Pet Store Protest!!

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

There are a lot of members here who indicate that they are aware of stores in their areas that get their puppies from puppymills. I found this guide to staging a protest on the Prisoners of Greed.org website.

How to Protest a Pet Store that Sells Puppies
Attend a Protest

1. You first have to choose a pet store to protest. Make a list of all the stores in your area. Go and visit the stores. Note whether they sell puppies, how many puppies they have, what breeds they are. Pretend as if you are interested in buying a puppy and ask where they buy their puppies. Then ask to see the AKC papers. Look at the breeder and the broker. If there is a broker listed, in our opinion the puppies have come from a puppymill. If the breeder is located in a puppymill state - Missouri, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma or Arkansas - then the likelihood is very high that the puppies came from a mill. Look up the breeder on the USDA list. If the breeder is listed, then in our opinion they are a mill. If you determine that the puppies in the store are from mills, then you have a good target.

2. Look at the location. You want a location where you can get a lot of attention, educate a lot of consumers and get a lot of press. Visit the location, note whether there are any areas that are public. Take photos of every angle and store.

3. Call the American Civil Liberties Union in your area. Ask them what the law and the regulations are on protesting. You may have to get a permit. The pet store may be on private property but if the public is allowed access, you should be allowed to protest as long as you follow some guidelines like you can't block the door or bother customers. You need to find out the rules from the ACLU and follow them.

4. Put together a group of people. One person is really not that effective. Five to ten can be an effective protest. Many pet stores have been closed down by the efforts of small but determined groups of people.

5. Prepare your signs and your handouts. Consider whether you want to decorate a car and put it in the parking lot. You can get a lot of publicity from a well done car that sits in the parking lot in front of the store. You have every right to park in the parking lot and go shop in the other stores. Go to Downloads to find flyers you can have printed. Or you can get full color brochures from www.ihelppets.com

6. The few days before the protest, notify the tv stations and the papers. Also, call into call in radio shows and raise the subject of mills and talk about the protest.

7. Be prepared with the comments that you are going to make to the press. You should write them down in advance and rehearse saying them. Make your points short and clear. Take a lesson from the politicians - sound bites are necessary for the press.

8. If the store owner asks you to leave, tell him that you have the right to be there (if that is what the ACLU has told you). Be polite regardless of what he says to you but stand your ground.

9. If the police come and tell you to leave, explain calmly that you have the right to be there. If they still tell you to leave, then we recommend you leave. The next day you can go to the court and ask for an injunction against the police to prevent them from making you leave the next time.

10. If you let us know about the protest, we will send you information and we will post it on this webpage. If you send photos, we will post them too.

Good luck!

[diva pup]

Thank you for posting the correct way to stage a protest. I am happy to say there is only one store that sells puppies in my area, it sells only puppies. They are housed in a warehouse with a cement floor, there are no toys or food sold there. Just puppies. They come from "local breeders". They are caged in wire kennels sometimes 5 and 6 pups to a kennel. It is a very sad store. Thankfully the vets in my area are well versed in this store.
I do not know anyone in my area as I have a horse farm and rarely get off of it to meet dog people. I have many horse friends dispersed through out my state and cannot see them being able to get away to stage a formal protest any more than I can. This is not an excuse it is a fact of life, I simply do not have the time or resources to do this type of thing.
That is the beauty of the internet, you can tell people what you have learned of bad breeders, puppy mills and brokers. Hopefully you will not meet many objections and if you do you can only pray that people will be able to see the truth and do their own research on buying a nice pet puppy. It is a daunting task in some places as nobody really wants to hear it. Why I will never figure out.
If you go to different forums and do your research I think you will find that there are plenty of ways to weed out the questionable places to buy a dog.
I am in awe of the people that defend the practices of brokering and puppy mills and pet stores, for the life of me I cannot figure out why. I am also always shocked at the number of people that simply don't say a word although I know they have an opinion on it,I guess they just do not want to upset the more popular and vocal members of the forums. It is sad to me that these particular issues are politically influenced.
Good luck to all of you who are looking to buy a puppy and I hope you do your research on it and do not just take the word of a complete stranger on a forum somewhere. It is up to you to make sure the pet you choose will be one that you want to spend the next 15 years with. By all means ask the pertinent questions of a breeder, temperment, size, coat quality but do expect a good breeder to ask you as many or more questions on the home you will be providing for a puppy that they have spent years breeding.

