in constant fear...many end up chewing off the limbs of other dogs due to stress, cramped conditions, and boredom. Often the momma dogs are completely unable to even stand up due to being crammed in a small cage for their entire lives. They suffer from excruciatingly painful mastitis, torn uteruses and separation anxiety from being taken from their pups. How sad that death is the only saving grace for these silent creatures.

That is what these mills and backyard/basement breeders do. They perpetuate a cycle of abuse, callousness, and insensitivity. We strive to educate the public and to end the cycle of exploitation and abuse. We're not crazy, it's the fact that these stores continue to exist that's crazy. We are a group of people who care. We encourage compassion and empathy, and we greatly appreciate the amazing amounts of people who continually come out to help us spread the word at our demonstrations. These animals don't have voices, but we humans do. It's time to use them! Please consider shopping at stores such as Mounds for pet supplies, where they work with rescue groups to place perfectly loving, wonderful, needy animals. Every dime spent at Petland perpetuates the problem and only encourages this selfish practice of using life for profit. It's time these abhorrent practices be brought out of the dark and into the light, literally.

As a Co-Director of Alliance For Animals, Rock Co. (the group arranging the Petland demonstrations), I felt it necessary to post a few key points. First: we are an animal rights organization. We are based out of Rock co. and we are overwhelmed with responses from people who've purchased pets from the Janesville Petland (and many reports from other petlands around the country). We have numerous vet reports on sick petland animals. This is not a speculation, this is a fact. Our group, along with many other concerned animal advocacy groups, has complied pages of reports. We were given a tour of petland within the first few weeks they opened and Mike Sardina showed us around personally. We saw the "sick room" (a glass closet with "special air" flowing in). It was full almost immediately after opening. They have had confirmed cases of Parvo and Ghirardia. (BOTH are HIGHLY contagious and easily taken home on shoes to your own pets.) There is no argument there~ these animals come from horrific deplorable conditions, riddled with disease and unsanitary pens, then packed up and shipped off in semi trucks. Their parents are forced to breed until they can't any longer. They live in the dark, in their own feces and urine. The standards that puppy mills have currently in this state are less than that for livestock! They may have an overturned garbage can as a shelter and a bowl of food a day. Water is supposed to be available, but often times one small bowl a day is it. And if it spills? Refills are few and far between. That's it. Then, at very young ages they are stripped of their families and shipped off around the country. they are stuffed in tiny clean cages in a store front where people can decide to make payment plans for these high priced pooches.

There was an article in the Gazette last year about a Petland employee who was arrested for animal neglect. There were pictures included in the article. He had stacks of animals in tupperwear containers stuffed in his house, breeding any and all small animals that he could. He admitted that Petland bought these animals from him. Petland's local breeders do the same things as the puppy mills: poor living conditions, lack of veterinary care, and a blatant disregard for the safety and well being of these animals. The animals in stores like petland come from these types of breeders~ ferrets, bunnies, birds, reptiles, etc. There are mills and basement/backyard breeders for every species. Just as there are breeders for all species~ every breed and species out there has a rescue group advocating for it. Every time an animal is purchased from a pet store, it takes away a potential home for a shelter animal, which results in massive amounts of daily euthanizations at shelters nationwide. Check on www.Petfinder.com to find local animals in need who are looking for loving forever loving homes.

spikesmom: Thank you for rescuing that dear dog. Just reading what some of these animals go through is enough to make me sick.

My dog came from a puppy mill that supplied for Petland in Rockford. I "rescued" her after the couple that had her didn't want to be bothered with paying for her vet bills due to reoccuring ear and skin infections due to crappy breeding. They were going to just put her down and she was only 3. I've had her for 4 years and surprisingly healthy. She had a lot of health issues early on in her life, I'm sure because of the breeding and because the couple didn't take the time to get her proper care. They gave me the papers that came with this sweet dog. She was born in SD, when she was 8 weeks old she was sold to a distribution point in MN and then the next day was sold to Petland in Rockford.This couple later went back to that store and bought another dog. This one was returned to the store by the 1st owner because he was sick. They knew it and bought him anyway, because he was now on sale. Some people really never learn. The first time my vet met this dog, he treated her like an abused animal because of the condition this dog was in, both because of the lack of care from the previous owners and because he knew the kind of over-breeding that was in this dog that gave her the problems she does have.True dog lovers would NEVER buy their pets from a store. I also remember once seeing a u-haul truck in a parking lot loaded front to back, top to bottom, with cages with 2 to 3 dogs per cage. The people had stopped to open up the back so the dogs could get air. They had 10 or so cages on the ground so the air could get to the front of the truck to the dogs up there. No doubt these dogs were on their way to various pet stores. It was very sad.

cern: I agree and that is why you need to look at good breeders, check the bloodline and verify that they had those checked and passed.

Generally it's pointless to get the elbows and hips X-rayed until they are a year and a half to 2 years old at the earliest. Also get the eyes checked. Also depending on breed you need to checkfor hte genetic diseases like PRA and Val Wilbranse etc.

I remember when we bought our petland dogs we have 48 hours to take them to the vet that they were using and if there was anything found wrong with them we could return them or they would pay for the vet bill if we wanted to keep them. We did not do that because we trust our vet.
The breeder we bought our dog from offered the same option to us. I only wish I would have known about the dogs skin condition then because I would have never bought him.
Overall I am very happy with my ROCKFORD petland purchases. I don't think I would ever buy a dog from Janesville though due to the dirtiness of it. I took one of my dogs there one day and he ended up with an really bad upper respiratory infection that the vet said was caused by him going there...

Crazy drunk breeders...

RCAA - Really Crazy Animal Activists

Well lets all stop and think one second. What about all these people that are having kids that they cant take care of meaning 5,6 or 7. Why can't we stop them from having more? Instead of worring about puppies lets think about these kids that you and I might be paying for. If people want to make money off puppies I don't have a problem with that. Everyone that wants to stop puppymills then quit going there or quit buying from them you all have the choice. Standing out in front of the store is helping them draw business because people want to see what the hype is all about. It doesn't matter if they buy anything cause they might come back later because they saw something for there pet at home. Thanks and you all have a good day

ms_sassy_wi: Since you brought up golden retrievers here are some facts on the frequent “hip diseases” in goldens. The common hip issue is called hip dysplasia and it is inherited from the parents so if the parents or grandparents of your dog have it then most likely your dog will have it, it is checked for by reputable breeders, also any dog with hip dysplasia is unfit for breeding by standard. So the truth is that it should not be a common issue with golden retrievers, however it is an issue because of breeders who are not doing their research and checking their dogs.

