Remove Petland as Sponsor of Columbus Pet Expo
- by: Columbus Top Dogs
- recipient: Mythanne Reno, Show Director; Teresa LaRotondo, Show Manager
The Columbus Pet Expo is gearing up for their 16th year of educating and entertaining pet lovers throughout Central Ohio. This year's Expo will be held March 26-28, at the Franklin County Veteran's Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.
As was the case last year, Petland is once again a major sponsor for this event.
The sad truth behind the friendly facade of Petland stores is that there often lies a puppy mill. The documented problems of these mass breeding facilities include overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this situation frequently means buying a puppy facing an array of immediate veterinary problems or harboring genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later.
Consumer demand for purebred puppies, more than any other factor, perpetuates the misery of puppy mills. Unfortunately, a dog's lifespan is often longer than a consumer's desire to maintain their "product." As a result, millions of purebred dogs are sent to animal shelters every year, where roughly half will be euthanized.
Take a look at the financial impact of Columbus Petland stores on Franklin County (statistics provided by the former Director of Franklin County Animal Shelter, Lisa Wahoff, in November, 2006):
7-10 Petland dogs PER DAY are admitted to the shelter. 80% of those dogs are:
*not spayed/neutered
*are in very poor health and/or mental state
*have no microchip registered to anyone other than the broker, and no owner can be tracked. Petland takes no responsibility.
*are not an appropriate match to the owner, resulting in owner release within one year of the purchase.
The Results?
A low-end average of $30 per day for each Petland dog (if the dog is healthy) X 7-10 dogs = $210-$300 per day!
On January 27, a federal court in Arizona issued a ruling allowing a lawsuit to proceed against Petland, Inc. based on allegations that the retail chain is routinely selling unhealthy puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers. The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Phoenix, alleges that Petland violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and numerous state consumer protection laws by misleading thousands of consumers across the country into believing that the puppies sold in Petland stores are healthy and come from high-quality breeders. The suit is the result of many months of investigative and legal research, and comes after two separate investigations into Petland stores by a national animal welfare organization in 2008 and 2009 that demonstrated a direct link between multiple Petland stores and unscrupulous puppy mills.
It is our firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect - not to mention the consumer fraud - connected with "dealing dogs", Petland will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.
We are asking animal advocates to respectfully request that Mythanne Reno and Teresa LaRotondo step forward as the Show Director and Show Manager of this event and request that Petland withdraw their sponsorship. Until this company is no longer affiliated with an Expo that is focused on educating consumers about the plight of homeless animals, we are asking all humane minded citizens not to endorse nor participate in this event.
EXPO CONTACT INFORMATION:
- Mythanne Reno, Show Director - mailto:mythanne@columbuspetexpo.com; Phone: 888-650-6060 or 614-205-0126
- Teresa LaRotonda, Show Manager - Teresa@columbuspetexpo.com; Phone: 614-834-0583
Dear Mythanne Reno and Teresa Larotonda:
It has come to our attention that once again, Petland is a sponsor for the 2010 Columbus Pet Expo.
The sad truth behind the friendly facade of Petland stores is that there often lies a puppy mill. The documented problems of these mass breeding facilities include overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this situation frequently means buying a puppy facing an array of immediate veterinary problems or harboring genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later.
Consumer demand for purebred puppies, more than any other factor, perpetuates the misery of puppy mills. Unfortunately, a dog's lifespan is often longer than a consumer's desire to maintain their "product." As a result, millions of purebred dogs are sent to animal shelters every year, where roughly half will be euthanized.
Take a look at the financial impact of Columbus Petland stores on Franklin County (statistics provided by the former Director of Franklin County Animal Shelter, Lisa Wahoff, in November, 2006):
7-10 Petland dogs PER DAY are admitted to the shelter. 80% of those dogs are:
*not spayed/neutered
*are in very poor health and/or mental state
*have no microchip registered to anyone other than the broker, and no owner can be tracked. Petland takes no responsibility.
*are not an appropriate match to the owner, resulting in owner release within one year of the purchase.
The Results?
A low-end average of $30 per day for each Petland dog (if the dog is healthy) X 7-10 dogs = $210-$300 per day!
On January 27, a federal court in Arizona issued a ruling allowing a lawsuit to proceed against Petland, Inc. based on allegations that the retail chain is routinely selling unhealthy puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers. The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Phoenix, alleges that Petland violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and numerous state consumer protection laws by misleading thousands of consumers across the country into believing that the puppies sold in Petland stores are healthy and come from high-quality breeders. The suit is the result of many months of investigative and legal research, and comes after two separate investigations into Petland stores by a national animal welfare organization in 2008 and 2009 that demonstrated a direct link between multiple Petland stores and unscrupulous puppy mills.
It is our firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect - not to mention the consumer fraud - connected with "dealing dogs", Petland will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.
We respectfully request that you step forward as the organizers of this event and request that Petland withdraw their sponsorship. Until this company is no longer affiliated with an Expo that is focused on educating consumers about the plight of homeless animals, we will not endorse nor participate in this event. We will also be asking the same of our family, co-workers and friends.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
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