Pet store protest
By Matt Artz
Friday, September 26th, 2008 at 5:24 pm in Fremont.
If you drive past the intersection of Mowry and Farwell tomorrow afternoon, you might see several animal welfare protesters. They have scheduled a demonstration outside a new puppy store in the strip mall there, which they think has gotten some of its dogs from puppy mills.
But the owner of the store, Puppy Love Boutique, says all of his dogs come from USDA-approved and inspected breeders. “We will not buy from puppy mills,” said Joey Kakar, a Fremont native, who opened the store two months ago.
The protest organizer, Darlena King, who recently moved to Fremont, said protesters have information that the store has gotten dogs from two companies that she says, are brokers to puppy mills. Kekar denies the allegation.
Puppy Love Boutique is the only store in Fremont that sells dogs.
Animal welfare advocates have campaigned against buying dogs from pet stores because many pet store acquire their dogs from giant breeding operations where dogs are mistreated, they say.
Kekar said members of a local animal rights group have been passing out fliers outside his shop. When asked about business, Kakar sighed and said that it’s a slow economy.
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September 26th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
wow. i cant believe people can be this evil. I bought my miniature schnauzer puppy from that store and i called the USDA and SPCA in the city the breeder is from and they both said that the breeder is a reputable breeder. I am thrilled that the store is in our community. I love my puppy. All the employees there are super friendly and knowledgeable. People need to worry about other things in our community, like homelessness.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Protesting….because an “organizer” says she has information on where the dogs came from? Where is her solid proof? I say that Fremont Police should open an investigation not on the store but Darlena King’s “information” and if no solid facts are found Darlena King should be brought up on charges and held accountable for attempted sabotage of a locally owned business. I hate the fact I live in a place where so many people “protest” everything under the sun. I think we would be better off if Darlena King climbed up to the top of a tree somewhere and stayed there for 2 years. I hear Iceland has some nice trees.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I went to the store to check things out myself and Im disappointed in the organization that protested. I was told that the pet store used bleach for the puppies eyes. I was also told that they throw dead puppies in the trash behind the store. I was told that the place is filthy. All are lies. I think the protesters should get a life and stop harassing everyone. I heard one of the protesters threatened the life of one of the employees. Thats just wrong. Im glad the store is in our community. I hope they stay here for good.
September 28th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Sounds like the protesters went overboard, which is unfortunate because they have a good point. Why purchase a dog when the shelters are full? The only real reason is materialism. Unless you’re specifically using the dog for hunting, herding, protection, then any old mutt is a much better option.
I’m amazed that you can buy a puppy anywhere in the Bay Area, I thought we had moved on from such things.
This store will be gone in a few years, if not a few months.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:00 am
How about a store where you can buy a puppy in pirate gear? Sounds like a winner to me.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Great job Darlena, perfect timing with the Oprah show which exposes that pet stores 100% buy from puppy mills. Inform the public that when they buy from a pet store or the internet they are support animal cruelty. They will spend thousands and then thousands on vet bills. These pet stores need to be SHUT DOWN the only way to SHUT DOWN the puppy mills that supply them. We have been protesting in Los Angeles for almost a year 2 pet stores very similiar to this Store have closed and there is a class action lawsuit going forward on Pets of Bel Air hundreds of people have bought sick dogs and a lot of them died. Please every adopt/rescue your companion animal, don’t give in to the greeders.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:25 am
These pet stores are great a lying, the public needs to get it that it’s supply and demand the only way is mass breeding, they get their puppies from puppy mills, dog factories. I’m so happy this store is being exposed and soon these pet stores and selling dogs over the internet will no longer exist and the puppy mills will go out of business. Please everyone 5 million dogs are murdered in our shelters a year, great dogs that did nothing wrong, I have 3 and one is a puppy mill survivor her belly cut open several times. Don’t buy into the lies! Great work Darlena, keep it up, in Los Angeles they have a great program puppy store free L.A. and it’s working!
September 28th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Just another PUPPY MILL FRONT! Public wake up, these dogs are from Missouri the biggest puppy mill state in the country. Don’t buy into the misery, I just don’t understand why anyone would buy a dog when there are great dogs in our shelters and rescue groups and you save a life and not give money to greedy people who could care less about animals. It’s just cash crop to them, Oprah did 3 shows about puppy mills, it’s the worse animal cruelty ever. Maybe this economy will shut these people down.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Also want to add that the puppy brokers Hunte Corporation and Landbriar and known puppy mills in Missouri. USDA inspects these concentration camps for dogs once a year and gives them notice.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:51 am
First off, if you have any concern for the welfare of animals, whatsoever, you cannot rely on the USDA for any sort of reliable information. Their policies, their inspections are so lax and greed filled that it is just ridiculous. Look at the slaughterhouse investigation in Chino, for heaven’s sake! Siting the USDA as a source for your comfort in shopping at any store shows how brainwashed and uninformed you are.
Dogs kept in puppy mills are GROSSLY mistreated. They are packed and stacked, one on top of the other, kept in a constant state of pregnancy. How would you like that, ladies? To constantly be forced into pregnancy? Not very nice, is it? That should be considered animal cruelty on its own! But, to top it off, they are kept in filthy conditions. Some of them never feel grass underneath their feet. They get sores and infections that are left to fester. The babies get upper respiratory infections from the enormous amount urine and feces. There is inbreeding and deformities.
Listen, there is no such thing as a large scale breeding operation that is HUMANE. It does not exist. As well, you cannot state with 100% certainty that this chump got all of his puppies from small time private breeders, and it is selfish and ridiculous to close your eyes to this fact.
Secondly, people, I have to ask, why do you insist on supporting and speaking up for a business that perpetuates the breeding of animals when so many millions of wonderful pets are killed everyday in this country? Why? Shame on you for promoting it.
Oh, and you know how I can tell that you are uninformed and selfish when it comes to these issues? Because people who generally condone animal cruelty, or who are too lazy, selfish or ignorant to consider that it exists, usually use the argument: We should be worrying about other stuff, like homelessness (insert some other societal woe here)…Well, our nation and our society has many issues to worry about.
By the way, what are you doing to combat homelessness? Paying $600 for a puppy? Is that your solution? The truth is that we need people to worry about ALL of society’s issues, and animal cruelty and overpopulation is a very real issue, and I am glad we have people worrying about it, and trying to combat it.
I’ll close with a fact that you may not know: Tens of thousands of the dogs and cats used in research facilities are taken through pound seizure. So as you are hugging and kissing that puppy that you “love” so much, tens of thousands of other dogs and cats are taken from shelters and given to medical research facilities where they are subjected to painful and cruel experiments, sometimes without the use pain killers. Think about that, when you want to defend a store like this. These animals were once “loved” like your puppy, and now they are sitting in barren cages, waking up everyday to unimaginable torture and pain.
Now, as you are reading this, don’t start getting defensive, and offended and shut down, then come back on a post a confrontational comment. For heaven’s sake, think about what I said. Do some research on puppy mills, pound seizure, statistics of dogs and cats that are killed because of overpopulation. Then think about the implications of buying an animal, rather it be from a reputable breeding operation, or not.
There is simply NO excuse to buy a dog from a pet store.
September 28th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Great job protesters, the public will soon learn that the puppy brokers are the worse in the nation and that Landbriar in Missouri is a big puppy mill. When you buy a puppy from a pet store or the internet you are supporting animal cruelty. Adoption is the humane way to go, save a life, 5 million dogs and cats are murdered every year in our shelter system, no fault of these poor animals, not enough homes. No breeding and buying until the cages are empty.