PETA - People Eat Tasty Animals

ekim8404: That is why you go with a reputable breeder who checks the bloodline as others have mentioned, and while on the point check the blood line for yourself, any reputable breeder will give you copies of the bloodline and many that I know have those directly on their websites for review prior to sale and you get certified copies for the puppies with the sale. There is nothing wrong with mutts if that is what you want but there is also nothing wrong with purebreds either, both can be inbred. It is not just purebreds that have this issue it is a result of any breeder who does not breed properly. Either way you go you do not want an inbred puppy they have large issues weather it is a mutt or a purebred. You fail to mention the issue that a mutt can be inbred just as easily, you seem to be trying to make this out to be a one sided issue, yes more purebreds are inbred than mutts however both are in reality both are and it is up to the buyer to do their homework properly and not buy an inbred puppy, that is the only way to stop those breeders.

mespl, actually, there are breeds that carry their own distinct issues. IE: golden retrievers frequently have hip diseases. pure bred retrievers generally end up having bigger problems than a retriever mix.

As far as Petland goes, I am not convinced that Petland is the problem. I think irresponsible pet owners are more to blame. By irresponsible, I mean: people who buy a puppy without putting forth the foresight to know the breed they are buying, the amount of time a puppy requires to train and play and have human contact.

Come to think of it, many people have PEOPLE without putting forth the foresight to know the amount of time a baby requires, etc., either! Who is surprised? There are "puppy mills" who go by the name of Kristin or Kelly or Jessica etc. but nobody holds picket signs in front of their homes. We all know one or two women (or should I say girls) who live like this. Should we start? I think that is the real tragedy here. I LOVE dogs, but sorry, a dog is a dog.

on the issue of mutts. Some of them are fine and live out full happy lives but they are also just as likely to have the same issues and genetic disease and possibly even worse issues as any pure breed dog. Especially in the skeletal arena. if you breed a St Bernard to something completely different say a valhound you should expect issues as their combination could create issues.

Speaking of animals here on earth for our use, I think I will be cooking some up on my grill tonight. Beef....its whats for dinner! Grand Champion one week, delicious meal the next.

ekim804 - that's why a responsible breeder does the testing of the dogs prior to breeding. Even that isn't a 100 percent as the pairings and also some genetic mutations can occur. It only takes 4 generations to technically make a new breed of dog from a genetics standpoint. You can make the same statement about human breeding. especially when you look at countries that are older than ours. This was common especially amongst the nobility or in places that were more geographically isolated. If something is not right with the pup that if it goes to a pet home that a spay and neuter clause is in the contract. Also why they have if you are unable to care for or unhappy with the dog to return it to them. I know I'd rather take a dog back then it be placed in a shelter.

gaztte reporters don't ask a lot of questions they could ask. It's like they don't research the story, just slap it together. A high school kid could do a better job.

the only background check petland does is a credit check. the nipping at the hands is easy to resolve and probably was from the previous owners playing with it like that as a game or from pulling away when the pup does that therefore giving the dog a sense of status and position.

mespl:

Many "pure breads" are inbred, hence the genetic issues. You can't continually select a certain genetic trait, such as wrinkly skin, or short legs over and over again and not have genetic issues. Like I said, some breeds are worse than others. Mutts at the pound are the way to go, but for some reason people think "pure breads" make a difference. It's cosmetic, and ultimately the dogs pay for it.

I'd also recommend having your own vet check out the pup. A friend of ours got a pup from petland and went to their vet who missed an ear infection. They brought the pup over to socialize with our dogs the following day and I could smell the musty smell by it's ear. an ear infection has to be pretty bad to have that amount of stank. Another thing I don't like about petland is that the larger breeds do not have adequate space. the bottoms of the kennels can actually damage their feet. the lack of exercise and muscle development is what leads to poor movement and muscular and skeletal issues. Though some of that can also be genetic.

We found our Puggle at a local animal shelter, and were surprised to find out that the previous owners purchased him from Petland. He was a little over 4 months old when we got him, and the previous owners had cited that one of the reasons they got rid of him was because he "nipped at their hands," which any dog owner knows, is common behavior for a puppy and can be corrected through taking time to train the animal.

I think Petland caters more to the "impulse buyer." It makes me wonder what kind of background check Petland performs on it's perspective pet owners. I know all the times I've walked through there, those little puppies crammed in those tiny cages tugged at my heartstrings and I wanted to take them ALL home. I often wonder if this is done on purpose.

Its heartbreaking as an animal lover to see all the unwanted dogs waiting for homes in shelters. After looking around, we found our dog for $100, which included his neutering all his shots. Petland sells his breed for $800. Its absurd that anyone would spend that amount of money on an animal, when they can rescue one from a shelter for a lot less to support good cause. Furthermore, the volunteers at the Humane Society have big hearts to do what they do for those animals and the community, its not just another job to them.

The prices at petland range from average to overpriced depending on the breed in question. My issue with petland's dogs is that that they barely meet the breed standards for their "pedigreed" dogs. You are not getting the quality, assurance, and dealing with someone that really knows their dogs, the lines behind the dogs. Some of the pups are taken away from their mothers far too early. 8 weeks is alright but 10 weeks is better for the social development of the dog. Most of the people that work there are decent in the amount of knowledge of dogs overall however few of them really know the specifics of the breeds they carry. The biggest problem is that the people buying the dogs think they are cute fuzzy humans and forget they are dogs. Dogs have different needs and process the world differently than we do. It's more important to match the energy of the dog with the person than buying a dog based on color or breed. Not everyone is suited to deal with a rescued dog either. they oftentimes still require a lot of work and rehabilitation for issues they have developed due to their respective backgrounds.

My interaction with "Mike", the store manager, has been unpleasant. He was very rude and coarse. Plus, that store is filthy.

Why weren't we given more specifics -- exactly how many dogs does Mike buy from the local community? It could be 2 a year for all we know.

Lastly, if Petland really cares about its dogs, why doesn't it offer to take dogs back that don't work out, just like a reputable breeder? It doesn't have to refund the money to the customers, but could take the animals back. I think the obvious answer is that they would take up too much space and money which could be utilized for small cages for small puppies which can be turned over more quickly.

