Local woman buys sick dogs from Largo PetLand

It is amazing to me that so many people still don’t know that dogs sold at pet stores come from puppy mills. It just goes to show that people still need to be properly educated on where their pet is coming from.

For example, there was an article I read last week about a lady named Carol Munkhouse, who purchased, not one, not two, but three different dogs from the Largo PetLand. And go figure, all of them were very sick, the worst being Brutus her English Bulldog. Brutus has a genetic condition that prevents him from walking long distance. Did I mention that Munkhouse had spent almost $3000 on this dog? And she would only be able to return the dog and get store credit (which is why she kept getting additional dogs, who ended up all being sick too.)

In November, the Humane Society of the United States revealed the results of an eight-month investigation into Petland Inc., the country's largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores. The results show that many Petland stores across the country are supporting cruel puppy mills, even while telling unsuspecting customers that the dogs only come from good breeders. According to that investigation, many of Petland's puppies are not supplied directly by breeders but are purchased from a "middle man"—large-scale "pet distributors," otherwise known as brokers—showing that the company may not even know who the breeders are or what their standards of care may be like. The investigation revealed that some of Petland's brokers are also buying from puppy mills.

So, please, if you are looking to get a puppy, check with your local shelter or rescue group. These groups get in all breeds at all different ages. And if you are going to buy a dog, do not do it over the internet. You should go to the breeders house and see the conditions from which that dog came.

To read the full article on Carol Munkhouse’s PetLand experience, click here.

To read more about the HSUS investigation in PetLand, click here.

If you want to join a local group here in the Tampa Bay area that assists in helping in puppy mill raids, and educating the public about all types of disasters, check out Bay Area DART (disaster animal response team). They are a wonderful group of citizens who are passionate about saving animals and educating the public.