[BrookeB676]

I think its a good idea to stop puppy mills, I got Maya maltese from a pet store and wasnt completely aware of the operations that occur and was more concerned in the fact that I did feel like I was rescuing a cute and sad looking maltese. Thank goodness Pat (yorkierose) opened my eyes to the perils of buying from a pet store when I could have bought from a good breeder like her for the same price or less, she made me realize that there is no justification when I kept making excuses. Its also scary the health effects that can come from a puppy mill dog, so far I have been lucky with maya. I didnt get a chance to read this but I agree we need to stop puppy mills.

[Gazou]

I am 100 % with you . I too the good habit to never buy from a store where they have pets .

[YorkieRose]

I would be interested in how many shops allow buyer to look at the papers before the purchase..most will not...and most are no longer AKC pups..APR and CKC are just aboutall you find now..some exceptions, but few.

A groomer told me the reason they did not allow buyers to see the papers is the fear of them contacting the breeder and find out too much info...like the price the pup cost from the breeder...if the store charges 1800, the breeder ahs sold for no more then 300 usually...that is high dollar..many breeds are bought for no more the $50..Cockers to mention one breed.

[red98vett]

Well..we know how I feel about Pet Stores - I usually don't get into what I saw years ago I will now -

I was in a Pet Store - a puppy went into convulsions - they took that poor baby and practically threw it into a cage in the back - without helping it - ....I was young but never forgot the fact that they did nothing to help it - it was more important to get it out of site from the customers then take it to a vet or give it medical attention - to this day I can see the suffering and that employee shrugging her shoulders and saying "Oh Well"...

Then as I had my first dog in my life - Tessa my cocker - we learned she was actually from a mill - What my husband thought was a big breeder was actually a small puppy mill with 200 plus cockers all in cages - again - I knew no better and did have the creeps in her place of business but since he had bought ALL his cockers from her - I went along with it - Tessa has such bad teeth we have to hand feed her -

As I learned more and more I know that Mills sell to Pet Stores - It's not being a fanatic or a lunatic or even unreasonable to want that practice stopped - Mills = abuse.

Pet stores are the BIGGEST Purchaser of Mill Animals and if the Pet Store didn't sell any pets - the mills would not mass breed the way they do - It just makes sense...Stop buying what they sell and they will stop producing mass quantities - Everyone can help and speaking up here is just a first step ...

This has nothing to do with PETA or orginazations that want to save animals - it's just a fact that Pet Stores buy Mill puppies.-

Defending Pet Stores is contradicting how much we want to help animals escape life in a mill - I was dissapointed that hardly anyone here voices an opinion on this dilema ...but go look at a puppymill site JUST ONCE...then ask yourself - "Where do these poor puppies end up" ?

I'll answer - Pet Stores and and Brokers !

There are always mom and pop stores that may care....but the reality is - where else are they going to find an endless supply of puppies but in a mill ?

Sorry this is long - I really apologize - it's just a very important subject and not enough is being done about it in this country

[whispersmom2]

On another thread, someone posted that "hate" is a strong word..the thread was in ref. to the wrong message on a t-shirt. Well, I am here to tell you that the strongest form of HATE is what I feel about pm'ers, cbyers' and brokers. It is said that Hunte Corp supplies pet shops/stores with up to 85,000 pups a year. Can you imagine sleeping at night with that on your conscience? SURE,I CAN!!!!! They have NO conscience. You will see the name Fred Williams on paperwork across the country. Broker??
There is no reason to "not know it was a puppy mill/pet store puppy".The damned paperwork is there. ..I will never cease to be appauled at the conditions almost ALL Amish keep their breeding stock in.. Makes me want to puke right in their faces. They treat their horses almost as poorly..

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Originally Posted by diva pup

Thank you for posting the correct way to stage a protest. I am happy to say there is only one store that sells puppies in my area, it sells only puppies. They are housed in a warehouse with a cement floor, there are no toys or food sold there. Just puppies. They come from "local breeders". They are caged in wire kennels sometimes 5 and 6 pups to a kennel. It is a very sad store. Thankfully the vets in my area are well versed in this store.
I do not know anyone in my area as I have a horse farm and rarely get off of it to meet dog people. I have many horse friends dispersed through out my state and cannot see them being able to get away to stage a formal protest any more than I can. This is not an excuse it is a fact of life, I simply do not have the time or resources to do this type of thing.
.

Please inform me of the name of the pet store and the address and I will see what I can do.

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Originally Posted by whispersmom2

On another thread, someone posted that "hate" is a strong word..the thread was in ref. to the wrong message on a t-shirt. Well, I am here to tell you that the strongest form of HATE is what I feel about pm'ers, cbyers' and brokers. ..

