Area Pet Stores Take The Humane Society's ‘Puppy Friendly’ Pledge

The Humane Society of the United States, 80 Los Angeles-area pet stores have signed The HSUS’ Puppy Friendly Pet Stores pledge—committing not to sell puppies, and instead support local animal adoption programs and provide literature that helps customers learn how to get a puppy from a responsible source, the HSUS announced in a press release.

"These stores have set a positive example of corporate responsibility for other businesses to follow," Jennifer Fearing, California senior state director for The HSUS, said in the release. "Pet stores that profit from the cruel puppy mill industry need to step up and do the right thing by stopping their puppy sales. The Humane Society of the United States is thrilled to have wonderful local advocates working in our area to increase the public's awareness of puppy mills."

Store owners and managers who sign The HSUS' pledge receive a placard proclaiming, "We love puppies; that's why we don't sell them," to display in the store, as well as materials about adopting a dog or finding a responsible breeder, said the release.

Healthy Pet store in Agoura Hills has taken part in the pledge.

"We support the adoption of rescued animals and shelters, and when the Humane Society asked us to sign the [Puppy Friendly Pet Stores pledge], we agreed," said Darren Perlmutter, who also owns Healthy Pet stores in Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park. Perlmutter is also an advocate of Blankets of Love, a program that donates blankets to local shelters. All three Healthy Pet locations are drop-off points for the charity.

The HSUS release offers the following information:

Policy Helps Dogs Across the United States

The majority of pet stores that sell puppies carry dogs from puppy mills, which are mass production facilities that churn out large numbers of puppies under inhumane conditions. The breeding dogs at puppy mills spend their entire lives in cramped cages or kennels with little or no personal attention or quality of life. Consumers who purchase puppies from pet stores or over the Internet without seeing a breeder's home firsthand are often unknowingly supporting this cruel puppy mill industry.

Last week, The HSUS reached a milestone for its Puppy Friendly Pet Stores program with the 2,000th pet store signing the pledge since its inception. To find out more about the program, go to humanesociety.org/puppystores.

Facts:

• Approximately one-third of the nation's 9,000 independent pet stores sell puppies.
• The HSUS estimates that 2-4 million puppy mill puppies are sold each year in the United States.
• Documented puppy mill conditions include over-breeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor food and shelter, crowded cages and lack of socialization.
• Dogs kept for breeding in puppy mills suffer for years in continual confinement. They are bred as often as possible and then destroyed or discarded once they can no longer produce puppies.
• Pet stores and online sellers often use attractive web sites to hide the truth and to dupe consumers into thinking that they are dealing with a small, reputable breeder.
• Reputable breeders never sell puppies over the Internet or through a pet store and will insist on meeting the family who will be purchasing the dog.
• Puppy mills contribute to the pet overpopulation problem, which results in millions of unwanted dogs euthanized at shelters every year.

To learn more about puppy mills, visit humanesociety.org/puppymills.