September 28th, 2008 at 9:17 am
The people who have commented so far are probably friends of the owner of this pet store. The facts are quite simple and sad. USDA licensed breeders ARE often puppy mills. Just because a commercial breeder has a USDA license does not mean that they treat the parent dogs well at all. I suggest that readers learn the truth behind the ugly pet trade. There are over 5000 USDA licensed breeders in the US and they are only inspected annually. Over 50% of USDA licensed breeders have violations of the Animal Welfare Act on their records.
There is nothing on the books that obligates the commercial breeders to let the dogs out of their cages…EVER. The parent dogs are kept in small enclosures for their entire lives, used as breeding machines, much like car parts and have no hope of getting out. Sure the puppies in the wibndow are cute but the parents are living in prison.
Please support the protesters, they are doing something admirable by promoting adoption as the only ethical choice when bringing a companion animal into your home.
Pet stores tell lies, often sell sick dogs and use large scale brokers like Lambriar and Hunte which are known puppy mill brokers.
Learn the truth, the 40 million people who watched the Oprah show know the truth. Research, get some smarts and don’t believe what the pet stores tell you, they’re in it for the $! The protesters are NOT, they are there because they love animals, not because they are anti-business.
Look on http://www.petfinder.com to find a wonderful friend waiting for your love.
Carole Raphaelle Davis, author of the Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife
September 28th, 2008 at 9:33 am
When are people going to wake up?!? This is a fact from the Oprah show, stated by president Wayne Pacelle, the CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States - “99% of the dogs in pet stores come from puppy mills.” (And my guess is they only don’t say 100% purely to protect themselves legally).
SHAME ON PUPPY LOVE BOUTIQUE!!!!
The owners of these pet stores will tell you their puppies come from reputable breeders, but they know the truth. And yes, sadly some of these places are still USDA approved, but orgs. like The Humane Society and the ASPCA are working furiously on legislation that will change that!
If you truly need to buy a dog, (but how could anyone with a conscience when 8 million dogs a year are euthanized in our shelters?) go to a REPUTABLE BREEDER. Someone who gives you the opportunity to come and see their breeding facility and see the puppy you are buying.
It is the beginning of the end for pet stores in this country, and hallelujah!!! They can tell their customers all the lies they want, but THEY KNOW THEIR DOGS COME FROM PUPPY MILLS. Karma is a bitch, Puppy Love Boutique!!! Find a business that makes the world better, not perpetuates misery for animals.
September 28th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I know several people who bought puppies at this store and they were sick, the vet said they most likely came from mass breeding facilities. Most people already bond with the dog so they get stuck. Please everyone it’s supply and demand the only way these pet stores can get puppies is from puppy brokers who work with the puppy mills. Responsible breeders do not sell to pet stores.
September 28th, 2008 at 10:57 am
USDA inspects kennels once a year with a 30 day notice to the mill keeper. The cage requirements are 6 inches in front of the dogs face and the cage is the size of your dishwasher, that is USDA inspected. These places unfortunately are legal until the public stops buying dogs they will continue to abuse animals. I hope you print my comment because it’s important, USDA inspects puppy mills, google ban puppy mills and you will get a lot of information.
September 28th, 2008 at 11:18 am
I was there to buy a dog yesterday and found the protesters very nice and peaceful. They told me that the store gets their dogs from Hunte Corporation. I did look it up online and it is a puppy mill. I also talked with a vet that was there and she has treated some of the sick puppies purchased from this store. I support what the group is saying and doing. I think they are from the Humane Society and what they are saying is true.
September 28th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
These puppies are homeless regardless of their origin or price. Who cares where they came from, we cant change that… It matters where they go! If the protesters want to do a good deed for dogs, they should adopt all the lovable animals at the shelter before being put to sleep.
September 28th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
It is simple. Get the name of the breeder for the puppies, and look on-line to see if the are a “Puppy Mill”
September 28th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I just watched the Oprah show.
The lady from the Himane society, featured at the puppy mill in Pensylvania said that when people buy pets they don’t really know where their money is going…it goes right to the puppy mills!
Unless you go to the breeder yourself don’t buy adopt!
Thses animals cannot talk we have to watch out for them.
Plus there is a rescue for every breed dog in the U.S so what the big deal!
You can save one that was bought and then abandonned.
And if you watch Cesar Millan you will notice that he supports rescues, he saved all his dogs….Cesar , would know.
Lastly I save the 2 most friendly and gorgeous Chihuahuas and I am so proud to say I saved them when people ask me where I bought them.
Adopting is IN buying is OUT
Sophie (Sparky and Binky’s Mom)
September 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Sorry Jackie. Ignorance often goes hand in hand with evil. The overwhelming majority of pet stores (over 95 percent) obtain their dogs via puppy mills or puppy mill brokers. The dogs are shot up with antibiotics to appear healthy. No reputable breeder sells to a pet store. If the flood of Internet articles and TV shows on puppy mills has somehow escaped you five rocket scientists, I guess you’ll find out soon enough when customers start trying to return their sick dogs and are offered “store credit” or to settle out of court. That’s great that the store employees are super friendly and “knowledgeable.” Knowledgeable about everything but puppy mills apparently. And yes, the dogs living in glass cages are much better off than their parents who are living in misery at the puppy mills and the millions of dogs that get destroyed at shelters because shallow idiots would rather pay a lot of money for a sick dog with “papers.”
September 28th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
And I forgot the most brilliant comment of all: “people need to start worrying about other things in our community like homelessness.” So that means it’s okay for innocent animals to live in misery because humans who have control of their destiny (most of the time) choose to end up being homeless? There’s a war going on in Iraq right now, Jackie, what are you doing on this message board? And by the way, what are you doing for the homeless? It’s funny, but It’s always the people who bring up that ridiculous argument, “what about people?” who are usually the last to care about people.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Correction: 3 rocket scientists and someone who actually thinks he’s clever and witty, not to mention a callous f#*k.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
What’s with you “moderator?” Who would defend a store that sells dogs from puppy mills? It’s already been proven. And you keep Doug’s comment? Something’s up.
September 28th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
YOU PATHETIC LOSERS ARE MAD BECAUSE I WONT BE A PART OF YOUR ORGANIZATION. YOU ASKED ME TO MASS BLOG ABOUT THE STORE AND I REFUSED BECAUSE I DID MY BACKGROUND CHECK ON THEM. YOU PROTESTERS ARE ALL LIARS. YOU GUYS TOLD ME TO GIVE THEM BAD RATING! WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT OF ME WHEN YOU STRAIGHT OUT LIE ABOUT THEM TO ME. YOU LOSERS NEED TO GET A LIFE. I WILL BUY A PUPPY NEXT SATURDAY JUST TO LET PUPPY LOVE BOUTIQUE KNOW THAT I APPROVE THE STORE….. AND BY THE WAY, EVERY SUNDAY I HELP FEED THE HOMELESS OUT OF MY OWN POCKET.
September 28th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
HAVE YOU GUYS NOTICED THAT ALL THE NEGATIVE BLOGS ARE MINUTES APART….. HMM, SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME PEOPLE ARE WRITING THEM.
September 28th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
WHY DONT ALL OF YOU PUT ALL THIS EFFORT INTO PROMOTING THE SHELTER INSTEAD OF BASHING THE PET STORE? I HEARD THE OWNER GOT AN ATTORNEY AND IS GOING AFTER PROTESTERS FOR SLANDER. YOU KNOW WHO YOU PEOPLE ARE CUZ YOU ASKED ME TO DO IT ALSO. I WILL BE THE FIRST ONE IN COURT TELLING THEM ABOUT WHAT YOU ASKED ME TO DO, LIE!!
September 28th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Okay folks, here’s the basis for my comment (No. 5).
R. Trottmen (No. 4) said… “This store will be gone in a few years, if not a few months.”
I agree. We had a pirate store. It was proven there is not a big market for pirate stuff. It’s gone.
Now comes a puppy store. Given the economy and the fact people are losing their homes, where the puppies would reside, I don’t think this is a long term venture either.
If you don’t like SNL you probably don’t understand.
September 28th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Hernandez,
You’re the (evil) loser. You are grossly uninformed. Why don’t you give some of those hundreds of dollars you spent and intend to spend on a dog to the homeless you so loving nurture out of your own pocket? I’m sure there are better things you can spend your money on, huh? Telling other people to get a life is like the pot calling the kettle black for you.
I pray for those poor dogs you are taking into your home. With an attitude like that? Wow…You need to get a clue on the suffering animals are going through so that selfish, ignorant and ridiculous people like you can claim to be in “love” with their new little puppy.
Foolish, foolish idiot…And by the way, there is NO law against peaceful protest. I support the protesters, and I am sure that the majority of Fremont residents do as well. And you did NO background check whatsoever. You sited the USDA, what a joke.
Doug, I knew what you meant. That pirate store was a joke!
September 28th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
And P.S., Hernandez, your selfish apathy is what is wrong with society…be it animal cruelty, homelessness, pick your cause…people like you, who are uneducated about the implications of their choices, you are the problem, and sadly, you are currently the majority in this country.
September 28th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
im actually more educated than all of you. I just applied for my PHD!
September 28th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
is it okay for the owner to be in business if he buys from local breeders? What if he has a “meet the breeder” day at the store so that everyone knows its not a puppy mill? How do we even know for sure that he gets them from puppy mills? are we just assuming? does every breeder in the midwest have a puppy mill? how can i tell from the puppy that it came from a puppy mill? did a protester tell the owner that he ‘deserves to be dead’? some people on this blog is saying that the USDA is horrible and some people are saying that they were there. if the USDA is licensing the breeders, then why would they protest the store? im confused. What if someone cant find a certain breed at the shelter? is it wrong of them to buy from a puppy store? what if someone doesnt have time to to look for a breeder and they decide to have the puppy store locate a breeder for them at a cost? is that wrong? i read that puppies were found in the dumpster behind puppy love, is that true? do we have any solid evidence against Puppy Love? Someone made a racial comment earlier about the store owner, is that okay? Im trying to make sense of all of this. please try to answer my questions. are everyone protesting again? when? why hasnt anyone protested the puppy store in hayward? its called By-Rite Pets.
September 28th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
WHY CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG. I bought a lil maltese from Puppy Love and they gave me the breeders number. I called the breeder and she said im more than welcome to check out her facility. I told her that people protested the store and that the puppies come from Hunt and Landbriar. She said that protesters are trouble makers. She said that she only has 3 dogs that she breeds in her home. She emailed me pictures. I am glad you protesters are concerned about the puppies, but i know for sure that not all the puppies come from puppy mills. I also know that owners go to San Francisco once a month to feed the dogs of the homeless. they are also a part of “feeding pets of the homeless” I looked it up. They are doing some thing right. When I first went there i saw fliers from rescue organizations. and they asked me if i have been to the animal shelter? so i know that they do support the Fremont Animal Shelter. Everything is good about them except what the protesters are saying, but I dont know if the protesters are being honest because the protester told me that Puppy Love uses bleach under the puppies eyes to remove staining from white puppies. I just took my dog on saturday night to a specialist and they said that bleach has not been used on my puppy.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
can we really shut down a puppy store? I heard that protesting puppy stores give them free advertising. Their sales go up cause unfortunately not everyone cares about us. I think we should all give up protesting and start promoting the rescues and the shelters. lets all use our valuable time to make a difference with the shelters. please give me feedback
September 28th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
When is the next protest? I hear that we cant be on the property next time? only at the sidewalk. was a parade permit necessary? can we specifically talk about Puppy Love? isnt it slander?
September 28th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I dont care what you freaks say, I like the store. I think you are all jealous. I was at the store on saturday and the protester with the short curly hair made a comment in front of me and my husband about the race of the owner. You are a racist and you should be protested! I also didnt like the fact that you harassed me when i was going into the store. I will file a report with the authorities on monday.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
i will file a complaint about you to the authorities on monday. The owner of the store was a witness. I didnt sleep all last night because of you.
September 28th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
If all the breeders from the midwest are puppy mills, than are all the people of the Middle East terrorists?
Im just saying……
There are lots and lots of great breeders in the Midwest….. And just so everyone knows, PENNSYLVANIA is the capitol of puppy mills not Missouri
September 28th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
# 17 Dannette,
I agree with you 100%. All puppies need good home. I support the Puppy store……I believe its not the puppy store thats getting all this attention, its the race of the owner. I have heard from different people that racist remarks were made to the owner…. including a death threat witnessed by my cousin who was there on friday night.
September 28th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
The economy is not slow at shelters and rescues, where they are overflowing with pets.
Shelters can only keep them 5 days, then they euthanise!
Why would anyone with heart BUY a dog, cat or bunny?
Also , it would be intereting or depressing to got to the puppy mill that provides this store without notice of course.
I promise you NO BREEDER SELLS TO A PET STORE…..they don’t need to.
A PUPPY MILL always does!
Now got to the Humane Society’s website,and learn the truth.
They have no reason to lie, unlike pet store. Be aware you will be shocked.
Sophie
September 28th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
No one should be supporting a store that sells puppies being churned out in inhumane conditions, until California stops euthanizing millions of dogs a year at the pound. People spend hundreds of dollars on a dog while wonderful, depserate-for-love, homeless dogs & puppies (& kittens) are being put to sleep at a cost of million$ to taxpayers - and by the way, these dogs are the same as at the pet stores. These innocent pups are at the pound only because humans abandoned them or their parents… To shop at a pet store is unnecessary & unconscionable.
September 28th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Hello Lupe
I am sure you are a nice perso but supporting puppy stores is supporting animal cruelty.
Please go to the store ask them for the exact breeder info.
Don’t call them ahead .
Show up at the so called breeder and tell us what you found.
Yes , they are puppy mills in Palmdale, Ca as well as Missouri and all over the mid-west….so sad.
Who do you think are they selling the dogs to?
Think people think a little…
Educate yourselves, not by asking Pet store employees that’s for sure.
Thanks for reading.
Sophie
September 28th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Jackie Hernandez actually the store owner in disguise. You must notice he only online when the store not open. I know him from last store he had close down on him.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Wow. Hernandez and friends are very upset with the protesters. This is a good thing. It means that the owners of the store have been forced on the defensive. No matter how they try to evade the issue with homeless people, they cannot prove their pups are NOT pet facotry pups. All pet store pups are from pet factories because no reputable breeder would sell to a pet shop.
A reputable breeder invites you into their home, they care as much as the customer does about the parents and the pups. They don’t want their dogs ending up in bad hands and pick and chose the new guardians. Pet stores on the other hand, do not care who they sell to. They are in it for the money. They SEEM nice because they are selling.
The margins for pet stores are egregious. The pups are bought for less than $200 and they sell them for up to $4000 in Beverly Hills. It depends on the neighborhood and what people in that neighborhood are willing to pay.
Reputable breeders only have a few dogs and don’t use them like machine parts. Their dogs are treated like pets and live in the home. These are called Hobby breeders. Hobby breeders are very proud of what they do and live with their pets in the home. I do not condone breeding at all, but recognize that there are reputable breeders. Adopting is the only ethical way to bring a dog into your home in my opinion but if you absolutely insist on buying, please do your homework and go to the home of the hobby breeder.
The commercial breeding facilities that pet shops get their “stock” or “supply” from are truly horrible places. The cages are stacked up to the ceiling, the dogs are freezing in winter and broiling in summer. They have 6 inches in front of them for life. They never get out of their prison ever. The cruelty is horrendous.