Localboy: http://www.goldenretrieversite.com/the-d...

People who buy from Petland need to wakeup! These are not well breed puppies. They are breed for one sole purpose...to make money! Don't tell me Mike Sardina cares about these animals. A few years back a couple relinquished their sick puppy back to Petland as it had Pneumonia. Petland brought it to a Janesville vet to be put down as they didn't want to stick anymore money into the puppy. This puppy is now a thriving dog that the vet brought back to health and has as a family pet. Petland didn't want to provide vet care but felt it was easier to just dispose of the puppy, it was cheaper. You feel that is a reputable store that cares about those puppies...I think not! They should be put out of business! Yes, the puppies are vet checked...but minimal care only. Don't let that fool you...Petland in Janesville cares about making money not about their animals!

Ouisch- The "breeder" probably has a contract with pet stores releasing them from any and all liabilities with the pups..Thats probably why they don't want anything to do with anyone else....That being said, all kinds of "puppy farms" and backyard breeders get by with selling sick dogs too.

C'mon SarahB1, not everyone is at home in front of their computer 24-7 to answer phone calls from reporters.

I bought a puppy from Petland a few years back. It was hit by a car when it ran off our lawn at 6 mos old. I asked them at Petland if they could tell me the breeder of our dog since I wanted one from the same family if possible. They would not tell me. I looked into the papers I got when I purchased him and got the name and address of the breeder (it was not one of the 3 mentioned in this article and it was located in Iowa) and I called them and asked if I could get a dog from them and explained my situation. They said no they won't sell to the public, only through the petstore. Who does that?

Stick with the shelters! Remember, if you adopt an animal, you're saving TWO; the one you took, and the one that gets a new (hopefully) "temporary" home in your pet's place! There's only so much room there. Screw the breeders and Petland.

Ekim8404: Correction, Inbreed dogs are generally more troublesome because of genetic issues. Just wanted to clear that up.

I personally suggest to anyone who is looking for a pet to check out the Jefferson County Humane Society - I adopted a puggle that was originally a Petland dog (owners didn't want him anymore) from them and the approval process was smooth and the facility was 100% grade A. I don't trust Petland - any place that is solely trying to maximize profit from the sale of puppies likely functions like any other business - maximize volume and cut overhead - it results in bad news, bad breeding and bad business ethics.

Petfinder.com is the best way to go. Purebreads are generally more troublesome because of genetic issues, regardless if you get them from Petland or a shelter, or "reputable" breeder. Some are worst than others. Petland's prices are insane, but people pay it, and that's the problem.

Don't buy from Petland, you don't need to.

Is there an approval process through the Humane Society? Yes, and for good reason. Not everyone should own a pet, for both the protection of the people in the household and the pet.

gabby- And as soon as you bought all of them, they would have the cages full again in a day or 2..
You would run out of money sooner or later and they would just make the place bigger.

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/08/bu...

Don't know if this will work, but here is the link to the pic of the girl who drowned the two rabbits and posted the pic on facebook!

gabby06- I think they call that "CHUTZPAH".

My husband bought a dog from Petland. Petland says their dogs have no genetic diseases, nothing hereditary. Perfectly healthy dogs. HA! His dog has a genetic blood disorder that he has to be on meds for the rest of his life or he dies! Took all the paper work to Petland so they could pay for half the med bills like they said they would. "Oopps, sorry we can't do that. But we'll give you 10% off your next dog" Pretty sure those were the words outta Mike S's mouth. Like I'm gonna buy another dog from them. Honestly I wanna buy all of them just to get them outta there. If I had the room out in the country I would.

localboy- You say "for our use"......
.
Would you say there is such a thing as animal ABuse?..If so, would you say we have a right to do that too?
.
And, what would you say is an example of animal "abuse", if in fact you do believe there is such a thing?

After reading this story and all the comments I still see no proof that the Janesville Petland store or the owner have done anything wrong. What proof does Alegra or the protesters have that these dogs are bred in mills???? Do I think there are mills... Yes there are. But show some proof before you attack a local business.

Purrz:Can these dogs be registered with the AKC? The answer is NO! So where are the pedigree papers for these dogs? Puppy mills cannot provide pedigree papers - they breed mothers to sons, fathers to daughters. It is an inbred nightmare

UMMMM You are completely wrong here! I have a AKC purebred dog from petland and had no problems registering him. He is fully intact and could be a show dog. Don't speak on things you obviously know nothing about.

localboy1968-your comment is highly moronic, in my opinion.

One more thing... Why isn't anyone concerned about the hamsters, rabbits, fish, birds, gerbils, etc... that most pet stores carry? Who is sticking up for "their" rights? Fair is fair, if you are going to cry about the dogs you should be looking into all of the animals.

Stacy Vogel should have asked the one question that would put Petland in the negative position it deserves: Can these dogs be registered with the AKC? The answer is NO! So where are the pedigree papers for these dogs? Puppy mills cannot provide pedigree papers - they breed mothers to sons, fathers to daughters. It is an inbred nightmare. Many of these animals not only suffer physical problems because of the inbreeding, but also mental problems. I've had the privilege of owning many pedigreed animals in my life. I have insisted on at least a 3-generation pedigree on any animal I have purchased; a 5-generation pedigree is even better. No one in their right mind should spend $1000 or more on an animal that can't be registered. A puppy mill is a puppy mill. It doesn't matter if the female has round-the-clock access to food and water or an outdoor area to go to. She is kept continuously bred year-round until she either can no longer conceive or dies from one of the diseases that run rampant through places like that. Any facility that churns out 100s and 1000s of dogs of multiple breeds every year for the money is a puppy mill. There is no way to pretty it up. Petland - and every facility like it - should be closed permanently to put the puppy mills out of business and save the lives of those poor dogs who never know companionship or love or even simple petting. It's a travesty. Go to a shelter and rescue a dog - cat - rabbit - anything and they will shower you with love and gratitute all their lives.

Animals were put on earth for mans use. Why else would they be here?

I have 3 dogs from Petland in Rockford. They are great dogs, in fact, if I could I would clone one of them. 2 did have some health problems when they came home but their breed is known to have issues so it wasn't a big suprise.

I also have bought from a breeder and this dog has WAY more issues than any of my petland dogs. I have to take the breeder dog to the vet multiple times a year for a skin condition that cannot be solved.

