48 Comments:

• No reputable dog breeder sells puppies to a petstore. The puppies from their occasional litters are sold before they are born. Professional translates to puppy mill, hobby translates to back yard breeder. Neither Petland, "professional breeders" or "hobby breeders" care that the these animals will more than likely reproduce "so the kids can see the wonder of birth", "because they need to have at least one litter", and on and on with all the wrong reasons to produce dogs that will end up in shelters, more than likely euthanized. Petland and their "breeders" only contribute to the overpopulation of unwanted animals who suffer for the money these people make.

  By  Anonymous, at 5:37 PM, February 07, 2005  

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• I bought my first dog from a Petland store 13 years ago. I have never been able to find any info on the supposed breeder or the dam and sire. He came from Missouri which is a state notorious for puppy mills. Aside from the terrible conditions of puppy mills, a dog kept in a glass cage at a pet store is under socialized. Also, a reputable breeder will always have you use the kennel/breeder name in the dogs registration. This wasn't the case with the papers I got for him. I wouldn't give up a day with my dog, but I would never again buy a dog from a pet store.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:46 AM, February 08, 2005  

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• If anyone really reads this , please do not buy any puppies from petland. I worked at a store here in Westland Michigan and had to quit.The way the owner was , was unbelievable.All she seen every week when those pooor little puppies came in was dollar signs. The public does not know what goes on behind closed doors.The puppies are not taken care of the way they try to make you believe.The westland store was opened in December of 2004 andas of march they had lost 8 puppies to a number of things, such as parvo , distemper,upper respirtory infections and many other reason.And as far as the owners of the store and people at the corporate headquaters, all they had to say is "get used to it , we have a business to run.And when puppies dont sell they tend to grow , and as we all know get larger and out grow those windows they are stuck in . The store I worked in had a rotty puppy for so long that all he could do was lay down all the time . He was so tall when he tried to stand he had to try to slouch.And as far as them sayong that all those puppies are vet checked.....WRONG......They are not checked by the vet until her sceduled day to come in, until then all the puppies in the store are exposed to anything that came in with the new puppies.When I happened to notice that alot of the puppies were not gaining weight ,and not eating, i started taking a large tub of dry food and mixing it with a little water, and 2 cans of food each morning.The puppies loved it . They would eat everything i gave them and then take a little nap because they had eaten and were very content. Then it happened, the store owner came in and caught me feeding them canned food........She blow her top.......She looked at me and told me that since i had started working there i had cost her an increase in her kennel cost between the vet bills for the sick puppies and now feeding them canned food.She told me that she will not have me feeding them that way and to talk to her before i pulled another sick puppy out of the window to see a vet.She told me that this is her business so get used to it.....SO i walked out.I could go on for hours and tell you so much more but nobody seems to care about these poor little innocent babies........Somebody please save them puppies and stop these awful pet stores.........

  By  CONCERNED ANIMAL LOVER, at 6:56 PM, July 12, 2005  

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• Thank you "CONCERNED ANIMAL LOVER" I was so happy to hear your comments about the WESTLAND MI store. I bought a puppy from that store who was so sick she nearly died. I talked with the owner the day after my purchase and she was an absolute bitch. The "VET" where I had to take her was a complete joke. After a week of showing no improvement i took her to my own vet and she started her recovery. I feel like I saved a puppy from certain death. Please write some more about your experience there..I have a lot to say and I want to let everyone know about this store and the lack of caring for these babies.

  By  poorbabies, at 7:59 PM, July 15, 2005  

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• I am truely sorry to hear about your bad experience working at Petland, but I too have worked at a Petland, for eight years in fact. I would like to point out that each Petland is independently owned. The boss at the Westland store sounds like a jerk, but I can assure you they are not all that way. The canned food issue you mentioned is ridiculous. At our store the kennel is stocked full of canned food. The dogs go through a process, we try dry, then moistened then canned dry mix and then all canned if necessary. If that still won't work they get chicken broth or hamburger or prescription diet, whatever is necessary to make them eat. Furthermore, if a puppy is not eating well we have more than enough eager employees to take it home and care for it. I've taken home a number of dogs that have gotten a little bumbed out after a roommate has left and stopped eating. We do not sit back and let our dogs starve. We also do not ignore their vet care. I cannot pretend that puppies do not get sick, I mean after all, most viruses are airborne, but we do not sell any puppies on medications to customers. Furthermore, most puppies who have been on medications for colds or kennel cough for more than a week and have not improved receive x-rays to check their lungs and for collapsed tracheas. We care for our pets. In regards to dogs getting too big for their cages, we make all attempts not to let it happen, if that means losing money on a puppy that's getting older in order to find it a home, so be it. I know evryone thinks that petstores are only out for the money, but we do care about animals, I can promise you that, I have three dogs from the store myself and I don't have one complaint about any of them. I just encourageeveryoneto make your own assumptions and to keep in mind that Petland is a franchise,but that they are all different. The one I work at is in a very small community, we would not have been open for as long as we have been if we were selling sick, uncared for pets. In fact, the number of people who come back to by their second, third, fourth and so on dogs from us is just remarkable.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:04 AM, October 20, 2005  

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• Channel 4 WDIV news in Michigan just featured an undercover investigation on the Belleville, MI Petland and the many sick, diseased puppies it has been selling. The report was disturbing. Why aren't more people - former Petland employees, unhappy customers, animal rights groups, etc. not boycotting this Belleville store as well as others. From what I have heard from people who have worked in local petstores, this type of thing is not uncommon. Hopefully people will boycott these stores until these horrible puppy-mill practices are stopped!