So when you buy from a pet shop, even if you buy a collar there or a leash, you are inadvertantly putting money into the hands of animal abusers.
Fact: pro-adoption anti puppy mill rallies work. Please watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyZdkCi-JzQ
If that link doesn’t work, please search “Posh Puppy store closed” on youtube.com.
A puppy mill front chain was closed after 5 1/2 months of a sustained truth campaign. There is a “for lease” sign in the window now instead of puppy mill pups.
The entire country is mobilized against puppy mill fronts, otherwise known as pet stores. There are protests in over 30 cities nation-wide. The movement is growing fast.
The protesters are expressing their constitutionally protected first amendment rights. The right to free speech is an American, patriotic right. Just as the store owners are allowed to say what they like. But they are NOT allowed to lie, which is why there is a class action law suit against Pets of Bel Air in L.A.
To say the dogs are not from puppy mills when they are is FRAUD. And this fraud can be easily proven with a simple investigation.
Bottom line? Commercial breeding facilities are NOT places you would want your dog to come from period. Wire cages for life. Dogs deserve better and the people who use these poor breeding dogs should get a cash crop that doesn’t scream.
Pet stores, it’s over. We all know the ugly truth. The curtain has lifted. Go to Oprah on line and see for yourself the ground swell movement. Google puppy mills and see the millions of articles, pages, testimony, ex inspectors talking etc.
It’s over. The economy will kill this ugly business and the truth will put the final nail in the coffin of this type of animal abuse. Reputable breeders agree with me on that.
ADOPT. Save a life and pet store apologists: Stop telling people to “get a life” when they are merely educating the public about the truth. The truth will win. Hearts and minds will follow.
Go to your local shelter, 20% of the dogs there are pure-bred dogs. There is one waiting for your love right now.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:20 am
It takes time for morality and ethics to seep into the population. People who buy dogs are simply unenlightened people. They think they love dogs because they love THEIR dog, but it takes a step up in empathy to think about that dog’s parent, living in a cage, unloved, for all of its life; being used, and abused, as a kind of nickel-slot machine for making merchadise, or “merchandogs” — the cute little puppies that play in the store windows of people who profit from pain.
Now, it is true that a puppy mill puppy is still a puppy and deserves a home, but here is the problem with buying that puppy: the money goes to reward the dealer, the pimp, the slave-trader. By giving money to the pet-producers you tell them that they should keep breeding; business is good! What you need to do is NOT buy that puppy, and when the pet store sends that un-sold puppy to the pound to be euthanized, you can go save him - he’ll love you all the more for it! You can even use some of the money you save on a store-bought dog to make a donation to the shelter system so they can keep abandoned and lost dogs longer before euthanizing them.
And if enough people stop buying dogs, and instead adopt dogs from the shelter system and rescue organizations, then the puppy mill business will dry up and stop. And the cruelty and misery they create will stop, too.
Lessening cruelty and misery and unhappiness in the world should be the overall goal. You can alleviate misery by helping a homeless person; you can alleviate misery by helping to end the puppy mill business and, guess what, you can do BOTH. Helping dogs does not mean that people are not being helped, too, at the same time and often by the same people. (It is true that people who start off in life torturing animals end up killing people, and people who start life loving animals usually love peope, too.)
Some of you could help the homeless AND help dogs very easily if you would simply NOT BUY a dog but adopt one, and then give the money you save…wait for it… here it comes… to the homeless! In fact, isn’t it actually very cruel, even obscene, for someone who cares about the homeless on Sundays to turn around on Monday and spend thousands of dollars on a puppy? Why give the homeless some spare change “out of your own pocket” on Sundays, when you could make a donation of thousands of dollars to a homeless SHELTER when you adopt a dog at a SHELTER instead of buying one at a puppy mill front/pet store?
Instead of vilifying protesters whose aim is to reduce the suffering of defenseless animals, maybe you should be welcoming them to the larger goal of making the earth a more pleasant and happy place to live… unless you’re really just a selfish little shit who wants what she wants and the quarters you give bums are just a way of buying off your guilt… which could be the case, too, I don’t know, I’ve never “applied” for a “PHD”. (Or maybe you meant PhD, in which case, in what? In what field did you ‘apply’ to get a doctoral degree? And where did you make your ‘application’, the DmV?)
September 29th, 2008 at 6:44 am
RESPONSIBLE BREEDERS DO NOT SELL TO PET STORES-There is no money in it for them. Pet stores are really good at lying to the public it’s amazing how stupid people are. These puppies are mass produced, Landbriar is a puppy mill, are the puppies delivered in a truck, why don’t you people wait for the delivery and check it out yourselves. It’s all about greed people, the mark up on these puppies is a lot, they are a cash crop. Don’t worry the puppies will always get rescued and you won’t be putting money into greedy people’s hands. Save a life, get some good karma. Puppies aren’t products!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:06 am
The sad truth behind the friendly facade of pet stores is that there often lies a USDA licensed 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, OH (statistics provided by the 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!
It is my firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect - not to mention the consumer fraud - connected with “dealing dogs”, pet stores will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Hello everyone.
I have just happened on this blog, I know from the news here in L.A that 2 pets stores have been closed after protesters picketted for a few weeks.
It was I believe Posh Puppy (Beverly Hills) and another store (can’t remember name).
They are also showing another group at Pets Of Bel Air.
So I guess it must be true about the puppy mill.
To the Jackie person, who are you?
Are you the only one who doesn’t watch the news or Oprah?????
Sylvie
September 29th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Hey Jackie,
I just read you first post, you sound pretty good!
Please provide me with the name of the breeder they gave you and the location.
I am a flight attendant , so it’s free for me to fly there anyway .
Thanks so much
Sylvie
September 29th, 2008 at 9:24 am
why isnt anyone answering me?????
is it okay for the owner to be in business if he buys from local breeders? What if he has a “meet the breeder” day at the store so that everyone knows its not a puppy mill? How do we even know for sure that he gets them from puppy mills? are we just assuming? does every breeder in the midwest have a puppy mill? how can i tell from the puppy that it came from a puppy mill? did a protester tell the owner that he ‘deserves to be dead’? some people on this blog is saying that the USDA is horrible and some people are saying that they were there. if the USDA is licensing the breeders, then why would they protest the store? im confused. What if someone cant find a certain breed at the shelter? is it wrong of them to buy from a puppy store? what if someone doesnt have time to to look for a breeder and they decide to have the puppy store locate a breeder for them at a cost? is that wrong? i read that puppies were found in the dumpster behind puppy love, is that true? do we have any solid evidence against Puppy Love? Someone made a racial comment earlier about the store owner, is that okay? Im trying to make sense of all of this. please try to answer my questions. are everyone protesting again? when? why hasnt anyone protested the puppy store in hayward? its called By-Rite Pets.
September 29th, 2008 at 9:27 am
what if they are not buying from Lambriar or hunte? does that make them legit? im asking because i saw a breeder who hand delivered two small poodles to them.
September 29th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I heard you freaks are now protesting BEN and JERRYS Ice cream. I know the economy is really slow right now, but i believe walmart Hiring. that way you guys can do something positive in your lives. DO you guys have solid proof that puppy love buys from puppy mills????? I didnt think so!
September 29th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Don’t believe everything you see on Oprah. She probably supports the terrorist group known as PETA.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:08 am
IF YOU BREED THEM PEOPLE WILL BUY
It’s a sad fact - the person who walks into a store that sells these cute little puppies does not care who their Mommy or Daddy was or how they lived. They don’t care that they will be forced to breed until they are worn out and then be tossed into the shelter system like tomorrows garbage.