I do not like the Petland here as much as the Petland in Rockford. The one in Rockford has always seemed cleaner to me and not as pricy. They also have about 1/2 the number of dogs Janesville has. For those of you that don't know each Petland is owned by a different person so you can't bash Petland as a whole.

I have looked into adopting for RCHS but I was so turned off by the approval process and the staff that we went to GCHS and got our cats. About 3 months after we got our cats I got a call from RCHS stating I was approved! My grandmother, who is 93, wanted to adopt a dog from RCHS but didn't want to go through the approval process if she didn't find anything she was interested in. RCHS WOULD NOT let her TOUCH a dog unless she was approved! I am sorry but why would I go through your approval process unless I am serious about getting an animal? Seems like a huge waste of time and resources to me and only punishes the animals. You cannot tell me the animals at RCHS are well socialized. They are wild from limited interaction with people and limited exercise. I tried to volunteer there and they told me they didn't need the help! Sorry but with attitudes like that you won't have people to adopt your animals....you are no different and in fact are worse than any Petland

I would never ever, ever buy a dog from Petland. Everytime I have been in that pet store, those poor puppies are playing in their filth. They dont clean out their cages regularly and $1000 for a puppy? Seriously??? I feel sorry for those poor puppies.

Dogs suck!!!

Get a CAT or FISH....

Shelters do not have only old or problem dogs. Most dogs over 7 or 8 years old aren't considered as adoptable by many shelters. Depending on the breed of dog as smaller breeds due tend to have longer life expectancy than larger breeds that 7 or 8 years is half the dog's life expectancy. If you've never owned a dog that age or older... you've really missed out. They are awesome and very loving as well as devoted and loyal companions.. And they are well past the puppy chewing everything in sight phase.

Because people pay outrageous amounts for an animal in no way guarantees that animal is going to a good home. People are willing to pay for the animal with plastic or with payments and very frequently they quickly discover that a puppy requires more work and time than they want to give.. it's not housetrained and it does chew... soooooooooo before the animal is even paid it.. it's passed to relatives or friends and frequently ends up being passed to another and another.. OR ends up in a shelter or rescue. Shelters do end up with dogs with Special needs but they did not breed or produce those animals.. often they are dumped there or picked up as strays... dumped off in the country, etc.

A rescue group (there are breed specific resuces for every type of breed as well as rescues that take all breeds) is like a shelter. They take dogs that are no longer wanted or deemed disposable. But Rescue groups differ in that they are run by volunteers so there is no one receiving a pay check for running a rescue. They frequently will take older dogs and are many are very successful with placing older dogs... special needs dogs, etc into loving families where that animal will live out their lives as much loved family members. Rescue groups are limited to the number of animals they can have due to the fact that the animals in their programs live in foster homes where they are loved and part of a family while they are being treated for medical issues and problems.. house training if needed is started along with basic obedience commands and frequently undesireable issues the dogs comes with are worked on and corrected so that they can be adopted. The more foster homes they can recruit, the more animals they can help. There is no timeframe involved with an animal finding their forever home or them having to be put down merely because of overcrowding. Rescues also require that all animals be neutered or spayed so they aren't producing any more babies. They have minimal fees that frequently do not begin to cover the expenses involved to restore that animal to the best health it is possible of having. So the animal is current on vaccinations, is spayed or neuters and frequently also microchipped and many recieve above the usually vetting for things like having cherry eye repaired. They are also treated for fleas, heart worm tested, wormed, ear infections, etc.

Momo, for once, I agree with your comments. You are correct. But I think the price for most of the puppies are closer to $1,000. What bothers me the most is that people are getting financing the purchase of these dogs. Yes, financing the purchase. God only knows what the interest rate is! I would suggest that if you have to get a loan to pay for a dog, you are going to have a hard time buying food and paying the vet bills.

Petland's selling of dogs is wrong on so many levels. They cannot back up their claims of where there dogs come from and their warranty regarding the dog is not worth the paper it is written on. When I visited Petland, I wanted to scream at the people who were getting financing or thinking of buying these dogs. But I held back because they have a right to decide for themselves if they want to buy a dog from this store and Petland has a right to sell these dogs. I do not agree with Petland and will do everything I can to stop the sale of dogs at these stores.

I can only hope better regulation and scrutiny will shut down these puppy mills and force Petland out of the dog selling business. Please note I said out of the dog selling business, not putting the entire store out of business.

Finally, give the Humane Society a second chance. They are not perfect but are trying hard to improve things both for the animals and those who chose to adopt. Over the past 2 years, they have made great strides. Check it out before you go elsewhere. There are beautiful animals there looking for a home.

notopuppymills: they are called extermist organizations because that is exactly what they are. The Chose their name "humane soceiety" on purpose to confuse the general public into thinking that they have some kind of relation to the neighborhood humane soceity when in reality they have nothing in common. Tragically this confusion has brought the organization alot of money from unknowing contributors that have not done their research. The organization is full of extremists that move between them and the other radical group called PETA. For anyone that thinks that the HSUS has anything to do with your local animal shelter you better do your research. In reality they are a vegans that if they had it their way we'd be eating and drinking nothing but tofu and never be allowed to hunt or farm animals again. This group also has been involved in anti-gun legislation and contnually works to get hunting rights taken away from all of us, especially on the federally owned public lands that we all should have free an universal access to.
"http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136"

hankhill -- The differences between a Puppy Mill and a shelter is that Puppy Mills BREED dogs with the sole purpose of selling the puppies produced to make money. Shelters are places that deal with animals who already exsit but are no longer wanted or that are abandoned by their owners. Puppy Mills determine their best breeders based on how many puppies are produced in one litter... more puppies produced means more in pocket money. Dogs living in Mills are bred regardless of any known health or genetic problems they have because it's all about the money that dog can generate for them. If the dog doesn't produce bigger enough litters or whatever it's considered disposable. These dogs may be put up on auction or taken out and shot. Dogs living in Puppy Mills do not receive proper vet care -- think about it.. could you afford vet bills for a hundred or more dogs? Dogs in Mills can live in cages inside or outside a building and frequently a number of dogs crammed into a cage regardless if they get along with each other or not.. they drink from the same container and eat from the same container and it does become survival of the fittest. Dogs do fight over what food is provided and the poor quality of food given does result with rotten teeth and mouth and gum issues. A shelter takes animals from that situation as well as others and yes the animals coming into the shelter do need and then receive proper vet care. Many require much more than routine vet care to restore their health to the best it can be. The dogs may have to live in kennels at a shelter but do you see numerous dogs crammed into a kennel that is designed for one dog? Shelters require that animals be neutered or spayed so they aren't producing more babies who will not be wanted either at the time they are born or later in their lives. Shelters do evaluations on the dogs to test temperament so that hopefully they will end up in a loving forever family. Volunteers for a shelter frequently do work with animals there to socialize them, so that the animals knows what it's like to walk on grass, gets some exercise, learns about things like treats and toys, even some basic obedience commands. These are all things that a dog living in a mill knows nothing about because they spend their lives in a cage. They are expendable when they can no longer produce puppies (due to not receiving proper vet care and developing things like infections after being bred and giving to birth to a litter of puppies EVERY time they come in heat) or the size of the litters they produce is deemed not big enough by the miller.