  By  Anonymous, at 12:45 PM, October 26, 2005  

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• I support the right to sell animals in a pet store.Having worked in one for years .The animals in my shop get great care and are held more then most companion animals

  By  Anonymous, at 8:22 PM, October 27, 2005  

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• I'm a happy petland puppy owner who purchased my puppy from the frisco tx. store almost two years ago. The store was clean and I knew the girl who worked back in the kennel. she loves her job and reccomended I come there to see the store. I did and went home with my puppy. thank you

  By  Anonymous, at 4:35 PM, November 05, 2005  

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• I understand eveyones concern about puppy mills and sick dogs. It does go back to the previous comments, out of the 150 stores of petland all but 4 of them are a franchise so yes, there may be some that are not doing the business the way that it should be. The other bad thing about the hole situation is you have one person such as the previous employee or customer above that may seem to have had a bad experience, these things do happen.
  I am a current employee of Petland and have been worked at several stores in two different states, EVERYONE of them care about the animals, EVERYONE of the puppies are vet checked before they are even delivered to the store's, then vet checked with in a day of their arrival. If there is a sick puppy they are isolated from the healthy puppies. And are not sold/shown to customer until they are well. Come on people, Its common sense! Does your child ever get sick? A puppy is just like a baby, it can get a cough just as easy! as its cured just as easy, also. As for the deathly illness or any internal illness that could occur, Just the same as a human, do you know until your physical sick and dianosed? So how come everytime a puppy is sick its blamed on the pet store.. I could also go on and on about the procedures, but petland does take pride in the care of the animals. If there is a store out there that doesn't, well then corporate should be notified! They will step in! Petland offers so many benifts to purchasing a puppy, Along with the other animals they carry. I guess the whole point of my comment is just learn about it your self and honestly think about it. Purchasing an animal from anyone is not much different than the others! Except Petland does offer alot such as warranties, vets checks, up to dat on shots.... etc... what all does most of your private breeders offer. (this not meant as bad comment to them, as I have breed my dogs)

  By  Anonymous, at 5:39 PM, November 15, 2005  

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• My husband and I have just purchased a puppy from a Petland store. We used to go into the store a few times a month to purchase food for our cat. The store seemed to care well for the puppies as I often saw them cleaning the cages and they always made people sanitize their hands when holding one etc. I even heard the manager give a lecture to a new family about keeping their new puppy safe etc. Our puppy was diagnosed with kennel cough upon her first vet check but she has been treated and appears in good health now. At first I was very concerned about it, but I read that kennel cough is very common and easily cured. She is doing great now and appears very happy and healthy and already potty trained! I am getting more concerned about our choice to purchase from a Petland because I have read a great deal of negative stuff on the internet since then. I don't know that much about Petland, so I appreciate all of the different view points posted here.

  By  Anonymous, at 10:30 AM, November 21, 2005  

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• I purchase a dog from Petland In Heath,Ohio in July of 2003. Cute Little Cock-a-Poo. She was fine for the first year then she started to have seizes.I took her to an area vet and with the info I could give him,like where I purchased her and the behavor habbits and seizers,he diagnosed her with eplisey. She has been taking phenobarb and still having seizers. Now comes the expense not to metion the pain our family is going through. I resently made a trip to MED VET in Columbus Ohio and I might ad they are the BEST!

  By  Anonymous, at 3:52 AM, December 07, 2005  

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• I just want to make a single comment. When you have a baby they are at least an 18-year commitment. Over those 18 years, alot of money goes into their care. For some, even more goes into their care because they have something such as epilepsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebal Palsy ... a number of things. Who is to fault? The doctor for delivering such a sick baby? The parents for "breeding" such a sick baby? Face it, while illness and disease are not good things in life, they are a fact of life. The same goes with any animal you purchase no matter where you purchase it. Just like having a child, it is a lifelong commitment that costs money. Before anyone purchases an animal, or even gets one for free, they should consider the financial commitment. While some animals, like babies, may cost the minimum amount because they have well-balanced immune systems or whatever, some unfortunately do not. It is a fact of life. With pets it is easier to lay the blame on someone else other than it just being a fact of life.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:54 AM, December 20, 2005  

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• Just an observation for people to consider .... When you have a baby they are at least an 18-year commitment. Over those 18 years, a lot of money goes into their care. For some, even more goes into their care because they have something such as epilepsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebal Palsy ... a number of things. Who is to fault? The doctor for delivering such a sick baby? The parents for "breeding" such a sick baby? Face it, while illness and disease are not good things in life, they are a fact of life. The same goes with any animal you purchase no matter where you purchase it. Just like having a child, it is a lifelong commitment that costs money. Before anyone purchases an animal, or even gets one for free, they should consider the financial commitment. While some animals, like babies, may cost the minimum amount because they have well-balanced immune systems or whatever, some unfortunately do not. It is a fact of life. With pets it is easier to lay the blame on someone else rather than accepting that it is just a fact of life.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:58 AM, December 20, 2005  