All they see is bright eyed, wiggly puppy-ready to lick their face, and until we have better oversight of the breeders - THAT IS ENFORCABLE - we, as rescuers have an insurmountable job of cleaning up the mess the breeders leave behind - the throwaways that they no longer want.
Ask the 2 adorable 5 year old Maltese females residing in my living room right now - their teeth are rotting out of their heads from lack of care or fresh water, but heck - they are still pretty cute!!
September 29th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Yes, you’re right, PETA are terrorists. Sarah Palin represents family values and is the reform candidate. Spaying and neutering laws are socialism; nobody should tell you what to do with your “property.” You’re doing stuff for the animals? What about people? Everybody is protesting everything these days. People who own stores that sell puppies are nice, decent people just trying to make an honest living. Protesters are jealous or they’re lesbians. Did I leave out any more brilliance?
And FYI: Jackie Hernandez, we didn’t ask you to do anything. Most of us don’t live in your town, but we do know an awful lot more about Puppy Love than you apparently do.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Also, my apologies to the moderator.
September 29th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I bought a dog from this store a few months ago and I do not regret buying her at all. She is healthy, energetic and she makes me happy. I had wanted a mini Schnauzer for months and when I wandered into Puppy Love Boutique one day and saw that they had one, I couldn’t resist and I bought her on the spot.
I wasn’t aware of puppy mills and their bad treatment of animals when I bought my dog. Now I am reading all of this and I feel very sad at the idea that my puppy might have come from a place as horrible as some of you described in your comments. I do not, however, feel that I should be villainized. I had no idea about any of this when I bought my dog, but I still do not regret buying her. Now that I am aware of all this, perhaps my next dog will be from a shelter. I do have to say, though, that Puppy Love Boutique treats their puppies well and does not use bleach on their eyes, throw unwanted puppies into the trash or any of the other ridiculous things some fo you are coming up with.
I wonder, have any of you ever thought about protesting at the puppy mills?
Oh, and KEVIN ROONEY, you obviously don’t know anything about the way university degrees work. You actually DO NEED TO APPLY TO BE ACCEPTED IN A PhD program!!!
I LOVE it when people try to be smart asses and they end up making a complete fool out of themselves. So please Kevin, google “PhD applications” or “applying for a PhD program”.
September 29th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
“How about a store where you can buy a puppy in pirate gear? Sounds like a winner to me.”
Wait, I got it. I pirate-themed steakhouse where you can bring your dog in with you to enjoy a meal.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Dogs have cute faces, but we can’t eat them. It’s not socially acceptable. Pigs (except for Babe) are ugly as hell, so we eat them. Plus, they probably taste better then dogs. So at what point should we, as a society, really care about a Pug Bitch locked in a cage, pumping out litters twice a year? To me, it doesn’t seem as bad as being in the pulled pork sandwich I ate this weekend. It’s bad, and should change, but it’s not that bad and could be much worse (yum). It’s all about perspective.
Personally, I’m much more worried about children in Africa. My personal views and donations reflect that. Yea, the dogs are much cuter then naked kids with kwashiorkor, but the kid still wins.
I try to buy free range if available, but it’s not a big deal if I can’t. I know it’s not humane, but that’s how the world works right now. Naivety does not warrant disrespect. I think the protesting should be done in a educated positive manor. People do not respond to angry, aggressive, or condescending protests. Unfortunately, for “the cause” most people arguing against “puppy mills” on this forum have explain themselves with condescending tones and sounds very preachy and/or bitter. This is not productive at all.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I have read all of the comments and now wish to make one of my own. Our group, or actually we are several groups (some national) who love animals and want them not to live their lives in misery, have one goal…we want to inform the public as to the cruelty that goes on in mass breeding, commercial puppy mills. We would love if Joey and his partner would be willing to sell rescue puppies instead like Andy’s Pet Store in San Jose… they used to sell mill dogs and the new owner only sells rescue and from hobby breeders…we would rally for them.
I do wish to thank the readers who are so supportive of our efforts and know that none of our people said any of the negative statements that were quoted in some of the other comments.
I, and I think I can speak for others groups who were there with us deplore violence, racism and that we do not condone any kind of defamation. Our mission is: to inform the public about the ethical choice to adopt rather than buy a companion animal and that pet stores routinely sell puppy mill dogs who are kept in in humane conditions and used as breeding machines.
This store does not buy it’s puppies directly from puppy mills, they buy them from Hunte Corporation and Lambriar, two brokers for puppy mills. Private breeders do not use these brokers for their puppies. Good, private breeders are careful about where their dogs go and certainly don’t want them riding in a truck for several thousand miles without circulating air and piled high on each other for that trip. Even if the dog was healthy when it left the mill, chances are, with so many dogs all in one place without air circulation, will be sick when it arrives. Why would anyone want to pay premium dollar for a dog with such beginnings?
September 29th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
DEAD DOG IN THE DUMPSTER BEHIND PUPPY LOVE??? i read that protesters are saying that there were dead puppies in the dumpster behind the store. they even said that the FREMONT POLICE knew about them… well i called the police department and the shelter and its not true. All lies!! call the Fremont Shelter for yourselves. (510) 790-6640
September 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
What a bunch of unorganized oprah-bots. She must be the hero behind all these ridiculous entries here. Darlene, you should be investigated and held accountable for the obscene mob you created with all these “our way” protester drones. The topic had merit…until you created all this. If you had any charecter, you would go after the source and quit making a scene at the symptom. Go climb a tree and take your dumpster muffins with you please.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
thanks you “protesting protesters”!!! I agree with you all the way. you should call the animal shelter and investigate to see if they really do throw dead puppies in the trash. i did and it was all a bunch of BS.
September 29th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
No one should be buying or breeding dogs or cats until the SHELTER CAGES ARE EMPTY. Bottom line is that they are killing 15 million companion animals in our shelters every year. People these are living beings with feelings not the latest designer handbag. Please have a heart don’t buy pets in pet stores or the internet it’s the only way these concentration camps for dogs will go out of business. Pet Boutiques do just fine financially without selling animals!
September 29th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I agree with Alex!! If you guys eat dairy or meat products that are not free-range then you are hypocrites!!!
You know, some of us actually WANT pure breed dogs.
September 29th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
we need more people like you, Vanessa Ivanos, who speak about how they feel. I like pure breed dogs. I have the right to a pure breed if i choose. You cant always find what you want at the shelter. freedom of choice!! why arent you people protesting LUCKYS for selling dead animal meat….. cuz you eat meat! Hypocrites
September 29th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
This response is for Manuela…. This isn’t about villanizing, it’s about educating and informing so people stop making mistakes in the future.. it is happening … Puppy stores will be as popular as cassette tapes or even 8 Tracks..not cool!…. The puplic has become aware of this dirty little secret. We all know where These puppies come from and the horrific life their mommies are living… Their mommies never went for a walk…never been touched or pet, never played with a toy and sometimes can’t even turn around in their cages. There feet sit on wire cage bottoms and become splayed…most puppy mill dogs cannot walk or stand if they somehow are rescued. They are in cages in all temperatures, 105 degree heat and 5 below zero…. they are never washed or brushed and their skin pulls with mats and they are in pain from ticks and fleas they don’t even have the room to try to bite off of them. Everyone who buys a dog at a pet store keeps these dogs in this condition.
