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Old 04-22-2009, 09:55 AM   #35
Nancy1999
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Arizona
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Originally Posted by megansmomma View Post
Here is the response that was attached to the email with the email that I received this morning from MaW:

On Nov. 20, 2008, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) launched a full-scale media attack on Petland Inc., with false allegations regarding the purchase of pets from substandard breeders. The HSUS held a press conference in Washington, D.C., disseminated their video and report to media nationwide, and conducted a massive e-mail campaign to its members.

The video used by The HSUS is a gross distortion of the truth and the validity of the report and investigation is HIGHLY SUSPECT.

In The HSUS' report of its 8-month investigation, it claimed to have visited 21 Petland stores, and 35 breeders and brokers. The HSUS also claimed to have examined the records of more than 17,000 individual puppies.

On Nov. 21, Petland asked Stephanie Shain, program manager, The HSUS, to release all documentation that detailed the Petland store and breeder investigation, and the nearly 17,000 puppies in question. To date, this documentation has not been turned over to the USDA or the proper authorities. In fact, the Pet Rescue Examiner reported that the USDA released a statement about the charges filed by The HSUS and said that it had not received any complaints by The HSUS about any particular breeder or about Petland.

On Nov. 24, Petland urged The HSUS again to turn over the documentation to the proper authorities through an open letter to the editor. Within the letter, Petland stated, "Petland is outraged that HSUS would intentionally use video footage of unrelated kennels in the report to try to mislead the general public into believing these facilities have a connection to Petland."

On Nov. 27, Petland finally received a packet from The HSUS with documentation, but all that was included were USDA reports, information which is available to the public. There were NO documents of The HSUS' inspections of 21 Petland stores and 35 breeders, and there was NO documentation of the 17,000 puppies HSUS referenced. There was simply NO evidence that The HSUS actually did an investigation. Even the video of the kennels tied to Petland only showed the exterior of the kennels. Also, no interviews with the owners, no inside shots, no specific shots of violations were ever provided.

What Is The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)?

The HSUS is a national animal protection agency based in Washington D.C. that is essentially a public relations entity with no affiliation with local humane societies or local animal shelters.

The Real Issue is Substandard Breeders

The real, disturbing issue is that there are substandard breeders in operation. The way to end the suffering of animals in these facilities is to eliminate those substandard breeders or to bring them into compliance with humane and acceptable standards.

For years, Petland has been a leader in the stand against substandard breeders. Petland is part of the solution. As such, the objective of The HSUS to “shut down” Petland is illogical. The misguided attack by The HSUS does nothing to stop these poor breeding practices, and in fact, hinders the fight against substandard breeders.

Petland – A Leader in Responsible Pet Care

As the largest national pet retailer, Petland continues to raise the bar and set the gold standard for pet care. Petland has developed the following programs to address critical issues, and to protect the welfare of pets and educate pet owners:


Humane Care Guidelines

The Petland Humane Care Guidelines represent commitment of its member breeders and distributors to provide the best possible care for all the animals in their kennels. These guidelines govern care of dogs that live under their care as part of a well-managed breeding system as well as those that are raised through puppyhood for the enjoyment of pet owners across The United States.

Petland strictly enforces these guidelines through the landmark Petland Certified Kennel Program, which mandates regular inspections by licensed veterinarians in addition to current licensure by the governing state and federal agencies.

Spay/Neuter
Petland Pet Counselors educate new puppy and kitten owners about responsible pet care and participate in cooperative programs with local veterinarians. Petland provides families with discount incentives to spay or neuter their pet. More and more Petland stores are making already altered pets available or offering a free or discount spay/neuter certificate to pet owners who purchase a puppy or kitten.

Petland's Adopt-A-Pet(SM)
Petland's Adopt-A-Pet(SM) has helped place more than a quarter of a million homeless pets in the last 10 years. Petland Pet Counselors work with staff at local animal shelters, pet rescue groups and with members of the local community to place homeless pets, such as puppies, dogs, kittens, cats and a variety of small animals. As part of this cooperative program, Petland store operators make available their highly visible Petland display windows to aid in the placement of homeless pets in local communities.

Enhanced Protection Program
The Enhanced Protection Program is a partnership between the American Kennel Club's Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) program and helpmefindMYPET™. Together, these programs provide a comprehensive pet recovery process that includes microchipping, tattooing, tagging and Amber Alert-type registration. This successful program returns 87 percent of lost or stolen pets, compared to the national average of 12 percent.

Pets for a Lifetime(SM)
Petland puppies go home with Pets for a Lifetime Resource Kits. This free, comprehensive dog training program includes a DVD on puppy training by a professional canine behavior specialist and a free canine behavior training membership. Petland offers a free helpline for dog owners with canine behaviors that are not addressed in the provided educational materials. The resource kit also includes information on local pet care specialists and coupons for savings on pet care products from Petland.

Pet Therapy
Pet therapy is a natural extension of Petland's retail environment. By definition, pet therapy is the use of animals in the therapeutic treatment of humans. Petland commonly takes its pets to visit school children and nursing home residents. Studies have shown that the human-animal bond that pets provide are good for people, enhancing verbal and social skills in children, reducing stress in adults and providing companionship and lowering blood pressure in seniors.

These are just a few examples of how Petland is committed to the welfare of pets. Petland continues to be at the forefront of setting industry standards and will continue to fight and raise awareness of substandard breeding.

Petland's Response

After reviewing the material that The HSUS provided, Petland responded to The HSUS' allegations on its Web site stating "…healthy, happy, well-socialized pets within our care are our number one priority, as they have been for 41 years. We do not support substandard breeding facilities and we provide each Petland store with 'Humane Care Guidelines,' which were developed in conjunction with the USDA to assist with breeder facility inspections."

Since the initial response, Petland has reached out to its franchisees, employees and the media with the truth. We will continue to disseminate the truth and protect the good name of Petland.

I give up, too many people now associate HSUS with PETA. They think the are some radical organization and believe the propaganda put out by commercial breeders. I think HUSU is very different than PETA, while they are both concerned with humane care of animals, HUSU is not against breeding or pet ownership. If you don't believe me, here's a comment from none other than Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh Speaks Up For Humane Society
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