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• I recently quit my job at a petland in ohio. before i worked there i had had a little experience working in an animal hospital and was attending vet tech school so i had quite a bit of knowledge on animal care. working there just made me depressed. the owner, beside being an extremely unfriendly and bitter person, was only concerned about profit. when puppied would come in on the truck, undoubtedbly from a puppy mill, she would charge obscene amounts of money for the dog. we did have a vet that came in, but he only came in once a week for about an hour and only checked onthe new puppies. i worked in the kennel so i was responsible for medicating the dogs as well as the cats. in my opinion the animals were over medicated. some animals would continuously suffer from cochcidia and giahrdia and the medicine would lose its effect. the owner said to' just ignore it' and didnt even call the vet. another time there was an outbreak of kennel cough. the cats also needed to have the medication, but there wasnt enough. the owner instructed us to forget about the cats and concentrate on the dogs.
  
  Everything in that kennel was cleaned with bleach.. which is EXTREMELY CAUSTIC to animals' lungs if not properly diluted which i highly doubt it was.the kennels were sprayed with bleach, wiped out, then sprayed with disinfectant containing bleach. toys were also soaked in bleach over night. during the day all the puppied had a green rubber mat about12inchesx12inches which i didnt imagine to be very comfortable.at night these were taken away. the smaller dogs were given a dish-rag sized fleece blanket, but the larger dogs were forced to sleep on the wire grates. some of the smaller dogs coulndt even walk on these grates becuase their feet were too small and fell through.
  
  the owner was very stubburn when it cake to feeding the puppies. she would get angry when we had to mix canned food with the kibble to get the dogs to eat. she also refused to let any dogs over 3 pounds have food overnight, even on sundays when all the dogs ate earlier.
  
  some of the puppies even died in the kennel shortly after arriving from the mills. the owner saw this as the fault of the kennel who in all reality had little or no veterinary authority. other dogs were put into ISO or isolation. this was nothing more than a cage in a closet. these dogs had little human contact and when they came out were jumpy, loud, and rambunctious.
  
  the puppies and the kittens were not the only animals to suffer. baby birds who were sick were stuck in plastic bags and left in the freezer until they died. the owner didnt want to waste the money to call the vet.
  
  i did not work there very long, but im glad i was able to get out of there. the people there dont care about animals, just money. i recommend animals shelters or humane breeders to anyone who is looking for a pet, becuase buying from stores like petland just further encourages the atrocities of puppy mills.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:47 AM, December 21, 2005  

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• I'm sorry you had a bad experience when you worked at Petland. Did you ever report any of this to the corporate office? Not seeking veterinarian care and placing animals in bags to die is definitely not condoned at Petland. As to the bleach, this was regularly used as a disinfectant until studies showed the ill effects and now all Petland stores use vetrerinarian grade disinfectant that kills bacteria like the bleach did but is also safe for the animals.

  By  Anonymous, at 7:43 AM, December 30, 2005  

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• I don't have any inside information about petland. but I recently purchased a tiny yorkie in a petland store in Orlando (it was totally unplanned so I didn't search for reputable breeders like how I purchased my other dog). the night when I brought her home, the petland employee told me that the yorkie was on dry food for twice a day. I was surprised becasue I have a chihuahua at home who I have purchased from breeder, according to the breeder and a number of books I have read on raising toy puppies, they have to be fed at least three times before 4 mos of age, and the yorkie was a 10 week tiny tiny puppy. the first vet visit the dr told me that she is way under weight and have to be fed at least 5 times a day. the puppy continuously refused to eat or eat 2 to 3 piece of the dry food. at first, I thought that she was not adjusted to the new environment so I force fed her some canned food, but it continued for over a week and she was not playing or showing any energy at all. I went back to petland and spoked to a manager, and she told me it's normal and just left her along eventually she would eat when hungry. half a day after I did what she said, my yorkie had hypoglecemia and had to go into emergency room, her blood sugar was so low the machine wouldn't even read, and the dr told me that for yorkies, you can't just leave them alone if they don't eat, this is very common knowledge in pet care which petland's manager did not know. I have been having the yorkie for less than 3 mos now, took her to the emergency room twice, for the first month, I was in the vet for an average of 4 times a week. not only the huge vet bills, also the time I invested in vet waiting rooms and types of medication have to be given daily, I went back to petland and they told me hypoglecemia happened due to my lack of care, which is in complete conflict with what my emergency vet and regular vet have to say: the puppy's frequent hypoglecemia could be due to liver not functioning properly which is a genetic problem. and she still has to be watched closely and if anything happens again, she has to go under sugery.
  no petland for me ever again, I'm sure there are a number of loving employees there who truly care about these creatures, but that's definitely not enough, what the general public is concerned is the general corporate culture at petland. a pet store is a profit organization, when profit and the wellbeing of animals are in conflit, what do you think they will do?