To answer your question, As more and more people learn the truth, more and more people are adopting soon there will be no puppy stores….when that happens, there will be no more puppy mills….It’s a matter of supply and demand.. it is just around the corner…. Hollywood is supporting no more puppy stores..most stars quit buying and started adopting. Two stores are gone… read about it here and there is a class action suit against the third one… read about it here…..
http://www.knbc.com/news/17431886/detail.html?rss=la&psp=news
Puppy stores will all be gone soon… So, if you want to be “HOT”, Adopt!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
There are many pure breed dogs in shelters and rescue. There are many breed specific rescues so you can get any kind of pure breed dog you wish.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Darlena,
It is obvious that you are dealing with a bunch of selfish, uneducated and stubborn fools who are too lazy and too greedy to look past their own selfish existence. (I’ll refer to them as the Hernandez Group)…Just keep up your message, the majority of Fremont is on your side, and the majority of the comments on this blog are on your side. It will always take time to change the last stubborn few…That’s what happens when you deal with stupidity. Animals suffer. What can I say? Thanks for your hard work, Darlena, and the work of the other protesters.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Manuela, the only people we could hand leaflets to at a puppy mill are the Hunte Corporation drivers. Protests of puppy mills is in the form of what you can see at http://www.youtube.com when you search for “puppy mills”
(Even the Hunte corp isn’t that bad. They neared the limit of 1,000 lbs of dog remains per acre, so they built a new incinerator to take care of the problem.)
September 29th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Darlena,
How about you talk to the owner and see iff he can get his puppies from different breeders? I know they support thye shelter because they have fliers they give to cusotmers about the importance of visinting the shelter before purchasing a puppy
September 29th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Ok. Not sure why some of you folks like Dr. Hernandez keep changing the subject. We can call you Dr. or Doc, I presume? Unless you want us to wait until after the application process is completed. Interesting that you know the education level of each and every person on here and assume that you’re more educated…which is also interesting since by the time someone makes it to graduate school they would normally have completed at least one course in logic. Now as far as the comment about it being ok to slaughter pigs because they’re “ugly” and about us protesters eating meat…I can speak for myself, I don’t eat meat. And many of us who are fighting puppy mills know that animal cruelty is unacceptable no matter what kind of animal it is. As a matter of fact, myself and many other people who are fighting puppy mills helped gather the signatures that got Prop 2 on this November’s ballot. Not sure if Alex is from California, but Prop 2 will eliminate some of the cruel confinement on California factory farms. It will ban veal crates, gestation crates for pregnant pigs and battery cages for chickens which don’t allow them to even spread their wings for a year up until slaughter. Hopefully it will pass in every state. Now back to the issue at hand. As far as dumping dead dogs, etc. that sounds a little fabricated, but why do you continue to dispute that these dogs are from horrendous puppy mills? The evidence is there. These puppies are mostly sickly and you will start to find this out after the store is open for a while. The dogs are being pumped with antibiotics so they can look healthy for the nice customers while they frolic in their glass cages that they enjoy so much. And the reason people don’t protest at the puppy mills (which Dr. Hernandez should have figured out by now) is that the puppy mills are usually in the Midwest in rural areas under the radar, that’s why they exist. Protesters need to be out there educating the public, and where should they do it? At pet stores where the people are there to pay $1500 for a sickly dog with “papers” that they think will somehow validate their own self-worth. Now please stop trying to shoot the messengers. We should all band together to fight puppy mills…except Dr. Hernandez…she wants a pure breed puppy and to help the homeless.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
freedom of choice! thats what i say. If i want to buy from a petstore with my hard earned money, then good for me. why dont you guys protest luckys? they actually sell dead animals? lets protest all the fast food restaurants too!!
September 29th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Oh! I just saw the PhD comment from Hernandez! “I just applied to medical school, so I’m qualified to be a doctor now, and I’m much more educated than all of you”…Oh, the stupidity! Poor puppies…
September 29th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Melissa, You know what the difference is between you and Darlene? She is polite yet firm with her message and you are a just a very rude, obnoxious woman.
I also don’t get why you are picking on Jackie. I’m pretty sure she has taken a course on logic. I’ve taken several courses on logic and am currently working on my MBA. I consider myself to be a decently educated and think it’s amusing that you don’t understand that people can be educated AND have an opinion or perspective that is different from yours.
I, too, dislike the idea that those puppies are coming from puppy mills. How sure are we, though, that those puppies are coming from puppy mills? Do any of you have actual proof? And if you do, how can you just ruin the owner’s business without giving him any chance to repair the mistakes he has made (if he has made any?) The economy is in a bad state and I think it is sad that you would all be so eager to ruin things for the owners of this new business at such a bad time. Why not express your concerns in a way that is not threatening, rude or negative and sit down with him and give him suggestions on how to make his business better? Perhaps he could start going through reputable breeders for pure-bred puppies… or feature a different rescued pet every week, or offer adoption services for sheltered animals in addition to what he is already doing.
I honestly feel that with the exception of Darlene, the rest of you are being really disrespectful and offensive, especially the men on here… for example, this Jim Haberdash person and the Hoover guy who called Jackie a “little shit”. I mean, how old are we here? 13?
September 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Oops.. I meant Rooney, not Hoover!
And Jim, please show me the post in which Jackie talks about going to medical school? A Doctorate degree does not literally mean becoming a doctor (as in a medical practitioners)
September 29th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Darlene King has once again missed the point completely. You have created a “mob rules” situation in the heart of a town you decided to call home. The topic of mass “toy dog” breeding where abuse is obvious sickens the heart of anyone who is decent and it needs to be addressed. What sucks is that an oprah episode platform help spark a mob (organized by you) at a local business where your people reported everything from dead dogs in a dumpster to bleach being used in eyes to racist comments aginst the owners. I dont need to claim I was there to know this happened. These are all calling cards of protesters no matter what issue is. Again, you make a convienent scene at a “possible symptom” instead of going to the source of the problem. If you are really true to your cause, its time you un-inflate your ego from this s**t storm you have created for this local business and its patrons and carefully select allies to travel to where the farms reside and the the problem is born. I wonder if you actually care about what impact this has had. You have not gained or solved anything. You have made a spectacle and that was your motive. You have missed your mark. I strongly suggest you re-think your plan of action (and screen your narrow minded mob) before something erupts out of your control.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
That would be a course IN logic.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Ok, Melissa…. how many languages do you speak? I am the first to admit that my English isn’t great, but it is not my first language. My first language is actually Romanian, but I am also fluent in Russian, Spanish and French. You can make fun of the mistakes I make when I am typing in a hurry, but it doesn’t bother me because I KNOW that I am educated even if I make a mistake from time to time, or if I have an accent.
Now I’m starting to think that maybe you people really are racist..
September 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
thank you ‘protesting protester’
Leave the business alone, you extremist!
September 29th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
By the way, you actually COULD say ” a course on logic”. It may sound a little awkward, I guess, but it is correct.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
What it looks like Jim was trying to say (which us rude, narrow-minded people I’m sure understood) is that you can “apply” for something, but it doesn’t mean you’re gonna get it. And of course she never did any such thing, so let’s stop the nonsense.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I see you’re having a lot of fun with this, Melissa.
I’m pretty sure that if Jackie has already gotten her Master’s, there is a high likelihood that she will be accepted in a PhD program. I don’t see how you can just assume that she isn’t, just because she doesn’t agree with you.
I respect Darlene, and I respect the cause of trying to bring a halt to the cruelty found in puppy mills, but I do NOT respect the way you are all going about this. You all seem to have way too much time on your hands. Don’t you have a job Melissa? Or other hobbies? You have been on here ALL DAY!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Close the subject. The supporters of the protest have taken this to a level that should no longer be visable. The topic no longer means a thing. Shut it down.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Also, a lot of these protesters do not even live in Fremont! They are not part of our community, so why are they pretending to be by posting on here? I don’t get it.