That person was me and I agree that HATE is the appropriate word in the case of any animal abuser!!!

[diva pup]

I am a little hesitant to do so Kim as I am not sure if it will come back to bite me in the butt. I believe there has been quite a bit of controversy on using names here. i will however pm you the info.

[red98vett]

I want to add that the INTERNET and forums like this are one of the BEST ways to put the word out about mills -

Many people don't know anything about mills and pet stores....sites like this are the fastest and most visible way to reach people you wouldn't normally see - I learned about Mills from the net - and now I tell anyone who wants to know where Pet Stores get their animals -

If someone sees it posted here (or other sites) that it's ok to shop a Pet Store - and they don't hear about the the dark side - how will they ever find out ?

What I'm saying is... if you don't LIKE knowing animals are imprisoned, abused and sold in mass quantities - tell your friends about Mills and Pet Stores - you'll be doing a small but important thing to help these animals

[Biddy's Mom]

Originally Posted by red98vett

I want to add that the INTERNET and forums like this are one of the BEST ways to put the word out about mills -

Many people don't know anything about mills and pet stores....sites like this are the fastest and most visible way to reach people you wouldn't normally see - I learned about Mills from the net - and now I tell anyone who wants to know where Pet Stores get their animals -

If someone sees it posted here (or other sites) that it's ok to shop a Pet Store - and they don't hear about the the dark side - how will they ever find out ?

I agree. I think the biggest thing is to educate people about puppy mills & pet stores. SO many people have no idea that this is even going on. I work with 2 people who bought puppies in the last 2 years from pet stores. When I explained about puppy mills & how the dogs were mistreated & overbred, they had NO idea. They love their dogs, but agreed that they had not done any research and just saw the cute puppy in the petstore window and decided to bring it home. I tell everyone I know! Even if it is someone that is not really interested in dogs - it may stop them 5 years down the line when their son or daughter begs them for a puppy at the petstore...

[diva pup]

I agree completly Villette however I am not about to be embroiled in a slander suit warranted or not. If I dont have time to stage a protest I have even less time to sit in a courtroom all day. So my future posts will not publicly record the name of anyone or any business that I have not personally done business with.
I have been fortunate enough to have bought Rio from a good breeder and Mignon from one whom I think has an impeccable reputation. I will be happy with the decisions I have made and try to help steer others away from bad breeders, mills, brokers and pet stores.That is all I can do at this time.

[luzangela428]

I agree with what you are saying to the point that I have phsically gone into pet stores that sold puppies with a friend and stood next to the people looking to buy puppies..my friend would acted interested in the puppies and I would tell her in a LOUD voice why she shouldn't get a puppy there and how they come from mills..end up sickly and how could she explain that to her daughter who would get so attached and half the time it is cheaper to go through a reputable breeder at which you can get a healthy pup......you never realize how many nosy people there are out there...lol, but many ask me to elaborate on what I know and I often direct them to look up puppy mills on the internet..I feel that we have to do it this way because otherwise people (heartless..or maybe skeptical)..just kind of blow you off as a fanatic and don't really listen..ALSO I don't buy from any pet store that sells puppies (food, toys, NOTHING)...I will not keep them in business...I buy from Petsmart that supports animal ADOPTION...and thats about it...I drive the extra 25 minutes to go there versus the pet store 2 mins. away

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by luzangela428

I agree with what you are saying to the point that I have phsically gone into pet stores that sold puppies with a friend and stood next to the people looking to buy puppies..my friend would acted interested in the puppies and I would tell her in a LOUD voice why she shouldn't get a puppy there and how they come from mills..end up sickly and how could she explain that to her daughter who would get so attached and half the time it is cheaper to go through a reputable breeder at which you can get a healthy pup......you never realize how many nosy people there are out there...lol, but many ask me to elaborate on what I know and I often direct them to look up puppy mills on the internet..I feel that we have to do it this way because otherwise people (heartless..or maybe skeptical)..just kind of blow you off as a fanatic and don't really listen..ALSO I don't buy from any pet store that sells puppies (food, toys, NOTHING)...I will not keep them in business...I buy from Petsmart that supports animal ADOPTION...and thats about it...I drive the extra 25 minutes to go there versus the pet store 2 mins. away

WAY TO GO !! you are really doing more than you know ....

Before I was on the net I was CLUELESS... and in turn found out my friends, family and kids were too - they were shocked to know the information I shared with them....

Jessica ...Good for you too - that's why I posted earlier about NOT defending any pet store - most people just don't know - and until someone tells them - they will continue to not know