  By  Anonymous, at 9:38 PM, December 30, 2005  

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• Hello, My Name is Keith B. Reed, ( not afraid to use my name ) and I work at the Westland, Mi Petland in the Aquatics Dept. Our fish are raised in breeding mills and we sell some of them to be eaten by other fish. I take pride in my dept. and sell quality species and give information to novice and advanced fish hobbiests. I also would like to state that the puppies, rats, mice, and yes, even crickets are taken care of and even loved, yes loved by myself as well as other employees. I think that comments from ex-employees that say that tere were myriad of problems are pathetic. If you really cared for those puppies while you worked there then why didn't you stay there and fight for those puppies by leading by example. Keith B. Reed Aquatics.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:45 AM, January 08, 2006  

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• Hello, My Name is Keith B. Reed, ( not afraid to use my name ) and I work at the Westland, Mi Petland in the Aquatics Dept. Our fish are raised in breeding mills and we sell some of them to be eaten by other fish. I take pride in my dept. and sell quality species and give information to novice and advanced fish hobbiests. I also would like to state that the puppies, rats, mice, and yes, even crickets are taken care of and even loved, yes loved by myself as well as other employees. I think that comments from ex-employees that say that tere were myriad of problems are pathetic. If you really cared for those puppies while you worked there then why didn't you stay there and fight for those puppies by leading by example. Keith B. Reed Aquatics.

  By  Keith B. Reed, at 3:48 AM, January 08, 2006  

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• hello,

  By  Anonymous, at 7:48 PM, January 15, 2006  

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• I am a sales manager at a petland in the midwest. I am what you would call an old school pet trade person. I have never worked at a pet store that had puppies until recently. I dont think that people who talk badly of petland are wrong for what they have to say. However, all petland stores are different and the store that I work at is way differnet then the ones that I have heard about on this site. It causes me great pain to hear about the bad experiences that some people have experienced at petland. The store that I work at does not use bleach in the kennel. We use extra air sanitizers for the puppies in the kennel. All the animals are played with regularly. Our kennel crew is amazing and loves those pups like they were there own. All I am trying to say is that not all pet stores that carry puppies are evil. Some of us really care. Thanks for your time.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:01 PM, January 15, 2006  

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• the reason I didnt stay was becuase i did not want to partake in such cruelty. how could anyone think that the living conditions for these animals is humane. i know that the employees do care about these animals, but if they really did care a lot they would make an effort to improve.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:09 PM, January 15, 2006  

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• I am a former employee of a Petland. I saw first hand how inexperience, greed, neglegence and indifference kills. Puppies and kittens died regularly due to upper respiratory infections, hypoglycemia, distemper, parvo. New puppies were bought from the same breeders that sold sick puppies. Baby birds were not properly housed and hand fed. Some died of crop burn and some starved to death because everyone forgot to feed them. Reptiles died all the time because they were not housed with proper heat/ light and often went without food for days because everyone frequently forgot them. Rabbits were not placed in the proper bedding and frequently went without vet. care if they were sick or injured. Rats and mice were sold for snake food and were piled up in dirty, hot cages without food and water because no one cared. Small animals were put in the freezer to die if they were sick or injured. Angry customers with sick or dead pets called the news, threatened to sue, wrote letters and sent medical bills all the time. They too suffered from the store's negligence and "Oh well" attitude. Sales were all about the money, not the pet. I'm sorry I ever worked there and that I was unable to make a difference.

  By  Anonymous, at 10:37 AM, February 11, 2006  

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• How do you know you did not make a difference? I bet you did. Did you tell anyone not to purchase a dog or cat from a petstore, especially Petland. You don't give yourself enough credit. I bought a puppy from Petland in Arlington Heights, IL last October. My story is all over the internet. The people who are defending Petland are frightening. How can you sleep on your pillow at night knowing what goes on? These puppies and kittens are shipped in semi trucks thanks to the Hunte Corporation from Missouri, Iowa and wherever else they have puppymills. Don't be fooled. A reputable pet store does not sell puppies and kittens. Period. Go to a shelter or pound. I bought a puppy from Petland who died of Parvo four days later. Petland denied it was parvo because they could not prove it. They said because he got the first and second vacinnation for the disease it could be a false positive. Bullshit! Not if he had symptoms of vomiting and diarrea. I got a second puppy from a shelter who got parvo too! Amazing. It was still in the ground from my poor puppymill puppy. This little girl was treated for five days and thank God survived it. Petland is evil and cruel. It's that simple.

  By  kathy perez, at 9:17 PM, May 12, 2006  

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• For those of you who have had bad experiences with Petland, to get them to sit up in liste - SUE THEM IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT - That, I promise will get their attention!!!
  
  Ask for all associated costs with the purchase......travel, vet care, vet care to treat the dog for the rest of it's life for the "condition it came with".
  
  Petland and its franchisees buy from unregulated puppy mills and brokers. The best way to police them is to "MAKE THEM PAY". If enough people took this route, got judgments, etc. you can assure yorself that a lot of this fraud would stop.....

