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How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?
The True Cost of Pet Store Puppies
E very week, Bill Wise makes a list of dogs. Wise, who is super
visor at Athens-Qarke County Animal Control, starts by listing
the dogs who are unhealthy or feraL Then he adds the dogs
who've been housed at Animal Control the longest Finally he goes
through the kennel and takes some of the dogs off the list based on
their adoptability. The dogs left on the list are put to death to make
room for more.
From July 1999 through June 2000, Wise and the Animal Control
staff euthanized more than 50 percent of the 2,319 animals they
impounded. For Wise, then, the opening of an Athens area Pettand,
a store that sells purebred puppies purchased from private breeders,
was bad news.
"It really bothers me to see dogs sold in a pet store, because
we're seeing dogs here put to sleep every day," Wise says.
Wise isn't the only one who's upset A number
of area residents are concerned about the negative
impact Petland might have on a community that's
already bursting at the seams with unwanted ani
mals. Several nonprofit organizations—Athens
Canine Rescue, Canine Angels, Critter Magazine
and Pet Assistance & Welfare Society of Athens—
are attempting to lessen the strain, but the
problem is simply too big for them to handle.
Nadine Baker, foster home coordinator for ACR,
says that every day they turn away four or five
reguests for help placing an animal because their
foster homes are fulL 'For every dog we help,
there are probably 50 more we can't help,' she
says. "It's a thunderstorm out there, and we're out
there with a little cup trying to catch the drops.'
Into this unbalanced situation comes Petland,
a corporation with 180 franchised stores in the
United States and foreign markets. Pettamfs cor- o
porabe web site says the company focuses on
tropical and marine fish, pet birds, reptiles,
amphibians and small mammals tike hamsters,
guinea pigs, ferrets and rabbits. The selling of
dogs and cats is mentioned secondarily on the
web site, but a Petland brochure geared to veteri
narians has a different emphasis: 'Petland stores
are selling upwards of 50,000 puppies a year and the numbers keep
increasing. In addition to puppies, Petland scores sell an increased
number of birds, kittens, small animals, reptiles, and amphibians
each year.' Since opening in March, the Petland store here has sold
210 puppies.
The store's atmosphere goes a long way toward supporting cor
porate claims that PetlartB puppies come from reputable private
breeders. The puppies are housed in dean, weti-tit cages with metal
grates for floors and a green pad that provides a solid surface to
sleep on. Some are in cages by themselves, but many have a com
panion, and it's not unusual to see them playfully romping. The
puppies are dean and show no outward sign of illness. Messages
written on the Plexiglas cage fronts are heavy on hearts and excla
mation points and contribute to the feel-good atmosphere: "We are
very sweet, please ask aL out us!' Safari Stan, a cartoon character
featured on the Petland web site, appears in drawings that entice
customers ('let's play!' "Take me home today!' "We have
financing."). Posters and brochures in the store proclaim Petiand's
mission—to match the right pet with the right owner—and the
company's commitment to ensuring that no Petland pets end up
homeless or burden an animal shelter.
The owner of the local Petland store is Gerardo Vera, a veteri
narian licensed to practice in Venezuela, and his staff includes sev
eral students at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. The staff
members don't harbor doubts about the origin of the puppies; they
rely on the Petland corporation to screen breeders. Vera says, "I
have my life on the tine with this business. If we buy from a non-
approved breeder. Petland takes the store away from me.' Manager
Mareesa Flores agrees. "It's good business to sell good puppies,' she
says.
[The broker that supples puppies to Petland apparently o./ns a
Missouri 'puppy milL' See the accompanying story on p. 11.]
Puppies at the local Petland store are examined by veterinarians
Dr. Tom Nemetz or Dr. Mark Mosher of South Athens Animal Clinic,
usually within 48 hours of arriving at the store. Nemetz originally
had 'an innate feeling of unease,' but says he hasn't seen any con
dition unusual for a puppy. "I keep waiti .g for the other shoe to
drop," he says. 'For an institution of this type, they're providing the
best care possible.' The ether local vet who might have an informed
opinion is Bob Brewster, of Barber Creek and Gaines School
Veterinary Hospitils. Brewster worked with the store on a trial basis
in the beginning, but the relationship ended amicably and by
mutual agreement says Vera. Brewster declined to comment for this
article.
At Petland, the Plexiglas cage fronts prevent the spread of
germs, but they also prevent the customer from hearing and
smelling the animal The grate floors allow urine and feces to pass
through, contributing to the illusion.
The uniform cages present the puppies as visual variations on
the same theme, with tittle regard for the differences that exist One
puppy has small feet that slip through the grate floor. Down below,
a large puppy frolics in a cage despite the presence of feces too big
to pass through the grzte floor. Puppies of larger breeds are at
greater risk since they will quickly outgrow their cages if they aren't
adopted, and Petland has no corporate plan to
deal with these situations. Vera will have to create
his own solution, as he did earlier this year when
he donated a bloodhound puppy to a fundraising
auction for the Watkinsville United Methodist
Church. Although Manager Flores accompanied the
puppy and tried to educate the audience about
the breed before the puppy was auctioned, the
process left the animal's welfare largely to chance.
Even in normal circumstances, Petland has no
formal mechanism for assessing a customer's
knowledge and capability. Flores says pet coun
selors are trained to match a puppy with the right
person, but this process is loosely defined: it's
conversrtion-based and conducted at the discre
tion of the employee. Joanna Patton, who bought
a Dachshund puppy on the spur of the moment
two months age, says staff members didn't ask her
any questions. Without specific safeguards, there's
an increased chance that today's adorable Petland
puppy will become tomorrow's unwanted dog,
adding to the large burden already shouldered by
Animal Control
Twenty-five percent of the dogs at the Animal
Control facility are purebred, mirroring national
statistics. And these dogs, purebred or not, - are at
a disadvantage—most of them aren't puppies anymore, and the
presence of Petland means more dogs competing for homes. Shelter
dogs don't have the power of a corporate marketing plan behind
them, nor do they live in a facility that invites customers to sus
pend their better judgment. The dogs' noises and smells are impos
sible to ignore and so are their eyes. They yearn for attention just
like the Petland puppies, but their yearning has an edge of despera
tion. Look long enough and itll seem that they know the possibili
ties. It'll seem that they understand that each new visitor could
take them home, and it'll seem that they know about Bill Wise^nd .
his list—the one he makes every week and then revisits, the one
that determines who lives and who dies. . - .
Allyson Mann
The Be ft Thing (join* Today!
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El FLAGPOLE AUGUST 23, 2000