I want to thank Debbie for sending me this story and helping to expose another animal abuser, let’s hope Clayton gets what he deserves.

WEBSTER - A Missouri man who delivers animals to pet stores was arraigned Thursday on animal cruelty charges after police rescued what they said were weak, limp and sick puppies from his van.

John T. Clayton, 44, of Missouri told authorities he left Missouri Monday night, and the puppies had not been walked since then, police said.

Police said 27 puppies were crammed into small cages, surrounded by animal waste, filth and flies, in a locked box truck parked in front of a Main Street pet store Wednesday afternoon.

In Dudley District Court Thursday, Mr. Clayton pleaded not guilty to the cruelty charges. Bail was set at $1,000.

Before his arrest, Mr. Clayton had just delivered 10 puppies to Elite Puppies, 172 Main St., and had delivered nine puppies to Laughlin Kennel in Oxford, according to police. He may have dropped off puppies at other New England locations as well.

The case unfolded after two people drove by the delivery box truck when it was parked in front of Elite Puppies on Main Street about 2:45 p.m. They heard barking dogs and feared the dogs might be distressed. They flagged down a police cruiser and called an animal rescue organization.

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Here’s a good story to start off the week, a chain of pet stores selling puppy mill dogs has finally been shutdown.

Scamps Pet Stores, a chain of five stores located in the Oregon area and known for selling sick dogs filed  for bankruptcy and will not be reopening.

In Defense of Animals Northwest office is celebrating fantastic news – the recent bankruptcy and closure of Scamps Pet Stores, a chain of five puppy peddling pet stores in Oregon and Washington. For nearly a decade, IDA and other animal advocates in Portland, Oregon have been educating the public about Scamps’ scandalous business practices of selling puppy mill puppies. Using information from employee whistle blowers and former Scamps customers, IDA detailed Scamps’ reputation of selling sick and genetically “defective” puppy mill puppies, and then lying about it. IDA had an ongoing outreach campaign where advocates demonstrated outside Scamps stores.

Many news stories over the years have chronicled Scamps’ unethical practices, like Channel 8, KGW’s Ann Yeager who did an investigation late last year into Scamps knowingly selling sick puppies, educating the public to adopt companion animals from shelters rather than buy from Scamps.

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Best Friends Animal Society has scored another victory in the war against puppy mills. Their Puppy-Store-Free L.A. campaign has helped close down another less than reputable pet store.

Pet Love which is located at Beverly Center,  an upscale shopping mall, will have its lease terminated within the next few months.

Since last July, Best Friends staffers and members have been at the Beverly Center educating potential customers about where those cute puppies in the Pet Love store really come from.

Mall shoppers saw documented proof from a Best Friends investigation that Pet Love acquires its puppies from puppy mills across the country. They learned that many of these puppies suffer from physical ailments caused by the horrible conditions in puppy mills and being taken from their mothers too soon. They saw a video of a KCBS Los Angeles undercover report that shows a Pet Love worker, who didn’t sanitize the syringe or his hands, pumping puppies full of antibiotics that hadn’t been prescribed.

“It helps people understand the connection between puppies they see in the pet stores and the cruel and inhumane conditions under which they are bred in these puppy mills,” says Elizabeth Oreck, Best Friends’ Los Angeles programs manager.

People listened – and hundreds of Beverly Center patrons and employees signed a petition expressing their concerns about Pet Love’s practice of selling sick dogs. Many of them shared their own heartbreaking stories of having bought a Pet Love dog – costing as much as $3,000 – and then losing them to illness.

In the beginning Best Friends’ didn’t start out trying to close down Pet Love, they were just trying to get them to stop selling animals from puppy mills. The owners refused to change their business model and threatened litigation.

Once again, it was the power of the people, the residents of Los Angeles County saw what Pet Love was doing and would no longer tolerate it in their community. The Beverly Center also listened, they terminated their lease with Pet Love, effectively closing down the business.

Best Friends’ continues to hold peaceful protests, and to educate potential customers about where these dogs come from.

In you would like to help Best Friends’ put cruelty out of business you can make a tax free donation to the cause.

*Photo courtesy Bob Long of Long Photo.

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This is an article coming from Bernalillo County, New Mexico about a rather controversial topic. It’s about a potential ban of the sale of dogs and cats from pet stores, to be discussed on Dec. 9 at the board-of-county-commissioners meeting.

Although the proposed ordinance does not currently ban cat and dog sales, the ban could be added as a floor amendment prior to the consideration of the proposed ordinance.

The proposed animal-control ordinance sets forth adequate food and space requirements, among other things, for pet shops, groomers, kennels, breeder sites and shelters.

The commissioners first broached a potential ban, which would also include a ban on sales of cats and dogs coming from “puppy mills” or “kitten mills,” at their meeting last month.

As you can probably guess, the county has received many phone calls for and against the ban. The city of of Albuquerque, located in Bernalillo County, already has this ordinance in place. Interesting, I never knew such an ordinance existed.

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council is adamantly against the ban, obviously they have a vested interest in it not passing. Give me a bark and let me know what you think about a possible ban, good or bad idea ?

* The cutie above is Stormy and  her kitty friend.

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An investigation by the Humane Society has discovered some disturbing facts about the puppies sold at Petland stores.  While the pet giant claims to only get puppies from reputable breeders the facts show otherwise.  The Humane Society goes so far as to allege that Petland supports puppy mills.

According to a report by the Humane Society of the United States, many stores of the Ohio-based Petland Inc. pet store chain support puppy mills while telling customers the dogs come only from good breeders.

The animal protection group made the charge at a Washington, D.C. news conference, saying it conducted an eight-month investigation of the chain headquartered in Chillicothe in southwest Ohio.

Petland Inc. did not return repeated calls from CBS News seeking comment on the report. But in a message posted on the company Web site, Petland said the company does not support substandard breeding facilities and provides each store with humane care guidelines developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While Petland has stated prior that the Humane Society reports surface every year around holiday time, the same time as their fundraisers.  Implying they are using “sensationalism” to help raise funds for their cause.

If you look at the facts found in the investigation it’s very hard to dispute the allegations. The Humane Society said investigators visited 35 breeders and brokers that sold puppies to Petland stores.
As well as reviewing hundreds of additional interstate import records from other breeders.

“We found very classic puppy mill condition,” the Humane Society’s Stephanie Shain told CBS News. “Dogs in small cages. These animals were living in those cages 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year.”

In puppy mills, hundreds of breeding dogs are packed into cramped, barren cages with no socialization, exercise or human interaction, she said.

The stores investigated are perpetuating an abusive industry where dogs are treated like a cash crop instead of as pets, said Shain, director of the Humane Society’s campaign against puppy mills.

“They know that consumers won’t stand for the cruelty inherent in mass-breeding facilities, so they make outrageous claims to hide the reality that the dogs came from puppy mills,” Shain said.

Shain is right, now that consumers are aware of what goes on behind closed doors we will do anything in our power to stop it.  We, as dog lovers, have banded together to sign petitions and help change legislation.  The voice of 60 million dog owners can no longer be ignored, we will not allow it.

We are their voice, the only one they have. Take action by going to the Humane Society site where you can learn how to contact Petland’s corporate headquarters to express your concern for puppy mills and ask them to stop selling puppies.

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