  By  mike, at 9:19 AM, May 24, 2006  

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• I too worked at a Petland store and my owner was positively great. Everyone there did a great job taing care of their department. Most of the Kennel techs were fired because they were too lazy to do their job right. The owners were very strict on the care of the puppies, people have know idea how hard it is to work in a large kennel and do it right. Pet store wil always get a bad wrap because you only hee about the negative stuff. Petland sells thousands of puppies and opens two new stores a month. Obviouly people are overall happy with there pets and don't bother to write letters and go online to talk about it......

  By  Anonymous, at 6:37 PM, August 16, 2006  

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• My news is that I have bought two Petland puppies a year apart and both are my babies and I am so glad I had a Petland to go to. I never liked driving to some strangers house to go look at a dog. I never had any issues and every one at the sotre was so professional, sory but I loved it and love my babbies and will go back and have sent many friends to the store.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:40 PM, August 16, 2006  

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• I've had my Petland puppy eight years and never have I had second thoughts. The store is thriving and the staff are very nice people that go to my church. All these ugly comments are probaablu from animal rights losers,so get lost

  By  Anonymous, at 6:42 PM, August 16, 2006  

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• People in America want to have a chose, and we will continue to choose were we want to go to buy a pet. The shelters are a night mare and are filthy.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:43 PM, August 16, 2006  

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• I just continue to encourage everyone to keep an open mind. I have worked at Petland for 9 years and have three perfect puppies from there. Individuals should consider all the facts not just what's on the news. I am sure that it's pretty easy to find unsatisfied customers anywhere, especially in a store that's been around for decades. I'm sure that I could find more than three people to go on t.v and say that Wal-mart should be boycotted for example. As with anything, there are bad and good business owners. There are always people who get ino business for the the wrong reasons. I truely stand behind the store I work at. Do puppies get sick, absolutely, but so do people. When I get on the bus for a weekend track meet, I always come home sick, the same is true for puppies, no matter how hard you try viruses are passed on. Petland, however pays for every dime of the related vet bills, how many breeders do that? In fact, recently our local shelter was closed down due to a huge parvo outbreak, but petstores seem to be the only places subject to scrutiny. Do your research, but do understand that not every store that says Petland on it is necessarily the same. To all the ex-petland employees who claim that there managers wouldn't let them feed the dogs canned food or leave food in overnight, that is just outrageous and I'm sorry to hear that. Not only is that morally wrong, but it doesn't make good business since. Why would the owner of the store allow dogs that he or she payed for to die unnecessarily, it's not like breeders will reimburse for dogs that starved to death, so if that's really the case, not only is that manager committing animal cruelty, they're an idiot and shouldn't be around animals. Did you report these allegations? I stay at Petland, because I love the job and believe in what I'm doing, if I didn't there's no way, I would remain silent about it. Bad Petlands need to stop giving bad names to good stores!

  By  Anonymous, at 5:41 PM, August 20, 2006  

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• Hello,
  
  I am also a satisfied owner of a puppy and a parot from my local Petland store. My husband and I will probably purchase a second puppy from them after our 14-year-old Aussie passes away. Our Petland is always clean and the staff is very friendly. We visit the store at least once a week to purchase "feeder" fish for our Peacock Bass at home. Every time we go to the store, I check out the puppies. They always appear happy - and animal body language simply doesn't lie. The cages are more than adequately sized and they are always clean.
  
  I have been a dog owner all my life and have never been comfortable with visiting a "reputable" breeder, though I have done so several times. My experience was always that the breeder was judging me as if to decide whether I will be a good dog owner or not. My dogs are well-cared for and loved as family members and, while I appreciate people who want their puppies to go to good homes, that entire experience is very strange.
  
  I prefer my Petland because I know the owner and staff. The dogs come from clean places who are in the business of producing puppies. If this is a "puppy mill", that is fine with me.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:33 AM, November 19, 2006  

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• Has anyone ever considered the fact that most "reputable breeders" are really people who want to sell you their "cull" dogs that aren't good enough to show? I am not suggesting that anything is wrong with this, but let's keep it in perspective. Reputable breeders aren't very different from puppy mills in most cases - the difference is really just in scope and scale and bloodlines.
  
  If you really just want a "pet", you shouldn't be worried about bloodlines other than to insure you aren't purchasing an animal that will have health issues. A pet store who sells dogs that are "defective" won't be in business long, so it is in their best interest to sell healthy animals.