I find it hard to believe there are true "no kill shelters"...There can't possibly be enough homes for all the dogs taken in unless they are very selective as to what dogs are taken in..The mills just crank-out TOO many to find homes for any more than a small percentage of them...I think they just get shipped someplace else to be killed or refused to start with and killed.

Where do we sign up to protest? Breeding animals for sale is wrong, in my opinion. I want to join the cause. How do we contact Allegrea?

I have had no problems with the pets i have from the RCHS its just their employees that are idiots
Oh the Rock County humane society employees also think every dog there is a shepherd mix

Virginia Ray looks like the crazy cat lady from The Simpsons

mespl: What kind of dog breeding would I agree with or find o.k.??? Let me start off by saying there are way to many uneducated morans, who are breeding dogs, and breeding for money only.

People who breed dogs should not be having more than 1 litter of puppies every two years. Dogs should not be bred past the age of 5.

I think it's one think for people who are educated about a breed, and that are breeding for excellence not money. But no more than 1 litter every two years.

But than again why should anyone be breeding dogs or cats when the shelters are full??? When animals die every day because there time has run out at these shelters?

I will also say I can not stand the Rock County humane society. They have created a lot of their own problems, the employees have quite the attitude, and half of them don't know what they are talking about , but they talk any way.

With a lot of work, and fund raising it could be a no kill shelter but some people are just too damn lazy.

@localboy there are a lot of orgs out there helping people already. the amount of animal rights orgs vs human rights orgs is huge! rock co offers a lot of support for drug addiction and the state even has a health insurance policy so all women can go on birth control. rock co just needs to stop shutting down programs! thats another issue on its own.

there needs to be people advocating for animal!

"Animal rights-human rights" isn't always such a cut-and-dried subject...I agree that people are most important but I believe there are many things that are done to animals that are TOTALLY unnecessary just because its "easier" or "cheaper" than doing it another way...In other words, cruelty through laziness and/or greed.Sickening.

radical organization, a political spin word.

localboy, one more thing, puppy mills do affect people in very real ways both financial and physical..Its not "just" about the dogs, not at all.

HSUS takes positions that many of us disagree with, so do most gov't regulatory agencies.....Sadly, both are necessary.

About getting a "good" puppy from a pet store...Sure, its been done, but who wants to overpay to play roulette and support the mass-cruelty at mills?

Petland is a totally gross store that I refuse to even go into anymore. In addition to all the things this article is about, the store was so smelly and dirty. The puppy cages were filthy. Very sad and it almost made me sick!

localboy, you make some good points..What are some steps we can take to do something about that stuff?....Organizations?

Ok so I have been told that “backyard/basement breeders” are the same thing. But my questions were not answered. Here they are again. Is there any form of dog breeding that you are not against? What conditions would you require from the breeder so that you consider it a good practice?

@notopuppymills, HSUS is a radical organization and they do use their own agenda and propaganda to push animal rights over human rights. Animals have rights, but when there has to be a choice human rights always always always exceed animal rights, and HSUS does not agree with this. SOLUTION PEOPLE! What about pressing the city and county to outlaw selling cats and dogs unless the breeder is registered with the state? hmmm, not a bad idea.....

To the comment about the backyard/basement breeders. There is no difference, just different language. They both do the same thing.

I am sorry people but I personally bought a dog from Pet land 4 years ago and personally I couldn't ask for a better dog. She has been the best dog I have ever had.I will not sit here and bash a business for what they do. I have looked at the Humane society as we were wanting another dog and they are all crap dogs who wants a rotty or pit-bull not me nor would I want to pay more on home owners insurance because of that breed. Needless to say I have since gotten a second dog had her a few days now and it is from a rescue, the breeder had kept this puppy in a cage and because of this she now has trouble with her hind legs which with my help I am hoping she will gain her leg strength and if not we will love her anyways as that is all they all really want. As for petland my neighbor also has a dog from there and they have no problems as well.

What gets me is that this place can stay in business when the last thing anyone this town needs is another mouth to feed, particularly one you have to pay$500+ for.

It is crazy to see the passion of people being concerned over some animals. All of this while kids are having kids and dropping them off (no questions asked) using the safe haven law. All of this as loser adults on crack, dope, and meth are cranking out offspring to increase their monthly check amounts. The reason they are honking at you clowns is because of the entertainment value....not because they care.

So people on here are complaining about puppy mills (which I understand being against and also am against), however the woman pictured has a sign against what she calls “Basement Breeders”, and some comments are against “Back Yard Breeders”. So my question is to the people who listed these comments. Is there any form of dog breeding that you are not against? What conditions would you require from the breeder so that you consider it a good practice?

No, shelters aren't "perfect"...You wouldn't be, either, if you were the one left to pick up all the pieces and clean up all the messes on the budget they have..I'm not "affiliated" with a shelter, just saying...And why do you think the shelters have to kill so many dogs?.......Its because greedy PUPPY MILLS crank them out by the thousands without any thought as to what is going to happen to them after they get their MONEY..Dogs are supposed to be pets and service animals, NOT mass-produced "products" to be tossed away on a whim....The difference between a pet store or mill/seller and a shelter? ..oh c'mon now.

Watch out for the lady in Ft. Atkinson area who breeds and sells Cocker Spaniels. I bought a dog from her and its was very sick as a puppy. If anyone would like to see my vet report,(as there is pending legal) I would be happy to share. With this lady or any back yard breeder report them to the a.k.c. over and over again, as eventually they will revoke their ability to register their litters and then they become very hard to sell at outrageous prices and the breeders lose the desire some what. This breeder by Fort, did change her name, due to numerous complaints and bad rep.... ALWAYS ASK FOR MULTIPLE REFERENCES. ANY vet in the area can tell you about her.