One thing is for sure, they are having way too much fun on here, so I think I am going to go read a book or something and let them have fun, since it seems like they have nothing better to do.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Hi Everyone
The passion here has been inspiring. So inspiring that I thought I’d share my love for bonsai kittens. Albeit, I have not had the fortune to take up the poetic balance of ancient tradition, modern art, life and science that is bonsai kitten. Regardless, I am deeply touched by it and thought I’d share. Please enjoy!
http://zealcorp.com/bonsaikitten/bnw.html
http://zealcorp.com/bonsaikitten/gray.html
September 29th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
when i saw the protest, i felt as if i was at a 49ers game. the protesters were having the time of their lives. The were chatting and having snacks. They really do need to find another hobby
September 29th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
How many protesters have been showing up, out of curiosity? Couldn’t they get in trouble for loitering and harrassment?
September 29th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
there was about 20-25…. they dont care about harassment and loitering. cops tried to remove them, but the protesters were being difficult.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
As I said before, there is NO law against peaceful protest. And by the way, Vanessa, I think you know what I meant, unless you are as dense as Hernandez, which is very, very likely.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu_qW8w-2Ug
September 30th, 2008 at 12:26 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQqjebOgPvE
I like what Kevin Rooney said. It’s unconscionable to buy a dog for over $1000 when you could behave ethically and adopt a dog, thereby saving a life and give the money you save to a charity of your choice.
Darlene, you are supported by millions of people. The HSUS has 10 million members who think exactly the way you do. Don’t listen to the preposterous and melodramatic grunts of the unenlightened and callous.
The link between puppy mills and pet stores is so well documented, there have been SO many investigations, there is so much proof, there have been so many USDA inspectors who have spoken out and so many whistle blowers from the pet industry who have spilled the beans, there is no longer any excuse for ignorance on this issue.
You might not have the empathy to understand Darlene’s mission but please read the first Amendment in our constitution to understand the legality of Darlene’s mission.
I understand that the pet store owner is upset about this and might even actually believe that Lambriar and Hunte are “good” brokers. But he is wrong and he should check that out himself to make sure that his pups come from hobby breeders. He needs to take the trip to Missouri and see for himself. I’m certain that he would stop using these brokers once he does some research.
As far as the freedom of choice goes: What if you knew that your shoes were being made by children in Indonesia, for example (like the Nike shoes were). Would you rant about your freedom of choice? I think not. But because we are talking about parent dogs, really low on the priority list for some of you, you think you can place your freedom of choice before the constant suffering of breeding dogs. It’s an indefensibly selfish and callous position.
All you have to do to find a purebred dog is to go on petfinder.com. These dogs get abandoned a lot you know, and the rescue orgs are full of purebred dogs waiting for a good home.
There is choice, lots of it and there is also the choice to live an ethical life by choosing to adopt, rather than to put money into the hands of the pet trade.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:48 am
First of all I have 3 dogs rescued from the shelter, one is a rare breed called a XOLO, the other is a purebred chihuahua and a terrier mix. My sister rescued a Japanese chin, purebred poodle rescued as a puppy from the shelter, she was dumped by a BREEDER because she wasn’t white enough, she just rescued a 4 pound purebred Yorkie rescued from a puppy mill in Lancaster, CA that had 400 dogs living in stacked cages in trailers. Yes and for the record most people who believe in the cause of shutting down puppy mills and starting with the puppy mill fronts that sell their puppies are vegans and believe all animals have feelings and rights to not SUFFER!
September 30th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Wow… why do you guys keep insulting each other’s intelligence, Jim? I have to say that I agree with Vanessa when she says that there is such a thing as being intelligent and educated and having a different opinion.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:11 am
I’m a raw foodist, Carole (vegan rawfoodist, at that!) and I deeply care about animals. However, I think you should all consider the way you are approaching this. Have you not watched the news? Have you not seen how difficult things are for small business right now?
You should all be offering to help the owner, since you guys all know so much. You call this a “peaceful protest”, yet everyone on here is being incredibly offensive.
I think there is a solution to this that will benefit your cause AND benefit the owner of this store, but you are all so stubborn that all you guys can think of is shutting him down. It’s pretty sad, actually.
September 30th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Marla, since you called me out by name, I will respond to you. We, in the humane movement, are not anti- business at all. We would like all pet stores to go humane and sell only accessories and supplies, not live animals.
Are you actually asking me if I watch the news? Not only do I watch it, I often make the news, sometimes am on the news, I write news and I report news.
You don’t seem to be able so far to come up with any solutions to ameliorate the lives of dogs in mills, to quell the mill business or to help the animal protection movement. How is offering to “help the owner of a store” who is enriching himself from the anguish of breeding dogs going to help the humane movement? Am I offending you? Good. With your preposterous idea, you should be offended.
Stick up for the animals, the animal protectors and the right to free speech instead of this store.
And please, don’t call me out again because I’ll have to offend you for real.
September 30th, 2008 at 8:41 am
We want these pet stores to go HUMANE that is all that is the only way puppy mills will go out of business. There are plenty fancy pet boutiques that sell accessories and food that do quite well, and don’t have to make money off of the misery of these dogs. I will say it again, I have a puppy mill survivor whose belly has been cut open so many times for her puppies because they wanted her to keep breeding, her teeth were rotten due to drinking water out of a rabbit feeder (she still doesn’t understand it’s O.K. to drink out of a nice bowl). She goes in circles because she was confined to a small cage. When you buy a puppy in a pet store you are supporting animal cruelty. Carole Raphaelle knows the facts!
September 30th, 2008 at 9:18 am
“I think you should all consider the way you are approaching this. Have you not watched the news? Have you not seen how difficult things are for small business right now?”
I was addressing all of you, not just you, Carole. You took it waaaaaay too personally.
I agree 100% with you on the fact that puppy mills should be shut down and that pet stores should not buy animals from them. However, I think the way you (note: plural, not singular, Carole) are going about this is really negative.
As for your reporter status… based on what I saw after running a search on google, it looks like you are just another blogger suffering from delusions of grandeur.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Also, last time I checked, referring to yourself in the third person wasn’t considered cool.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:36 am
when is the next protest? should i bring out my bbq grill
September 30th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Okay, everyone, I did a little research of my own. Please read what Carole has posted on her website:
“I want you to count to ten before buying a puppy. The real reason you are buying a puppy is not a good reason. Did you choose all of your good friends when they were infants? Do you think you need to pick your friends when they are drooling, pooping-in-their-pants infants? Or do you pick out your friends because you like them and you feel good about them? Aren’t most of the friends you’ve made grown adults?
Does the fact that you didn’t know your best friends when they weren’t even able to hold up their own head impede your friendship in any way at all? Really, did you meet your good friend and say, “ooh! How cute that drooling toothless bald little girl is! Wow! That little baby with poop-filled diapers is going to help me move. I can’t wait ‘til we can hang out together and I can tell her all about my problems with my job, my marriage and my middle-age crisis!”
For every puppy bought at the store, there is another one just like him at the pound, just months older, getting ready to say goodbye to the world. Why? The answer is simple and sad. Because the person paying $1500 at a pet shop for a puppy mill Bichon Frisé won’t go to the pound and rescue one.
If you or someone you know is thinking of buying a pooping, whining, peeing, chewing, screaming, crying, fidgeting, destroying-everything-in-the-house, little furry creature this holiday season, please consider adopting an adult pet.
You want a designer dog ? No problem. The shelters and rescue organizations are full of them. PETFINDER.COM can help you find even the rarest of breeds. You can probably find a Brussels Griffin or a Briard within your zip code. Every single breed of dog is a click away. Plus, on PETFINDER.COM, you get individual stories about the pets, like where they came from and why or how they ended up in foster homes or at a shelter. Many of the foster care-givers know a lot about the personality of the animal and how he interacts with others, including children. You can even go and meet the animal with your other pets or your children to see how they all get along.
