NOVI, Mich. – Behind the scenes at an Oakland County pet store, an undercover animal group said animals shipped from puppy mills arrived at the store sick.
An undercover investigator with the Humane Society of the United States worked for about two months at the Petland store inside Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi.
They secretly recorded video of deliveries of very young puppies, who were delivered to to the store with infections and other illnesses. The group alleges the puppies were shipped to the store from mass-breeding operations in Indiana, Missouri and other states with high concentrations of commercial dog breeders.
The Humane Society of the United States said the Petland chain of stores is the largest pet store chain that sells puppies.
Petland wouldn’t speak on camera, but in a statement emailed to Local 4, they insisted the health and well-being of its pets is its top priority. They said the allegations are false and are being used to drum up donations for the Humane Society of the United States. They added that all of the Novi location’s puppies come from top USDA breeders.
Petland, based out of Ohio, has about 90 stores. Its Novi store is a franchise.
The Humane Society of the United States said puppies don’t belong in any pet stores.
The full statement from Petland can be read below.
Like clockwork, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has kicked off its annual fundraising season with allegations from an undercover HSUS operative against a family-owned business. Each year, HSUS, which does not operate a single pet shelter, nor provide any support to 98-percent of U.S. humane societies and shelters (Center for the Environment and Welfare report, “Struggling Shelters,” Nov. 2023) publicizes its homegrown “investigation” to get press and draw in unsuspecting donors.
In this year’s HSUS campaign, they have targeted a family-owned and operated Petland location in Novi, Michigan. The HSUS undercover “investigation” charges a number of speculative thoughts by the undercover operative who began working in the store in July 2023. The woman worked at the store for approximately two months, finding very little to show for her time there.
Items cited in the alleged investigation included zero quantitative data, many accounts of hearsay and sensationalized statements. The undercover operative for the HSUS took a photo of a French Bulldog with “cherry eye” a very common condition for the breed, which is being used to exploit the puppy in the organization’s social media posts and other fundraising publicity. This puppy, like others who may have this condition, underwent a common corrective procedure performed by the store’s state-licensed veterinarian.
The campaign material includes a number of allegations that are purely false. A few of the most egregious falsehoods we want to address include:
Allegations of sick puppies are also scattered through the HSUS campaign. The health and wellbeing of our pets is Petland’s number one priority. Petland abides by all local, state, and federal regulations when it comes to the care of its pets. Our highly qualified state-licensed consulting veterinarians check puppies weekly; and more frequently if required. All care is documented for each pet. Pets undergoing treatment for any illness are not available for our guests until they have been cleared by the veterinarian.
Finally, the undercover operative provided HSUS with video of a distributor acting in an unprofessional manner. Shortly after that incident, the owners of Petland Novi terminated the transport company for its unprofessional demeanor.
Petland
Related: