Stop the Cycle of Cruelty - Adopt Don't Shop in a Pet Store This Christmas

Photo credit: Frank Schemberger

Today's Christmas Pet Store Puppy is also from the former Petland store in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Thankfully, this store has now closed. A small independent store took it's place for a few months, but that has also closed.


 This Golden Retriever pup could not lay across the wire floor of his cubicle without scrunching his head on the display glass. He has only a rabbit waterer to drink out of. Conditions that are so unsettling that many consumers might feel compelled to buy this puppy just to get him out of there so he can stretch his legs and feel the ground under his feet.


What happens to the puppies that don't sell? This disturbing thought is often what drives a purchase. But "rescuing" that pet store puppy just allows the vicious cycle to continue, the puppy miller will breed more pups to supply the pet store to sell to well-meaning, but mis-informed consumers.

The cycle has to stop. And although I have no hard evidence, and only anecdotal accounts; I don't think the puppies that don't sell come to the terrible end that most shoppers fear.  They are either discounted until they do sell, or if the store is going to go out of business, a shelter or rescue will step in to take the last remaining pets.

Please, adopt don't shop this Christmas. Let's stop the demand for pet store puppies. Then they will either close (as this store did) or find another, less cruel way to make a profit and stay in business.


Thank you to my friend and Wisconsin Voters For Companion Animals advisor, Frank Schemberger for providing the photos and the details of the Christmas pet store puppies. A series of these photos and writeups are circulating on Facebook and in local Wisconsin on-line publications. Frank has worked tirelessly over the last several years, photographing and exposing the cruel pet store trade in the Midwest.

Looking for a New Puppy? Don't Buy the Pet Store Lies

Photo credit: Frank Schemberger

If you are still in the pet store looking at puppies, even after you know the truth about the "USDA licensed breeders"  from my blog last week; here are some of the other lies and spin that the pet store staff will try to feed you.


1. The Adoption Trick


Today's pet store puppies comes to you from Madison, Wisconsin. A large, popular store that uses the term "adoption" in their marketing. You could "adopt" a pug puppy for $800 and feel all warm and fuzzy about the wonderful thing you are doing.

Adopting pets is very trendy right now and the pet store industry is trying to cash in on this trend with clever marketing and wording.   Some pet stores will purposely keep their puppies in extremely stark, small cages  to make the shopper feel sorry for them. Then the shoppers can feel like they are "rescuing" the puppy by "adopting" it. Don't buy the lie. It's not an adoption or a rescue - it's a sale. A  pet store sale of a puppy mill puppy.


2. The Money Back Guarantee


Some stores will try to lure you with a promise of a money-back guarantee knowing  full well that you will be emotionally attached to that puppy about five minutes after you walk out the door with it. Customers rarely return puppies, because they are afraid of the puppy's outcome; so the pet store doesn't have to make good on the "money-back guarantee". Instead, the customer will absorb the cost of the vet bills when their puppy becomes ill or has genetic flaws, as many pet store puppies do.

The worst case scenario? The new owner can't afford the vet bills and the puppy is surrendered to an animal shelter, contributing to our already overburdened shelter system.


3. The Small, Local, Reputable Breeder Lie


Pet stores will try to convince you that their puppies come from small, local, reputable breeders. Don't be fooled. Small, reputable breeders don't supply pet stores. They have enough demand for their puppies already; because their puppies are sociable, healthy and home-raised. Why would they pay a high margin to the pet store, when they can get the full sales price themselves? Pet store puppies come from commercial breeders who are only concerned with profit.

Some pet stores will tell you that they will reveal the breeder's name and location; but not until you've signed on the dotted line. Again, they know that once you walk out that door with the puppy, the likelihood is very low that you will return it.  If pet store staff  do give you the name and location, call their bluff and check out the breeder and his facility. You should be allowed to see both of the puppy's parents and the whole facility . You should be allowed to interact with the puppy's parents; checking their temperament and their health.


4. The "Mark Them Up, then Mark Them Down" Trick


Most pet store puppies are overpriced to begin with. It is very common to see the original price "slashed"out in red crayon on the glass, with a "reduced price" below to make it look like the puppy is a good deal. Be an educated consumer and check the prices at your local shelter and at the truly reputable breeders in your area.


Don't buy the pet store lies this Christmas season. Real adoptions occur at shelters, humane organizations, or rescues. Adopt, Don't Shop.  


Thank you to my friend and Wisconsin Voters For Companion Animals advisor, Frank Schemberger for providing the photos and the details of the Christmas pet store puppies. A series of these photos and writeups are circulating on Facebook and in local Wisconsin on-line publications. Frank has worked tirelessly over the last several years, photographing and exposing the cruel pet store trade in the Midwest.

The Pet Store / Puppy Mill Connection

Photo credit: Frank Schemberger

Today's Christmas pet store puppy was in a store in Greenfield, Wisconsin; just south of Milwaukee.

This little Poodle pup found the only soft spot in his cage was his food dish. No exercise, no blanket or pad, no life. His parents are probably somewhere in a mill in in the Midwest.

If you ask the staff at a pet store where their puppies come from they will proudly tell you a "USDA licensed" breeder. Sounds impressive, right?

Wrong. USDA standards are minimal, minimally enforced and a far cry from what the average person would consider humane.

The USDA inspector's job is to make sure breeders are adhering to the minimum standards set forth by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). They can look at a facility with hundreds of dogs in small cages, desperate for human attention, and note no violations. That’s because the Animal Welfare Act (a federal law) does nothing to ensure dogs are happy, or live a quality life.

Here are some quick facts about the minimum standards set forth by the USDA:

• Cage size: must be 6 inches larger than the size of the dog, on all sides
• Up to 12 dogs can be housed in one cage
• Dogs never have to be let out of their cages. Breeders only need to have an exercise plan (seldom enforced)
• There is no limit to the number of dogs a breeder can have—many have over 1,000
• There is no age limit for breeding dogs. If a dog is able to produce puppies for 10 years, that’s how long they could be in the facility
• Inspections are “Risk-based,” meaning that facilities that meet a certain criteria are inspected as seldom as once every 2 to 3 years. There are only about 70 inspectors for over 10,000 facilities.

Photo credit: Frank Schemberger

The second picture is from a USDA approved breeder in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. This is the picture that the pet store owner does not want you to know about. He wants you to envision Momma dog and puppies running and playing in a grassy field somewhere. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Pet store puppies come from large commercial breeders (puppy mills). 

Wisconsin's Act 90, a new law which provides state regulations and licensing for dog sellers came into effect in June 2011. These are an improvement over the USDA standards; but a Wisconsin pet store can still be using a supplier from a state that doesn't have oversight of it's puppy mills.

When you buy a pet store puppy you are fueling the industry, and encouraging the breeders to produce yet another litter, in their "USDA approved" facility.

Adopt, don't shop this holiday season.

What is the REAL cost of that Christmas puppy in the window?

Photo credit: Frank Schemberger

The week before Christmas is the busiest time of year for pet stores that sell puppies. They look so cute and many people make an impulsive purchase without thinking of the consequences of their actions.

I would like to feature some of these Wisconsin puppies over the next few days. These are Christmas pet store puppies that are taken from their mothers far too young. They are bred in puppy mills throughout the Midwest and often destined to end up in animal shelters when the unsuspecting owner is overcome with the medical bills or behavioral problems that are associated with these puppies. Pet store puppies that end up in shelters cost us ALL money. Many animal shelters are partially funded by taxpayer dollars. Even if they aren't, our donations that could have been used for other animals are spent treating or rehabilitating pet store puppies.

Worse still, is the horrendous conditions that the parents endure, week after week, month after month, year after year; existing only to breed more puppies for the cruel pet store industry.

Here is Christmas Pet Store Puppy #1: 

This puppy was labelled a "Puggle" at the Petland Pewaukee store (this store is now out of business). This pup's expression gave me the feeling he would rather be back at the puppy mill it came from. At least there it had the companionship of his parents and siblings, although the conditions were worse. Again, no toys, blanket, no life for a pup. Some pups spend months in a pet store until the price drops enough to attract a buyer..... important formative days lost that will imprint the dog. Hopefully he is in a good home, although many impulsive buyers drop their "mistake" off at a shelter, while others will be making frequent visits to a veterinarian.  

"Rescuing" a pet store puppy by buying it is not the answer either. It just perpetuates the cycle of cruelty by increasing demand for the pups and encouraging the puppy millers to breed another litter.

Please think twice this Christmas. If you and your family are looking for a new dog (or cat) visit your local animal shelter. Adopt, don't shop!

Thank you to my friend and Wisconsin Voters For Companion Animals advisor, Frank Schemberger for providing the photos and the details of the Christmas pet store puppies. A series of these photos and writeups are circulating on Facebook and in local Wisconsin on-line publications. Frank has worked tirelessly over the last several years, photographing and exposing the cruel pet store trade in the Midwest.

Happy Times for Wisconsin Dogs

It's been a busy time for animal welfare volunteers and staff in Wisconsin. Act 90/ATCP 16 went into effect on June 1st . This new law, called the Commercial Dog Sellers law requires everyone who sells or offers to sell 25 or more dogs per year to be licensed and regulated. It includes breeders, pet stores, flea markets, shelters and rescues. It is budget neutral.  The licensing fees collected will pay for the enforcement of the regulations. For detailed information on the new law click here.

Is it perfect? Of course not. Not many laws are.

Is it better than what we had (which was not much)? Yes. Will it shut down puppy mills? Of course not.

Will it improve conditions for the dogs living in commercial breeding facilities? Yes. And, it is also the first step in ensuring that shelters and rescues are also maintaining reasonable standards of care. It will ensure that dogs are humanely cared for with exercise and socialization requirements.We have had some very sad cases of badly run shelters and rescues in this state - most notably the Thyme and Sage Ranch case which just recently resulted in the conviction of Jennifer Petkus on six counts of animal cruelty. Jennifer Petkus held the animal control contract for Richland County at the time.

With our new law, the situation at Thyme and Sage would never have regressed to the point it did.

To those of you who think that the bill should have attempted to shut down ALL breeding operations, here's my question.   There is a demand for puppies and dogs. Do the math. There are an estimated four million cats and dogs that will be killed in shelters this year. Let's say half of those are dogs (probably a high estimate, because we know the fate of cats is worse).

So, two million dogs are killed.  But, about 17 million people will add a new pet to their family. Again, let's say half of those people want to get a  dog, 8.5 million. Even if you convinced everybody to adopt their new dog from a shelter; where would the remaining 6.5 million dogs come from?

Of course, the whining and complaining about the new law has begun. Not by everybody, most reputable shelters are happy that the law passed. They realize that the inconvenience and cost will be more than made up for by the benefits to dogs in this state.

Any of you that know me personally know that I am not a huge fan of over-regulation by the government.
But, that being said, I also worked in an unregulated industry; horse training, breeding and riding instruction;  for twenty years.  I would have gladly paid a licensing fee and welcomed inspectors with open arms to my farm if I thought it would mean that the bad actors would have been regulated. A few bad actors can ruin the reputation of an industry as a whole, and then responsible players suffer.

There aren't many businesses that don't require licensing. You have to have a license to cut hair, sell Christmas trees or run a dating service in Wisconsin. But up until now - you could be responsible for the health and lives of dogs while running a rescue, shelter or commercial dog breeding operation without a license or any oversight, whatsoever.

Some people will argue - Why should the "good guys" have to pay for the sins of a few? Well, that's how our society works. We all have to register our vehicles. The pool of money collected is used to enforce and regulate the rules of the road, even though most of us are responsible drivers. Hunters and fisherman have to buy licenses to hunt and fish. Even though the vast majority are responsible and follow the rules; the licensing fees helps enforce the rules for those that aren't.

Some rescuers are panicking that a huge influx of dogs being "dumped" by breeders will overwhelm the system. Will it be a busy couple of years for shelters as some breeders downsize? Probably. But that still isn't a good reason to oppose a law that will make conditions better for dogs for decades to come. The good shelters are prepared and have trained staff and volunteers in puppy mill dog rehabilitation.

So, to all the whiners (most of whom did not attend the hearings or offer any input) quit complaining; do your paperwork, pay your licensing fee and get on with life.  You've had eighteen months since the bill passed to prepare. Good breeders should be happy.  Good shelters and rescues should be happy. Humane standards are being implemented. The dogs are better off now than they were before.

It's a happy time for Wisconsin dogs and I'm celebrating.  Thank you to Representative Jeff Smith, Senator Pat Kreitlow, the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project and everybody that worked hard to make it happen.

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are,

 first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense. ~Thomas Edison

Be Careful What You Wish For

This article out of San Francisco has come across my radar screen in several formats over the past few weeks.

It is a story regarding the proposed ban of all pets in pet stores except fish. Sounds great - for about thirty seconds. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for enforceable regulations that provide for the humane treatment of animals in pet stores and in the places where they are produced. And I don't see a need to sell kittens and puppies in pet stores. We need responsible breeders for that, plus there is still plenty in most of the shelters in this country.

But do we really want our children to grow up without the opportunity to have a small pet to care for? How will they learn compassion and responsibility? My sisters and I had guinea pigs when we were growing up. There are a lot of lessons to be learned (with parental oversight of course) from caring and coping with small pets.

A budding young starlet with her precious piggy,

 Pumpkin enjoy a sunny outing - 1967.

Remember... for every action there is a reaction.  And banning small pets now may mean there will be less homes for large pets in the next generation.
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