Michigan Pet Stores Linked to
“Horrible Hundred” Breeder List
Five on
the HSUS’s list of problem puppy mills sold puppies to Petland
and The Family Puppy
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 17, 2013
CONTACT: Pam Sordyl, (734) 718-7100,
pmamichinfo@yahoo.com
Novi, Mich. – Puppy Mill Awareness
of Southeast Michigan announced today that two Michigan pet stores receive
puppies from substandard breeding facilities listed in a recent report by the
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in May. In May, The HSUS’s “Horrible
Hundred” report lists 100 problem puppy mills, based on the conditions
documented in publicly available inspection reports and on evidence obtained
during HSUS research and investigations. According to interstate transport
records, Petland in Novi and The Family Puppy in several east Michigan locations received puppies from five of the
breeders on that list between 2009 and 2012.
“Michigan consumers need to know where these puppies are
coming from,” said Pam Sordyl, founder of Puppy Mill Awareness of Southeast
Michigan. “The cute displays in pet stores don’t tell the whole story—that those
sweet puppies may have come from horrific conditions in a puppy mill far away.”
Petland is located in The
Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. The Family Puppy pet store operates five
locations in the Detroit Metro area: Genesee Valley Center in Flint, Fountain Walk in Novi, Green
Oak Village Place in Brighton, Macomb Mall in Roseville, and Oakland Mall in Troy.
The Family Puppy received shipments of puppies from
Marlin Bontrager of Rome City, Indiana a large-scale breeder. Shipping almost
250 puppies to The Family Puppy stores in 2011, made him the largest single
supplier to the pet store chain. Bontrager made the Horrible Hundred list after
multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including repeat
veterinary violations.
Petland Novi received shipments from four of the
Horrible Hundred puppy mills between 2009 and 2012:
o Darlene and Charlene Koster/Rainbow
Ranch Kennel in Minneapolis, Kansas: Received an official warning from the
USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
o Kimberly Coleman/TLC’s Kennel in Clinton, Missouri: Fined $8,250 by the USDA for
violations of the Animal Welfare Act
o Ervin Raber/Golden View Kennels of
Baltic, Ohio: Cited for “Potentially Devastating” violations of the
Animal Welfare Act for the presence of zoonotic disease and sick and injured
dogs.
o
Daniel Schlabach/Evergreen Designer LLC in Charm, Ohio: Cited for several violations of the
Animal Welfare Act.
The case of a puppy from
the last breeder on the above list, Daniel Schlabach/Evergreen Designer LLC of
Charm, Ohio, demonstrates the hereditary health problems often
associated with puppy mill dogs. In 2011, newlyweds Rod and Lindsey Rebhan
purchased an Australian shepherd puppy named “Jack” for $1,000 from Petland
Novi. “We considered Jack to be our first baby, our little boy," said Lindsey
Rebhan. About a month after being purchased, Jack had his first seizure. After
25 seizures over the next four months, the Rebhans made the difficult decision
to have him euthanized. Because Jack's epilepsy was so severe, his veterinarian
said that the condition was probably hereditary. Petland Novi eventually refunded
the sale price of the dog, but did not reimburse the Rebhans for the veterinary
bills.
Lindsey Rebhan said that if they had seen the “Horrible Hundred”
report they would not have gone to the pet store to purchase him. Photos of the
kennel taken on November 2, 2011, show a dog with scabs and ulcerations on his
muzzle; an underweight dog; four dogs with diarrhea; dirt and hair buildup in
den boxes; two dogs with raw skin on their paws; a dog with a cloudy left eye;
and a dog with a runny nose and a cough.
In the May 9, 2013 press
release about the “Horrible Hundred” report The HSUS called on authorities
to more closely monitor these and the thousands of other facilities across the
country, and urged state legislators to pass stronger laws to protect dogs in
puppy mills. Most of the 100 facilities on the list have been cited repeatedly
by federal or state inspectors for violations such as injured and sick dogs who
had not been treated by a veterinarian, animals left in the freezing cold or
blistering heat without protection, filthy conditions, and, in some cases,
operators who performed surgeries on dogs without a veterinary license or shot
and killed unwanted dogs.
There is currently no state law to regulate dog
breeding facilities in Michigan or to protect consumers who purchase sick animals from pet stores or
breeders. To address this oversight, Senator Steve Bieda (D-Warren) and Senator
Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) have introduced the “Puppy Protection Act,” S.B. 117
and 118, to establish guidelines for housing, sanitary conditions, enclosure
space, exercise, and veterinary care of dogs in all large-scale breeding
kennels in Michigan, including those who sell puppies to pet stores
and directly to the public. Senators Jones and Bieda have also introduced the “Pet
Lemon Law,” S.B. 348, to alleviate burdening veterinary bills for dogs
purchased from pet stores or breeders who turn out to have health problems. Both
pieces of legislation are awaiting their first hearing in the Senate
Agriculture Committee.
To learn more about the
Horrible Hundred report, visit
Puppy Mill Awareness of Southeast
Michigan is working to end the mass production of dogs in
commercial kennels, or "puppy mills.” Our mission is to educate the public
about the cruel cycle of commercial dog breeding and the pet store link. Read
more at www.meetup.com/puppymillawareness.
More photos available on request.
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