  By  Anonymous, at 8:39 AM, November 19, 2006  

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• I work for a Petland and have for just under a year. I work as a Kennel Tech and I can honestly say that I love my job!! If I ever saw a puppy that was being mistreated, or wasn't eating and they would just ignore it...I wouldn't be there!
  Sure, some puppies get sick, a couple have died...where there is health, there is sickness and where there is life, there is death. It's a fact of life wether it be human or animal. Don't sit there and throw blame on pet stores! At least at the one I work at we take amazing care of our puppies if they do fall ill.
  Sure there are puppy mills all over the US, but, does that mean those puppies don't need love too? You throw blame at Petland and say we buy from puppy mills, which I do NOT agree with, however IF and I say IF that were the case... those puppies need love and homes too.
  I'm not saying this next comment to be insensitive or anything but...you people whine and say "those poor Petland/puppy store puppies don't know what it's like to play on grass, be outside and smell the fresh air...etc"...well, IF they have indeed spent their entire life in a cage, THAT is all they know. The puppy isn't sitting in there thinking "man, I wish I could play on the grass and smell the fresh air"...they know NO different. I feel the only way they would miss it, is if they had it in the first place and actually knew what it was like.
  Granted, there have been adopt a pets that have came into our store that HAVE had a life outside, in the fresh air and grass...I feel sorry for them when they're put in a cage because they know what it's like to be "free" so to speak.
  Bottom line is...stop whining...stop complaining..life is short. These puppies, no matter where they come from or who their parents are...need love...that is what we give them at the Petland I work for, until they find a family who needs them.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:57 AM, December 18, 2006  

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• I had bought a lot of animals out of the Belleville, MI Petland Store. Anywhere from rabbits, to dogs, crabs and turtles. Any animal I bought was sick and died the next day or a few days later. My friend had bought a dog and it was sick with gunk in its eye. My dad bought a dog there and got his other dogs sick as well as mine. My mom takes cares of her animals and bought a crab and it died. They even replaced it and the replaced ones were sick. These animals were not purchased all at once, but over a period of time. Im going to write to the state on this store. Word is around that each person I talk to, they had purchased an animal there and it was sick. My wife almost bought a dog there when I told her not to, and just before she signed, they told her the dog was sick. Dont buy from these people.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:42 PM, January 08, 2007  

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• I also want to add something. All Petlands are different. It depends who runs them. Some people say that they like working at Petland and love their job. It is not about their jobs but the treatment of animals and there health. It is the condition they treat their animals. Belleville, MI store sells sick animals. I can say this because everyone I bought, my family, had nothing but sick animals that ended up sick and died. It even got my other animals sick. A person had posted that they have a right to sell animals and they are treated good. Well my answer to that is the sick animals people get and the bills we have from your selling these sick animals is proof in the pudding. You have the right to sell animals but dont have the right to sell sick animals that people buy. Animals have rights too. If you sell them, then take care of them.

  By  Anonymous, at 6:54 PM, January 08, 2007  

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• PETLAND
  Let me discuss the situation at the PETLAND STORE in WESTLAND,MICHIGAN.
  First, the owner/manager of the store, Donna, is probably the most unprofessional "business woman" that I have ever had the dissatisfaction of coming in contact with. Cold, argumentative, these are her positive traits.
  New puppies with ringworm are clustered with "healthy" puppies. Kennel cough infected puppies are taken outside the store in the bitter cold to "help work out the virus". A result, these puppies have now contaminated an open area outside subjecting other dogs to the virus. Furthermore, the infected puppy is now risking pneumonia. Puppies are crowded into the store, sometimes 2 puppies to a kennel.
  The ultimately sad picture here is that these animals, albeit very cute, are the product of puppy mills. They are misbred. They are shipped in semi-vans.
  They come from wretched conditions. AKC certification is misleading. AKC does not guarantee anything nor does it mean that a puppy is of good quality.
  Surprisingly, obtaining an AKC registration is a very simple process. The uneducated public is not aware of this and as such when a pet store states their puppies are AKC, people are lulled into a false sense of security.They believe that they are purchasing an animal of high quality standards from ethical, humane sources. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, PETLAND purchases mass quantities of puppies solely for profit.Profit is the bottom line. These stores sell puppies for several hundred dollars and up. They sell puppies that are taken at far too young of an age. This is done for a few reasons...a tiny, small precious cuddly puppy sells quicker.Simply stated the "merchandise" stays on the sales floor a shorter amount of time thus turning a larger profit.There is a crucial time in a puppies life between the ages of approximately 6-12 weeks called "imprinting". This is where "behaviors" are learned from the mother. Miss this step and it is almost guaranteeing a social/behavorial problem. PETLAND routinely sells puppies less than 8 weeks old.The demand is greater for a small, cute, helpless little puppy/kitten.Supply and demand.PETLAND is nothing more than a business...a shameful business reaping profits off of all those cute, cuddly little animals.
  As for the PETLAND store in WESTLAND,MI. I had one of the most sad yet eye opening experiences there. Trying to deal with the owner was futile. So I guess now we will allow the court system to intervine. As for PETLAND, all you have to do is google the name. Horror story after horror story.Simply a sad, sad situation. All in the name of money, regardless whose expense it is at.
  What is the old saying..."there is a sucker born every minute"...and PETLAND knows it.

  By  Anonymous, at 11:24 AM, January 26, 2007  

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• I can tell you my experience after reading the postings. I had gone to the Belleville, Petland store to purchase a turtle for my daughter. I had asked the person working at the store if this turtle bites where he stated, "This is the friendlist turtle in the store!" I had purchased the turtle where I had found out the truth.
  
  I went to feed the turtle and it "Snapped" at me! It just missed my fingers and got the dish. I had showed my friend where he was more experience and stated that type of turtle does bite. I was very upset that they lied to me then just saying I'm not sure. This could of been my daughters finger! I planned to retuen it the following day.
  
  The next day I got up and was ready to take it back. The turtle looked half-dead with white/light blueish snot coming out of its nose.
  
  At the store, A customer and I was returning sick animals. I had the turtle and the lady had a bird. The person who had worked at the store stated that Petland will take good care of them and will seek a vet for their care. The lady had left, but I, stuck around. I had noticed that he had went to the backroom and threw the bird and turtle in some type of trash can.
  
  This really upsetted me. I noticed that they have no windows to the back room as they are tring to keep it secret and as the workers go in and out from the backroom immediately shuts the door as they were hiding something back there. I had read these postings and are very true about this place. I will not get another animal from there again!

  By  Anonymous, at 3:31 PM, January 31, 2007  

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• Two years ago at the Bellevile Michigan Petland I bought a German Shepherd puppy and the store lied to me when I asked if the dog had normal stools. It had water soup for stools for months since day one that I brought the dog home! I took it to several vets and they said the dog had an immature digestive system. The store offered to give me another dog but I worried about what would happen to this dog if I returened it so I kept it and took it out often to go to the bathroom. We had no poop accidents and only two urine accidents the whole time. Well! let me tell you, I had to take the dog out every half hour for a few months. I won! My dog matured housebroken, my carpet fine and he is a great temperment dog. But still, they lied to me and not everyone has that kind of time. It's the last time a buy a dog from them and I do not recommend them. Next time I'm getting a dog from a breeder that is already housebroken like my last dog before this one, a great huge boxer. Good luck to everyone.

  By  Anonymous, at 10:11 PM, March 10, 2007  

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• The Belleville Petland is probably the worst pet store I have ever encountered. They will tell you any lie they believe will help convince you to buy a pet.
  
  Petland Belleville has been investigated by the local news and Department of Agriculture in relation to their poor treatment of animals, unethical sales practices, and sale of sick pets. It's a shame they've managed to stay in business.
  
  The Petland shill above who complains that reputable, certified breeders will sell you pets that aren't show quality misses the point. Deliberately. Petland doesn't even pretend that its pets are show quality. It buys puppy mill dogs from the Hunte Corporation, and from what I have seen most aren't even close to meeting breed standard.
  
  So you buy a healthy, well-cared-for dog as a pet from a reputable breeder, or you buy a poorly socialized, poorly bred animal from a Petland (where the employee above even expressed 'feeling sorry for' those pets which have been properly socialized and end up pooping through a grate inches away from their bed or food dish in an undersized cage) for more money? Nobody who cares about animals or money should have much difficulty figuring out that the breeder is a superior option.
  
  Sure, some Petland stores are better than others. But Petland happily lets pet store purgatories like the one in Belleville sell sad, sickly animals under its brand name. And as far as I know, no Petland owner cares enough about pets to turn away a Hunte Corp. semi delivery of "product" for sale. So as far as I'm concerned, there's not a single Petland out there which should be patronized by anybody who actually cares about animals.

  By  Anonymous, at 1:20 PM, April 12, 2007  

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• I can't believe all of you "trying" to support this. You can not be a true animal lover if you believe these animals are getting the proper care they need. You need to stop breeding animals!!! So many are put down in shelters EVERYDAY. If you breed or buy from a breeder you are the problem. You are causing animals to die in shelters. Until we stop these so called "hobby breeders" we will always have animals that need to be put down.

  By  Danielle, at 8:31 PM, July 05, 2007  

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• I understand that all of you are against puupy mills as much as I am. I think that people who operate puppy mils should be sentenced to live in a cage that is too small for them and barely fed or watered, however not every petland is a horrible place. Sure the owners are in it too make money, but there are ways for them to make way more money than in selling puppies. so the why would they do it? They do it because they love the animals as well. I worked at Petland Westland, and i can assure you that every puppy that comes into that store is checked by a vet to insure that the puppy is happy and healthy. Their puppies that have paperwork, (the only ones that don't are some of the mix breeds) the paperwork clearly states the breeders information. Most of our puppies also come with a four generation pedigree, proving that the puppy is a purebred. I have purchased a kitten from Petland Westland, and I took it to their recomended vet, and they were as good as any vet that I have ever been to. None of their puppies are underfed, they all eat when they are fed, and they are all happy and healthy. The owners of the store all have animals themselves, and sometimes even work back in the kennel to help care for the puppies and make sure that they are all happy. If a puppy does not get played with enough by customers, we would take them out on our breaks and take them for walks or play with them to make sure that they get adequate excercise. Is a puppy starts to get too big or older, they will lower the price until that puppy finds a good home, sometimes they will even lose money on a puppy. Our small puppies even get an appetite stimulant after they play to prevent hypoglycemia. We care about our animals as much as the next person, and sometimes they will even deny someone the purchase of a puppy if they do not think that the person will take proper care of it. Sure some pet stores do not fulfill this quota. such as petland bellville, which i have never been to, but i have heard is a horrible place, and they do not care for their animals there. But at petland westland, if an animal is even a tiny bit sick, we will not let any customers handle them and we will make sure that the puppy is well cared for and healthy before putting it back up for sale. Our owners two yorkies were actually both very samll yorkies that could not handle the amount of attention and play time that they had and were both very weak because they were both so small. And the owner took them in and cared for them until they were better and now she still owns them and they are as happy an spoiled as they could ask for. so I think you guys really should do some more research before you jump to conclusions and say that every pet store is a horrible place. Because no matter where you go a puppy is bound to get sick along the line but we do our best to prevent it, and if it happens we will make sure that puppy gets better, and the pet counselors at petland westland do their best to find puppies a happy home where they will be well taken care of for their whole lives. And if you still think that Petland Westland is a horrible place, then maybe you should avtually come and take a look for yourself, and maybe your mind will change. I don't know everything that happens at other pet stores, but i do know what goes on at Petland Westland, and I know that those animals are more well taken care of than a lot of animals that do have homes.

