New pet owners are usually greeted at pet stores by energetic young puppies wagging their tails and flicking their tongues expectantly.
Almost all animals are sourced from caring, reputable breeders and are presented as having previously enjoyed a happy life, but in most cases that is not true.
Puppies, cats, and rabbits sold in pet stores in the United States, including New York, are mostly born in mass-breeding facilities in the Midwest, raised in poor conditions, and often transported; knows very little. .
“Pet stores often advertise that their animals are of the 'top quality' and come from 'responsible breeders,' but the sad reality is that these dogs are often sold in dogs that are sold in dogs, also known as puppy mills. They are trucked in from out-of-state commercial breeding facilities. “They spend their entire lives in wire mesh boxes,” said Bill, senior director of state law for the Eastern Division of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Ketzer told the Post.
According to data from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), there are 10,000 licensed and unlicensed puppy mills in the United States, selling a total of about 2.6 million puppies each year.
Miriam Arena, 26, a former Petland employee and whistleblower, began working at the major pet retailer's Lexington, Kentucky, store in October 2023.
She told the Post that she first learned of the cruel reality of the industry when a “white transport van” arrived from the interstate to deliver puppies to the store.
“Dozens of distressed puppies were crammed into cages, stacked on top of each other, covered in feces and urine. They had no water and traveled long distances without being let out to travel.” Arena explained to the Post.
“Even though the puppies had been there for days with no ventilation, doors closed and no windows on the road, the transporters didn't seem to care at all.
“There were four or five puppies in one cage. They were all in bad condition, some had hair falling out, and some had fur so disheveled you couldn't even brush it through.”
When contacted by the Post, Petland denied responsibility for the incident and said through a spokesperson that “no transport vehicles are in operation.”
“All allegations of abuse or negligence will be investigated and if abuse is confirmed, the vendor will be terminated and/or reported to local authorities.”
According to various animal watchdog groups, this terrible situation begins long before the puppies are packed into the van.
“Puppy Mill Belt”
Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and Iowa have the most dog breeding facilities that churn out puppies for profit with little regard for the animals.
These form the backbone of the “puppy mill belt” that stretches from Texas to the Midwest.
Most puppies in pet stores are imported directly from puppy mills, where the mothers are usually bred over and over again under heartbreaking circumstances.
According to PETA, animals in these facilities spend their entire lives in depressingly small, confined spaces, where mothers and their offspring often suffer from malnutrition and exposure.
Mothers who are no longer able to reproduce are usually auctioned off or simply killed.
Poor sanitation and ventilation, severe neglect, little or no veterinary care, insufficient space, and spoiled food are all characteristics of puppy mills as well as kitten mills and rabbit mills.
Surprisingly, many of these factories are licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Petland is the only national pet store chain in the United States that sells puppies, kittens, and rabbits. They are also among the biggest perpetrators of the puppy mill trade, the HSUS alleges.
Petland spokeswoman Maria Smith told the Post the chain has a process in place to freeze its puppy mills.
“These accusations are patently false,” she said, adding, “Petland does not do business with puppy mills.
“Petland works with trusted, responsible professional breeders or small hobby breeders who have had zero direct citations from the USDA within the past 24 months.”
But public records show otherwise. Records reviewed by the Post show that Petland also purchased animals, primarily puppies, last year from breeders that received multiple direct violations from the USDA.
As one of several examples, Ada Yoder, a Minnesota-based breeder, received a direct violation from the USDA in April 2023, followed by another violation in August of the same year. I did.
USDA inspectors reported that 21 puppies were “sprawled and scattered” because they were “too hot and uncomfortable,” as well as 14 adult dogs that were not receiving necessary veterinary care.
In both cases, Petland purchased the puppies from the breeders several months after each violation, according to USDA inspection records. Yoder's license was subsequently revoked, but a new one was issued a few months later to a relative, Andy Yoder, at the same address. Yoder did not respond to requests for comment from the Post.
HSUS spokesperson John Goodwin told the Post, “Petland claims to only work with USDA-licensed breeders, which ensures responsible breeding practices and animal welfare. It's not something,” he said.
Even within the USDA framework, dogs are only required to have 6 inches of space on each side of their bodies in the cage in which they are legally confined for the rest of their lives.
Pipeline: Transporter
When the puppies are about eight weeks old, they are separated from their mothers and locked in small cages in the back of a van, where they remain for several days until they arrive at pet stores around the country, like the one where Alina worked.
In December, authorities were alerted to a transport van from Missouri “due to a severe odor of feces and urine” as it was dropping off puppies at various pet stores, including Petland and Pet Kingdom in Fort Myers, Florida. .
According to court records obtained by the Post, Lee County Livestock Services (LCAS) officials called to the scene said, “Several puppies were found in miserable and unsanitary conditions in vans that lacked proper ventilation and access to water. “They withstood a harsh environment.”
The LCAS report said 34 of the 80 dogs were still on board, but the generator for ventilation was also not working.
According to court records, the transit driver, Sophia Parker, was fined $330 for “animal cruelty” in connection with the incident, but so far has not been paid.
“In the Lee County Animal Services case, the focus of the inspection was on the transportation company, not Petland,” Smith clarified.
“Several puppies scheduled for release to Petland were sent back to the breeder and Petland Fort Myers immediately terminated its relationship with the shipping company.”
Pipeline: Pet Shop
Arena told the Post that she filed 13 complaints with Petland's human resources department, including details of what she allegedly witnessed and concerns about the shipping company and inside the store.
“Some of the puppies were in (small cages) for 18 weeks of their lives. They never had exposure to grass or sunlight (at that time),” she told the Post. .
The animal care technician said the sick puppies were kept in even smaller cages and stacked in an area known as the “sick bay,” per store policy.
“These cages are small. They don't have much room to move or stand,” she said.
Alina quit her job at Petland in April of this year.
Pipeline: Brokers and Distributors
Next month, New York will join other states, including Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Washington and California, in enacting a puppy mill pipeline bill.
“Most of the animals sold in pet stores come from notorious dog, cat, and rabbit factories that are known for their inhumane practices,” New York State Senator Michael Gianaris said on December 15. He said this after the bill was signed into effect.
The bill is intended to make it harder for mass breeding facilities to find buyers, but HSUS says pet stores are getting around the bill by simply relocating to neighboring states like New Jersey and Connecticut. That's what it means.
It is also expected to have a negative impact on intermediaries and distributors who act as intermediaries between factories and pet stores. Brokers take in large quantities of puppies from various factories, travel long distances to distribute them, and then rely on pet stores to buy them at top dollar.
“About two-thirds of the puppies in pet stores go through brokers,” Goodwin told the Post.
“Using a puppy manufacturer intermediary often makes it difficult for the public to know who a puppy's breeder is, and many pet stores do not provide this information, if not impossible. Even if they do, they will only disclose information about the intermediary.”
Animal rights groups that spoke to the Post say they are also often involved in selling puppies and other animals online.
