American Kennel Club Backs Out of Petland Deal!
Here’s an update about the amazingly ill-conceived AKC deal with the Petland chain of pet stores. It seems the AKC management have heard all the complaints from across the US from many breed clubs and backed away from the arrangement.
Way to go Dogsters and everyone else who growled their upset into the AKC! You made the difference! You’re the reason puppy mills and their middle demons like the Hunte Corporation will not be legitimized any more than they already are in pet stores like Petland. Good work! Keep up the good work! Working like a pack we can make a difference!
Thanks to Roxie’s mom, Karen for barking in!
Karen wrote:
Hi Joy,
I’m not sure if you have seen this but it looks like AKC has pulled back and is not going through with the Petland agreement. Once again the voices of reason have been heard.
At the September Delegates Meeting AKC reported that we had reached an agreement with Petland in order to facilitate the registration of dogs that are already AKC registrable.Precedence: bulk
AKC’s Board of Directors and management believed that this agreement would have helped to further the mission of the AKC. Promoting responsible dog ownership to new puppy owners, implementing our care and conditions policies, and exposing more dog owners to AKC educational programs and services would have had even greater reach.
In the past few weeks we have received many comments about this agreement, both positive and negative. We have listened to the concerns and because this issue has become so divisive, we believe it is in the best interest of our sport and the American Kennel Club not to go forward with this initiative.
Ron Menaker, Chairman of the Board
Dennis B. Sprung, President and CEO
I am soooo glad to hear that AKC backed out, I worked for Petland some years ago, until I was aware of the process they went through to get dogs for their stores. I also had an awful experience with a bunny I had got from there, even though I knew it was a bad idea. I tell everyone I know not to go there for pets, and to go to a reputable breeder. Any self-respecting dog group should refrain from supporting Petland.
The Baerleht is a puppy mill puppy purchased from Petland in Orlando, Florida over a decade ago. From the moment we brought her home, her health problems were numerous and extremely costly. Her legs, spine and hips were so severely deformed that even the expert surgeons of VCA were perplexed. The only remedy offered by Petland was a “pet exchange”– as in we could bring baby Baerleht back and exchange her for another puppy. Not an option. Her AKC papers contained breeder information, and in an attempt to alert the “breeder” to the potential health problems of littermates, I discovered that the “breeder” could not be contacted with the information provided. After months of trying to contact the so-called breeder and negotiating with Petland, I simply gave up. Petland did not care that they were selling very sick and deformed puppies, and refused to help pay for the $4000 surgery which was required immediately to save The Baerleht’s life. They refused to pay for the additional thousands of dollars in X-rays and consultations required to determine what the diagnosis might be. To the AKC, I reported the entire situation. The reality is that you can purchase an AKC registered dog or puppy from Petland and there will be no guarantee of quality bloodlines. In fact there wil be no guarantee that you will ever be able to even find the breeder. Should you find yourself with a registered yet sick puppy, you will be on your own– unless you are the kind of person who has no trouble “exchanging” your puppy. The AKC should crack down on the process of registration. According to the papers I have for The Baerleht, I COULD BREED HER as a registered Chow Chow… and no one would stop me. There is something very flawed about a system which does nothing to discourage the for-profit breeding of sick, genetically flawed or deformed animals. There is something even more sinister about places such as Petland which provide a venue for the bulk sales of such animals.
Wow, thank goodness for the backing out! I had a very bad & costly experience with a “Petland Puppy”. Well my problem was not with the puppy per say, but my 2 year old “Bailey” who got deathly sick after 2 days of having the puppy home. Bailey ended up taking over this puppy as her own & my 5 year old “Meadow” wanted to play with him but she is a barker when excited & always scared him away from her. But then I noticed also that Meadow would not eat or drink from anything that the puppy touched & she never had mouth to mouth contact with the puppy. Just like they say a mother dog knows when it’s baby is sick, i believe that Meadow knew this. Bailey was in the hospital for 2 days with an undiagnosed intestinal problem & Meadow never got sick. The puppy was taken back to the store & I never found out anything more about it such as if he was sick. They called me 2 times but i never answered the phone to talk to them. It was a very costly ($1400 hospital bill for Bailey) and very nerve wrecking experience that i will never forget. I learned my lesson & will never go into a store that sells animals again.
Glad AKC came to their senses about the Petland deal. That was an ill-conceived plan from the start.
I want to buy a Labrador puppy. Can you give me the names and telephone numbers for reputable breeders in the San Antonio area. Thank you.
Sherwood Inkley
327 Robinhood Place
San Antonio, texas 78209
Hi Sheerwood!
I did a search of Lab breeders at the AKC site according to distance from your zip code and here’s the link. Copy this in and check these folks out.
http://www.thelabradorclub.com/breeders/directory_byzip.php
One caveat — just because they are listed as a breeder with the AKC does not guarantee anything. Here’s what I would do if looking for a new puppy:
Talk to a number of breeders and ask them about their dogs, their experiences breeding, their bloodlines and references from people who already have one or more of their dogs.
Visit a local dog show and talk to the Lab folks there about who they would recommend.
Ask for a guarantee. A breeder cannot guarantee that your dog will win shows or hunt like a sonofagun, but she should be able to guarantee that your puppy will be healthy and sound. (When we were breeding Weimaraners we ALWAYS told new parents that if there was any problem, bring the puppies back. Good breeders should stand behind their puppies and should want to get back in problem puppies. Even if the puppies are NOT the problem, good breeders usually want their puppies to come back to them if the adopted parents ever have to or want to give them up.)
Depending on what you want in a dog, you might want to consider adopting a Lab from a Lab rescue. Of you aren’t showing or something similar, a rescue Lab could be a great member of your family!
Here’s the link for the Dallas area Lab rescue. I didn’t find one right away in San Antonio but they may be able to put you in touch with the rescue in your area.
http://www.dfwlabrescue.org/
I hope this helps! Let us all know when you have your new family member so we can welcome her or him to Dogster!
I would like to buy a Sheltie (one-year-old or older). Can you give me the names and telephone numbers for reputable breeders in the San Antonio area?
Since I do not own a computer, I am using my neighbor’s website. My telephone number is (210) 653-1015. Thank you for your help.
Donald Skelton
I purchased a puppy from petland that I found out was sick. All my other dogs got sick from the puppy and I lost one of my
older dogs due to the illness and $2000 dollars later with vet bills. I told petland about this and they wanted to come into my home to see if I was not looking after my dogs properly. Some nerve! Nasty place to buy animals. I noticed their bunnies and hamsters are always sick as well with runny noses etc.
Kerry – Did this happen in San Antonio? If so, can you call me at 210-476-1079?
We just got a Petland in my area and went and looked at the puppies yesterday. I asked employees how they got the animals and she told me it wasn’t a puppy mill. I asked the name of the company and decided to google it and found out it was a puppy mill! The employee said she wouldn’t work anywhere that supported puppy mills but she hasn’t done her homework!
Jana
Thank you for talking to the Petland employees to remind them of their part in the evils of puppy mills. It is too easy for them and others to deny that they are part of the puppy mill problem.