Do an online search for the Dog Auctions held in Thorp, WI.

I can tell you that the rescue I'm involved with deals with a lot of former breeding dogs from various mills.. We've also had a number of dogs obtained from the Dog Auctions in Thorp. These dogs can be in rescue and living in foster homes for many months prior to them being to the point where they are ready to be adopted to a loving forever family. Some do come around faster than other do... there is no rushing things with a former mill dog. It can take months with them living in a foster home before they gain enough trust in humans to seek out any kind of attention from them. Foster parents greatly celebrate each tiny step they take towards progress.

(continued) Check out the pedigrees that Petland have.. Check that pedigree out for any breeder you are purchasing a puppy from. If you are looking for dog to show.. you definitely need to see a whole lot of red on that pedigree BUT the puppy also needs to be specified by the breeder as show quality and a purchase contract needs to state that.

Regardless of how good the breeding behind a litter of puppies is... not all are show quality and the puppies who are not are called pet quality. A puppy sold as pet quality is usually sold with a condition that the puppy has to be spayed or neutered and comes with a much lower fee than a show quality puppy. A show dog has to be intact -- no neuter or spay. An altered dog can not be shown. What makes a puppy pet quality? It may not have the correct type of bite.... markings may not be as specified by the AKC... it may be smaller than the standard for the breed.. may not have the desired head of rear.. a wide variety of reasons. That doesn't mean that they aren't absolutely gorgeous and don't make fantastic family pets. Regardless if you want to show or not... purchasing a quality puppy is important to you due to genetic or other health issues that are much more common with puppies produced without the quality breeding behind them.

Do some homework prior to purchasing a puppy. Check out the breeder you are considering buying from online... Ask your vet about breeders you are considering buy from or about buying from Petland. Do an online search about Petland for yourselves. See what comes up.

I want to clear a few things up.. First some background. I bred one litter of quality Champion sire puppies close to 20 years ago. My female dog had an excellent pedigree with exceptionl blood lines behind her. I just didn't get lucky.. I did a lot of research becoming familiar with blood lines and reputible breeder BEFORE purchasing her and I spent another 2 years searching for a suitable stud dog for her. Any dogs I have owned have been family pets first and live as such. It was a one time litter because that is something that I really wanted to do. My sisters also have dogs of another breed and do show as well as have a occassional litter of quality puppies -- by occassional I mean 1 litter every several years. Their dogs are all Champions and also live first as family pets. So I am knowledgable about Breeding. I'm very involved with a Breed Rescue and have been for 5 years now and am a foster parent for this rescue. I am very familiar with puppy mills and dogs who were breeders who came from them. I currently own a former breeder from a really horrible mill in Missouri. I also own a dog who was purchased from a pet shop and surrendered to rescue a few months later.. The family who purchased her allowed their kids to terrorize this little girl and by the time she was 6 months old... they didn't want her anymore. Both were adopted from the rescue I'm involved with and the puppy was my foster before I adopted her.

Pet store including Petland DO get their puppies from Mills and those are not good places for any dog to live. Some mills do have better conditions for the animals they have than others. Check out the following link and see for yourself the conditions these dogs live in.. http://www.petshoppuppies.org/ Plenty of photos there of actual mill operations. Note there is a link on that website for Petland. Just read the information on some of those links and become educated. Because some breeding operations are licensed... that doesn't mean a thing.

What's a pedigree ... it's your dog's family tree. It lists the parents, grandparents, etc for your dog. Breeders will usually give you a 4 generation pedigree for your puppy. When you look at the pedigree you are looking for the dogs listed on it to have their names in the color red OR with a CH. before their registered name. A quality puppy has 2/3 of the names on it's pedigree in red or with the CH. before their names.

Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut his head off!"

2 Samuel 16:9

Seems that there is a verse for everything and a time for every purpose under heaven.

I doubt that Sly does either.

$1000 for a pet dog?????????
.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
.
....what can I say??

I do not endorse either practice.

Yes, even though it is 2009 A.D., there are still many, many barbarians on earth that eat dogs as regular food as well as those that cut other people's heads off because they won't change their religion..I wouldn't exactly call these people "folks"..

I know two people personally who have bought dogs from Petland, paid over 1000$ for them. Both dogs got very sick, needed special food and expensive care and in the end (after a few years) it didnt make a difference.

Maybe its time to go after the lunatics who purchase good dogs from good breeders and chain them 24/7 also?
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Point is like it or not dogs are property. With that said we do have animal cruelty laws. Where is the enforcement?
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Anyone who thinks for one moment that most of these dogs come from good breeders are dead wrong. If you purchased a dog from there and it is healthy, your lucky.
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I remember a Shepard my wife wanted badly, I caved but insisted on research after an unhealthy Golden from lying school teachers who raised them that later recalled the bitch having allergies that "went away."
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Needless to say the crappy cfl certs did not check out, the breeders phone number was wrong and I could not find any mention of this kennel anywhere.
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Bottom line is be it from petland, newspaper or a friend. Do your homework! Reputable breeders do not make money! Rather most breed quality dogs to continue to show.
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Humane Society dogs are often full of issues that they cannot possibly foresee every time. Sort of like certain pups.
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Responsibility.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat
Different strokes for different folks.

Where they get the dogs is less of a concern than how they are treated. Anyone who thinks its OK to have dogs locked in cages for most of a twenty four hour day for extended periods is obviously not educated about dogs. Most breeders offer warranties, that is a ridiculous reason to buy a dog from Petland. They are sales people and their job is to be friendly. That is how they get you to buy a dog. It's no different than a car salesman other than the fact a car won't end up at the pound when the owners realize it actually takes work. A good dog owner would research the breed, research the breeders, and buy a puppy that actually has freedom to move from a breeder with an excellent reputation. On the other hand, you can be lazy and buy one from Petland and let so called "Expert" tell you what to do.

Petland is filling a need. If people really want to stop Petland and puppie mills then stop having animals as pets. Are you really doing these animals a favor? And are there not more important things to worry about than where your animal comes from?

