This morning we were amazed to see on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette another story about Petland. Story below.
Local Petland customers ponder puppy mill suit
Saturday, March 21, 2009Kay McQuigg is looking into joining a federal lawsuit that claims Petland Inc. sold dogs bred at puppy mills to customers.
She’s doing it for Murphy, her family’s beloved 2Â 1/2-year-old lhasa apso-poodle mix, which died Monday, a week after liver shunt surgery. Murphy’s medical care, including six surgeries for genetic bone and liver problems, cost more than $5,000.
“It’s the principle, not the money,” said Mrs. McQuigg, of Wilkins. “It’s just heartbreaking for my kids to have to deal with this.”
On Monday, six Arizona plaintiffs who purchased puppies from various Petland stores between 2005 and 2008 filed the federal lawsuit and are seeking class-action status. Patrick Howard, an attorney with the Philadelphia law firm of Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky, said that anyone who purchased a puppy at Petland since Nov. 20, 2004, could be part of the suit.
Petland, based in Chillicothe, Ohio, doesn’t purchase puppies from puppy mills, company spokeswoman Lacey Clever said.
But Mrs. McQuigg wonders whether Murphy was the product of a puppy mill. Since the lawsuit became public, she and others who have purchased puppies with health problems from local Petland stores have contacted the Post-Gazette.
She bought the 3 1/2-month-old Murphy from the Monroeville Petland store in October 2006. He had “kennel cough” when they brought him home, but antibiotics eventually cleared that up.
Then, she noticed Murphy’s front legs shook a bit. The vet told her it probably was just a sign of a nervous puppy. So, she didn’t worry too much about it. In May or June 2007, Mrs. McQuigg noticed a definite problem.
“Lhasas are bowlegged anyway, but he was severely bowlegged and could not hold up his body weight,” she said. “If he stood for 10 or 20 seconds, he had to adjust his leg or lay down because it was going to give out.”
A return trip to the vet led to a referral to an orthopedic specialist. A bone in Murphy’s leg hadn’t completely developed.
“The corrective surgery was to break his leg, de-rotate his wrist and use a bone plate and screws to keep it in place,” she said.
There were setbacks. He developed infections. The screws had to be removed, but the bones healed and Murphy looked beautiful, she said. Then, they discovered the problem with his liver, and he underwent corrective surgery March 9.
“He wouldn’t stop having seizures after the surgery,” she said yesterday, trying to hold back tears. “My children [ages 11 and 15] had to go in and say goodbye.”
Mrs. McQuigg approached Petland with a letter from her vet about Murphy’s orthopedic problems in August 2007, telling them the surgeon believed the condition was genetic. Petland sympathized but initially said it couldn’t refund her $750 because there was no evidence it was a genetic problem.
“Every puppy when it leaves is healthy to our knowledge,” said Clay Slivko, owner of the Monroeville Petland. “If something happens down the road, our warranty kicks in up to the price of the puppy.”
In Pennsylvania, people can return a dog to a seller within 10 days if the puppy proves to be a poor health risk, he said. Customers can request a refund and return the puppy or try to get money back for reasonable veterinary care.
“The seller also can require the puppy see its veterinarian to confirm it’s a poor health risk,” he said.
State law requires a 30-day warranty on dogs for any congenital or hereditary health problem — something due to breeding — for example, a joint problem or heart condition. Petland takes that further, extending the warranty on congenital or hereditary problems to three years from purchase, he said.
Mrs. McQuigg showed Petland a second letter, one from her main veterinarian in October 2007, stating Murphy’s problems were genetic, and Petland refunded her $750.
“When there is an issue with a puppy, any sort of issue, that doesn’t mean that puppy is from a puppy mill,” Mr. Slivko said. “You’re always going to have a percentage of animals that have issues, just like people.”
In the past, Mrs. McQuigg had purchased a dog from a breeder and said she had been warned about buying dogs from pet stores.
“This one time, we decided to do it,” she said. “I should have known better.”
The American Kennel Club Web site recommends people buy puppies from responsible and well-respected breeders.
“Screen the breeder,” the site states. “Ask to see at least one of the parents [the dam or sire] of your puppy.”
The AKC also suggests potential buyers ask what possible health problems a dog may develop, how large it will grow, how old it will be before it acts like an adult dog, how protective it will be and how much exercise it will need.
Responsible sellers also should question buyers.
If a seller “doesn’t show any interest in the life the dog will lead after it leaves his or her premises, you may want to look elsewhere,” the AKC says.
For more information about breeders and rescue organizations, visit www.AKC.org.
There are countless stories like this one. Read about some of them on the Consumer Affairs and Ripoff websites. Some new anecdotes and complaints have been added since the news of the suit against Petland.
We also purchased a Puppy (Morkie) from a Petland Store in Medina, OH & have just found out that the Puppy (weighs 5# 2oz.) is going to be required to have a very expensive Surgery (s). The cost will most likely exceed $1,000.00 to repair a Congenital Defect that she was born with called a; Luxating Patella. The poor Puppy who has only been alive for 8 short months will have to face getting both of her back legs repaired or she will not be able to walk soon. She now has a 3-4/4 Luxating Patella in her Left back leg & a 1-2/4 in her Right back leg. She also has “3″ Baby Teeth that will need to be surgically removed because her permanent teeth grew right over or around them & it is causing her a lot of problems when she tries to eat. I have been back & forth between two different Vets (major war with the 1st one) because you have to go to the designated Vet or you are not covered under Petland’s Warrenty. The unfortunate part is, our Puppy needs an Orthopedist to fix the problem & Petland is not willing to help. I am so worried that she will never get better and or could have more problems down the road. I feel that every animal at the Petland Locations need to be rescued & that someone needs to “STOP” their money making ways. It is just a “TRANSACTION” to them & kids/parents have to deal with the hearbreak that they made money off of. My kids are just devastated because their puppy can’t play like they are used to playing with their last Dog (passed away afer 18 years with us). This puppy was supposed to take away some on the pain that we felt & now we feel for her pain & her future. I was told by two different Vets that our puppies problems are due to improper breeding & that she more that likely came from a Puppy Mill. The Petland Stores are imfamous for picking the cutiest puppies for us to come in and see. They put the pressure on you to purchase these poor innocent animals & then charge you an astronomical amount because they came from “Top Breeders”? When it all boils down, you can bring the animal back (they’ll be happy to destroy it) & then you just pick out a new one (because you have a warranty) & to heck with the fact that everyone is attached & who cares about everyones feelings. The best part is, you can “finance” the pet for 12+ months (how convienent). More people need to come forward to “STOP” the continual problems that Petland Stores have brought to many people over many years. Thanks for reading.
Mary, that’s such a sad story. All the best to you and good luck to your puppy with her surgeries.
This is exactly why we encourage people to stay away from Petland stores. You can never be sure where those puppies come from. If they have been bred in a commercial breeding facility, there’s a chance that the breeding practices have been poor and the pup has health and/or behavioural issues. As you say Mary, there are few people who are willing to “exchange” a living creature, especially knowing that the returned puppy will most likely be destroyed.
Tell your story as much as you can Mary; pass on the message to people to stop buying animals from Petland. Have you tried contacting the HSUS? They would welcome your information to add to their records.
Thanks and good luck.