  By  Anonymous, at 11:01 PM, August 20, 2007  

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• Im an employee at a petland and Ive worked there for almost 2 years. I understand your comments and we do get our puppies from USDA breeders so if where the puppies come from our puppymills then people should boycott the USDA and their standards not us. Our JOB at petland is to give these puppys a good home and a happy life from when they leave our store. If you have problems with your petland expierence because of an employee don't hold a grudge on the store but on that person. DO your job as a customer to give these animals a good home and stop worring about where they came from but worry about how they are going to live the rest of their life. Thanks

  By  Sharel, at 1:09 PM, November 05, 2007  

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• PEOPLE buy puppies from
  Petland & PEOPLE dospose of them. I know everyone wants to blame it all on Petland, but I must blame it on the PEOPLE who purchase the pets & don't have the knowledge to take care of their responsibility. I mean just look at how their human children act. PEOPLE put pets in shelters not Petland!!!

  By  Anonymous, at 9:47 AM, November 07, 2007  

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• who cares about where they came from it is about where they are going. if you want to save the animals go save the mothers of where they get them don't hate petland cause they are trying to find puppies a good home... so do your job and give them one and stope dwealing on wheere they came from and papers and problems they are like your child so stop hating...

  By  Anonymous, at 2:31 PM, November 09, 2007  

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• I bought my dog from petland about 3 years ago and she has never had even one health problem. To say that all petstores are bad is quite an exaggeration. Just like all stores, all petstores are not created equal. Don't just judge this store from what others are saying. Check it out for yourself and if you agree, then obviously don't buy there, but after all, dont these dogs deserve great homes!

  By  Anonymous, at 1:02 PM, November 29, 2007  

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• Not all the Petland stores are terrible. Yet any pet seeksers should be careful when searching at any pet store. I know a few people who work at vet clinics and they frequently get animals from petstores. Most animals they get turn into overnight treatments. Even longer then that at times.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:27 PM, December 06, 2007  

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• Bottom line - it is simple math/supply and demand.
  Do not buy from Petland, and Petland will not buy from puppy mills, and puppy mills will not produce as many dogs. If they do, they will soon realize that they are wasting their money, or have too many dogs, and either way they will stop.
  Do not buy from hobby breeders - they will 'health guarantee' your dog as well, but likely will not be in business in the next 5 years.
  Do your research - meet the parents and buy from a breeder, or if you can, adopt from a shelter (who said shelter is dirtier than petland??? make sure it is a humane society or an spca - they are NOT dirty...there are scam 'shelters' too... just like the one operated by Petland!)
  Less petstore puppy purchases = Less dogs bred = less neglect, abuse, and puppy mills.

  By  Anonymous, at 1:17 PM, December 22, 2007  

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• In December 2004 my husband purchased a springer spaniel pup from the WESTLAND MICHIGAN PETLAND store as a gift for me. Bless his heart. My little pup has has serious behavioral issues from day one. I've taken her to the Oakland Vet Referral Services for behavior issues as well as taken her to private doctors triing to figure out how to 'fix' her. Spending $1000 of dollars with no real solution. Time has helped and now she is three years old and becoming a more social dog but her puppy years of carefree play and no fear were stolen from her through no fault of her own. After reading all that I have about Petland and the Hunte Corp. I truly believe she was also a puppy mill puppy and while I know she has a tremendous wonderful loving life now and I would not trade her for anything, I feel terrible for supporting them with her purchase. I have never been able to shop at pet stores with animals (puppies and kittens) on display for sale because it always broke my heart to leave them there. Knowing the terrible existance that their parents live in and the uncertain futures these animals face I will do anything in my power now to help stop this horrific process.
  S.B, Brighton, Michigan

  By  Anonymous, at 12:24 PM, January 23, 2008  

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• My roommates and I bought a beagle from the Bellville Petland only to have it dye the next night. He wouldn't eat or walk and just layed in it's bed. It was so heartbreaking to bring the cutest puppy into a house of three girls and then we had to take it to the vet because none of us could watch it dye.
  
  When calling around the vets in the area, we told them where we got it and they apologized because they said that they had heard that story too many times. It was so sad.
  
  I am aware they are all independtly owned, but DO NOT BUY FROM PETLAND BELLVILLE, MI!!!

  By  Tiffany, at 10:10 PM, April 23, 2008  

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