Well, all anyone has to do is to think for 4 or 5 minutes, about ALL the things that dogs do and are capable of doing for people....the stories in the news you've read over the years about these things.....Pigs, chickens and cows do not fit into the same category.....Although there are certainly SOME who treat those animals inappropriately too, they're in a whole different category than a dog.

truth1....some say the same about ANY animal farming....so....who is right?

if these people wanted to have a real impact, they would lobby for better legislation, instead of standing out side all day in front of a perfectly legal business....

Whether you call them puppy "mills" or not, there are thousands of puppy FARMS...Think about that.. Farmed.. like pigs, chickens, and cows......Anyone with half a brain or any common sense whatsoever, knows there is something wrong with "farming" dogs!!

Listening to miyata312 and momof5...it appears their interest is more about the OVERPRICING than the animal welfare....

Ms Sassy,,, I can understand that paying the Humane Society $20 for a "short" stay as inconvenient for the owner, but please understand that it took time for someone at the shelter to fill out paperwork for an animals brought in, and if lucky enough to be claimed, there are verifications and even MORE paperwork to fill out. And believe me, the dog would have been put in a kennel, you certainly don't think they allow them to roam free all over the building do you? May not seem like a lot of work, but remember this is all done without ANY government funding. They are working on donations and low paychecks. Plus it isn't the humane society's fault a dog was loose and without ID or anything. And yes I know that sometimes pets get loose through no fault of the owner. My cat ended up there when a window was shattered in a storm... But I was MORE than happy to pay the fee to get my cat back safe.

Please put yourself in their shoes for one day they see a lot! Not just roaming or stray healthy pets, but animals hit by cars, injured by other animals, in the middle of giving birth, dying, bleeding, just bit the daylights out of a young child who's in an Ambulance now, severe illness, vomiting and diarrhea with worms and/or blood, shot with guns or arrows, ringworm, mange, beaten by their owners, in fires, or car accidents.

Plus the new adoption procedure takes like 5 minutes now! And they even have occasional healthy cats with waived fees! So you could be getting a cat with shots, tests, spayed, for FREE! Check it out, they have changed a LOT in the past 6 months!

momof5 - "What I love the most though? Are people who pay upwards of $5-6-700 for a MUTT! A "Labradoodle" or a "Puggle" or a "Rotador" is nothing more than an overpriced, overglorified MUTT. Cute? Absolutely. Worth $5-6-700? Never! Especially from DeathLand. Err Petland!"

6-700? Heck last time I was in there they wanted $1200 for a mixed breed. When I was looking for a Boston Terrier, they wanted $1500 for a 4 month old AKC registered one. Found a pure bred AKC Bostie for $550 at a real breeder. Even had give background checks on me before they sold him to me. Got to see his parents, his litter mates and where they raise them. Dogs had their own a/c and heating system. They took better care of their dogs than alot of people take care of their kids.

A reputable breeder who won't give his last name?!? That says it all, doesn't it?

I hope they do shut down this lady in Fort who sells the cocker spaniels. She should be prosecuted as the lady from Thyme and Sage ranch. There is nothing legit about her operation. My neighbors bought a dog from her and it died. Their kids were heart broken. I did a search on her there are a lot of complaints.

doglover: sadly the last I knew this lady if fort is still doing this. IF you search the internet you will see many complaints about her selling sick dogs. She is a back yard breeder. When I went there I as well was shown the puppies in the porch, and you never saw mom or dad or where they were kept. There are people who are forming a class action suit against her. From what I read she has also sold sick horses. Her prices are outrageous, 1000 dollars or more for a puppy. That is why she takes payment, kind of how she lures people in. She needs to be shut down.

My daughter purchased her puppy (now 4 1/2 months old) from Petland. While I am not entirely convinced the purchase price was something I would have paid, he was only there 2 days before we took him home. We fell in love with him the instant we started playing with him in the store and the people who work there were not only knowledgeable, but also remembered my daughter from when her Dad bought a puppy there over 3 years ago and asked how she was doing (the dog). The puppy was well cared for, as confirmed by the vet and the puppy my daughter and her Dad got over 3 years ago has no problems. (My daughter, by the way is 21 years old and wanted for many years to be a vet.)

Now...since we've had this puppy, through walks, etc., we have learned who nearly all of our neighbor's dogs are. One neighbor has 2 dogs...one of which I hadn't seen/met yet. She got out one day while I was outside and came into our yard. After trying to find where she belonged, we took her to the Rock County Humane Society, which is very nearby. By the time we got home, the owners found out that their dog was missing and were in the neighborhood looking for her. We went down and asked them if they were looking for a dog and the little boy described her to a "T". I told his Mom we had just taken her to RCHS. The dog had been there no more than 15 minutes. Didn't eat, didn't need shots or even a kennel. They told her the only way she could get her dog back was if she gave them the $20 fee. Now, I get that if there is a dog in their care for a significant time, that there will be fees.

But in these two instances, which business/agency showed more compassion for the well-being of the pet? Not the Humane Society, sorry.

Too bad the public isn't as concerned about baby breeding as they are about dog breeding.

I looked into a cocker spaniel at the Fort Atkinson place 10 years ago. I was not allowed to see where the dogs were kept. I only saw the mother and the puppies upstairs in a closed in porch area. I believe the other animals were in the basement and a separate building out back. My red flag: She would allow people to make installments to pay for the puppy. I have never heard of a reputable breeder who had people paying $50 a month for their dog. I found my dog from a very reputable person in Monroe and have had NONE of the problem with my Cocker that can be known to this breed. I have also heard from area vets that this place in Fort has lots of inbreeding. How sad......

Mark Twain- I don't know if you have any pets maybe you don't like animals? but if you had a dog for only 5 yrs and it died because of how a person is breading there dogs, wouldn't you want others to know? look on the net your self, you'll find there are complaints about her. who's side are you on?

Looks like Black Arabian Knights changed their name to Penny Lane Cocker Spaniels. I did find several on-line complaints.
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I do think we need more regulation of puppy breeding, especially places that sell a large number of puppies or multiple breeds of puppies.

Anyone questioning whether Petland purchases their animals from puppy mills should go to the better business bureau website. They have an entire section that specifies that Petland does in fact buy from Puppy Mills and has postings where customers can post the horrors that they have endured by purchasing animals at Petland. Many past customers who have posted bought their puppies at the Janesville Petland. I bought from a reputable breeder in Mineral Point and have a wonderful yellow lab to show for it! It took some work to find them and some patience to wait for my puppy but he is an outstanding dog! I would have paid a lot more for a yellow lab at Petland with the possibility of much heartache!

huh's post is the most logical one here.