The fact is you simply know more about an animal when you meet him as an adult. You actually don’t know what you’re getting in a puppy. All you know at eight weeks old is what it might look like. And looks shouldn’t be a criterion for picking a best friend anyway. We don’t pick our friends for their looks do we? Well, maybe in Hollywood…
Be logical. You can interview an adult person to get a sense if he is intelligent, well adjusted, mentally normal and friendly. You can get a feeling if he is a thief or a liar or a murderer. You can’t interview a ten-week old baby. You have no idea if that baby will grow up to rob you and burn your house down. Using the same logic, you can interview an adult dog. You can get a sense of his personality, if he seems well adjusted, mentally normal, intelligent, open or friendly. You know he won’t rob you and burn your house down. You can’t interview a puppy. Every puppy has only two wriggling motivations—worming its squirmy little cuteness to the food and then emptying it out at the other end.”
Carole, does this sort of “logic” apply to adopting human babies as well? Should we befriend homeless adults and take them into our homes?
I know you’re probably getting really upset and getting ready to write some dramatic, defensive retort to all of this, but let me just remind you that I actually believe in your cause. I am simply playing devil’s advocate because I think you are a typical Hollywood megalomaniac… Just because you have been an extra on a few TV shows and played a minor character on Sex and the City, your opinion is not more valuable than any of ours.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
i still want to know why one of the protesters (teresa c) made up lies about dead dogs in the trash and bleach being used on the puppies! She even said that Fremont police was aware of it. The Police Department and the fremont animal shelter said that she lied. Why would you protesters lie about everything. Why dont you guys go away from our community. You guys arent from here and you are not welcome.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Hi, Marla,
I just wanted to drop you a message. First, intelligence has to actually exist for me to insult it. Second, if you are going to join a discussion this late in the game, please read ALL of the posts. You’ll see that Hernandez and her cronies started calling the folks on here who are against puppy mills and animal cruelty (that includes you, Marla, if what you said is true) “pathetic losers who should get a life”. If you look at my first post, I in fact tried to educate these saps with the facts about the animals that are murdered in shelters every day, and the tens of thousands that reach an even worse fate of ending up in research laboratories.
There is NO way to help the owner of this store. He is probably as stubborn and uneducated as Hernandez. People that are involved in the proliferation of animal cruelty for the purpose of money, and that includes ANY animal enterprise, from pet stores, to circuses, to factory farms, etc. will often not look past the $$$ to the cruelty that they are perpetuating. The only way to alleviate this is to educate the public, which is what these protesters are trying to do.
September 30th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Jim, I totally agree with you and actually appreciate the message you sent me.
I just thought I’d throw the idea of helping out the owner out there because I thought maybe he simply wasn’t aware that the places he is getting his puppies from are puppy mills. If he has known the whole time and is completely unwilling to do anything about it, then that is pretty sad…
September 30th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
EVERYONE READ
I WENT TO SEE THE STORE OWNER AND HE HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT HUNTE AND LANBRIAR WAS ALL ABOUT. HE ONLY GOT 1 ORDER FROM EACH OF THEM WHEN HE FIRST OPENED THE STORE. HE HAS NOT ORDERED FROM THEM SINCE. HE IS DEALING WITH BREEDERS DIRECTLY. HE EVEN HAD A FLIGHT ITENIRARY TO GO AND VISIT THE BREEDERS HIMSELF. HE IS FLYING OUT AT THE END OF OCTOBER. HE IS TAKING A VIDEO CAMERA WITH HIM TO SHOW RECORDING OF THE BREEDERS KENNELS AND HOMES. HE IS EVEN WILLING TO TAKE ONE OF THE PROTESTERS WITH HIM. WHO WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO GO??? HE WILL PAY FOR ALL EXPENSES. HE IS A REALLY NICE GUY!! HE SAID THAT WHOMEVER WANTS TO GO CAN CALL HIM AT THE STORE. HIS NAME IS JOEY. PHONE NUMBER IS 510-792-2237..
October 1st, 2008 at 2:14 am
Monica…
No good breeder sends their dogs by way of mail or truck to another state for sale. No matter whom he is buying his puppies from….they are puppy mill dogs. If Joey really wants to be a successful store owner and will give up buying puppies, we will be happy to work with him and even promote his business nationally as a terrific store that went from puppy mill dogs to rescue dogs…. he would be a hero! There are many great pet store that specialize in accessories, food, doggie gates, etc. If he adds rescued dogs with the help of a rescue group, he would have a great store.
If he is serious about wanting to make this change, we would be happy to meet with him and assist him in any way that we could.
Please ask Joey to submit a comment on this board to let us know we wants to talk. We can then set up a meeting time.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:34 am
Monica, you really should have taken the time to read about puppy mills before getting on here and defending Joey ’cause he’s a nice guy. There are plenty of pet stores throughout California with nice owners like Joey who just happen to ship their puppies in from those same “private” breeders in the midwest. Rather than buy from private local breeders, they would rather just get them from private breeders halfway across the country, sure that’s understandable. And Robert Valdez, you really need to start googling puppy mills instead of the bios of people who are trying to shut them down. And if you actually do believe in Carole’s cause, that makes you all the more pathetic. Your twisted analogy would make sense if humans were crammed into wire cages for life and forced to breed over and over. Jackie is just plain dumb, what’s your excuse? Maybe you can relate to the breeding over and over, but the dogs don’t ask for it. The only conclusion one would come to from your post is that Google is dangerous in the hands of a resentful hick. You sound like a reasonably intelligent guy, so why not use your research to do something productive instead of throw jabs at those who are trying to do something good in the world? Reminds me of the Republican Convention, just a bunch of mean, thoughtless people jumping on a bandwagon trying to paint the good guys as the bad ones. Except you guys aren’t nearly as good. If you had any brains you would by now have figured out that the puppy mill/pet store industry is a sham and you would call it a day (lord knows you would never get off your asses and do anything about it), so instead you have to keep getting on here trying to slam the protesters by topping each other’s insensitivity and stupidity.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Even with proof staring her straight in the face, Darlene King (in the middle of the night) still posts her BS and has the gall to request the business owner to meet with her ON HER TERMS. Monica, congrats for going to the source and digging for the truth…something king lacks the decency to do before lighting her ego bonfire.
Monica, you have the facts, walk away from these people and show your true charecter by not looking back. Have a great day.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I will repeat myself RESPONSIBLE BREEDERS DO NOT SELL TO PET STORES! There is no money in it for them, the only way pet stores get their puppies is from dog factories. A friend of mine met a woman who bought a puppy and said my dog is from a breeder in Kansas, my friend says why don’t you research and see exactly where the dog came from, she called her back ashamed and upset that it was true her puppy was from a puppy mill and the pet store lied. Why put money into these people hands that use animals for their greed, have a heart people and go to the shelters. In these slow economic times why would you want to spend thousands and perhaps get a sick dog or support animal cruelty. The pound dogs will love you just as much!
October 1st, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Monica, Joey? In these tough economic times, why not save the plane fare.
If you give us the names of the breeders that provide your puppies, we will see what we can find out.
Joey, you could post the breeders information in your store window, right below the Puppy Mill leaflet.
Any one who purchased a puppy could provide the breeder information. It could only help your cause, right?
October 1st, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Unfortunately, both of you, pure breeders and puppy mill folks have created a problem. Thanks to spaying and nuetering, there are very few places to get a puppy left. Breeders and stores are able to charge a small fortune because there are not many other options available. The pound is also expensive to adopt an animal, but one must be cautious because you don’t know why a dog was dropped off at the pound. You don’t want to bring a dog home with kids, who is not good with kids as an example. Obviously, folks think puppies grow with you, and are easier to train, but of course they don’t all work out either. The last dog I picked out from the pound had worms, despite being checked by the vet. Curable, of course, but what a mess. And how could the pound have missed this? The parent who wants to have a pet and is not able to spend spend spend is very limited today.