The "mollyd5" comment is slander and could not be sustained in a court of law. Why does the Gazette allow such spurious claims to published on its web-site? It appears that the Gazette is part of the smear campaign against legitimate animal breeders... the unsubstantiated comment should be pulled!

Maybe I am crazy, but the fact that two of the breeders did not return phone calls from the reporter is enough for me to mistrust them.

Anotherdoor -

You mean to tell us that you've personally checked out the thousands of puppy mills across American and each and everyone of them lie about their conditions? When can we see your documentation? Who have you interviewed? What are their titles? When were the dates of your inspections? Can you share your covert photographs? Why don't you knock off the blanket generalizations unless you have facts, figures, and dates! People of your kind disgust me.

I have news for you "notopuppymills": animals ARE property!!! There is nothing wrong with making a profit from an animal for its sale as a pet or domestic animals being used for meat, fur, or fertilizer. Your views ARE extremist when compared to the mainstream of the world. You may want to anthropomorphize your animal friends but don’t expect normal folks to go along with your magical thinking.

huh: PLEASE give the RCHS another chance. Years ago, we adopted a kitten from there. It was ridiculous the number of hoops we had to jump through. I heard horror story after horror story from potential adopters. A month ago, while reading gazetteextra.com, I saw an article for their cat adopt-a-thon. We picked out the kitten we liked on petfinder.com, called out to Mounds, they put a hold on her. My husband arrived at Mounds and within 15 minutes, we were the new "parents" of a new kitten. Super easy and painless and dare I say friendly!! lol Give them another whirl. It is NOT the RCHS of yore!

I too have (almost fell for) the cute 8 week old puppy, I own a shepard mix, I have had her for almost 4 years, I got her from a breeder in Grant county, Mom was a "Pure Breed" with papers, and dad was a neighbor s farm dog, (needless to say I got her for free).. But the one puppy I was looking at, (at Petland) was a pure breed Shepard fro $499 (but that was the only reason kept me from buying) .. The people that deal with the dogs and cats were very knowledgeable of the breed I was looking at and answered all the questions I had about the breed.. People that are hired there (from personal experience) always (from what I saw) treated the animals with care and kindness.. Unless you see the store employees in action,, don't draw any conclusion on what type of store this one is.. Petland has always teated me with the utmost professionalism

It is pretty scary, when upon research, none of the three breeders have websites with more information on them. Wisconsin is the worst state for puppy mills, and it is about time someone speaks out for those who cannot!

I am so tired of hearing the HSUS referred to as a radical organization, as Mike Sardinia claims in this article. This always seems to come from people who view animals as property and/or exploit animals for profit and don't want anyone shining a light on their dirty secrets. It's pathetic really. The HSUS does a great job of exposing and fighting animal cruelty in our society.
Also Mr. Sardinia claims "he supports any legislation that requires high standards of care for pet sellers." That may be true of this Petland owner, but I doubt it. In Texas, several Petland franchise owners and a person from Petland's corporate office testified at a hearing AGAINST our pending puppy mill legislation. If Petland has done nothing wrong and if they care so much, they should be leading the fight against puppy mill cruelty instead of constantly being in a position of having to defend themselves.
Why doesn't Petland show us where the puppies come from? How about letting the media visit these wonderful places where the breeding dogs are so well cared for and have such happy lives. Yeah, right.
And what about that Petland employee who drowned two rabbits and then posted a picture of herself grinning and holding the dead rabbits on facebook? I sincerely wish Petland would stop selling live animals and that all this would go away.

I bought a dog from Petland, and I have no complaints about her. She is very healthy and loving. My biggest complaint is the price. I was able to negotiate with them to get it lower, but I didn't go low enough.

Petland has fairly high turn over of dogs. They are not kept locked up long. The longer they are there, the lower the price goes. Those are the $199 dogs.

The biggest reasons I went to Petland was for convenience and assurance. They do guarantee the dogs. That said, I would not go back to buy another one because I can get one cheaper elsewhere and because I read between the lines at the vet. They also have poor customer service there.

I also will not go to the Humane Society, While they have the best in mind for the pets there, I feel there are too many hoops to jump through. When it comes down to it, they have animals locked in cages just like Petland and they might not let a good owner have a pet, thus leaving it in the cage.

My choice was not a impulse purchase, either. I went in for several days. I researched my dog I fell for (yes, they got me there), and I made sure the dog was a good fit for me.

I don't think Petland is as bad as people say. The protesters are radicals, and I will not support their cause either.

Sorry do-gooders, but so-called "puppy mills" have a right to operate and compete in the marketplace. I would put no faith in the what biased members of the local humane society or extremists in the Alliance for Animals have to say regarding the subject; after all these are people who project human characteristics into animals and believe that animals are legally entitled to rights as "companions" or "sentient beings." It is interesting that the Gazette chooses to smear a local business, employing local citizens, by appeasing and giving so much publicity to a extremist lunatic-fringe group such as the Humane Society of the United States and the Rock County Alliance for Animals.

Most of the dogs I've seen come from Petland have hip and hind leg problems from being cramped in cages all day. I see them at the dog park all the time. These types of stores feed on ignorance. People fall for "Look at the cute puppy." Once the puppy is home they realize they weren't ready or educated enough to own a dog. The next step is the dog ends up at the Humane Society. I don't know Petlands breeders or their general care for animals. However, I do know this about all pet stores that sell dogs: For one, the dogs are cramped in cages too long. For two, people buy dogs on impulse, which is the worse thing for a dog. Beyond that the prices for nearly everything at that store are outrageous.

Every puppy mill breeder lies about the conditions of their mill. They all say the puppies have indoor access and are allowed to run around. The stores that sell puppy mill pups also lie. There's no way to know other than to go under cover & follow the pups. Yes, I know this first hand. And I volunteer at one of the humane societies in this area. And, guess what? There are only two pit bulls there.

The real issue is not whether Petland uses puppy mills and how that is defined. The problem is that Petland and other pet stores contribute to a problem of breeding animals to be pets, with a high rate of trial failure (returns, discards), when there are already so many unwanted animals in shelters. Anyone who truly loves animals will not want to contribute in any way to this unnecessary supply chain and industry.