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Sierra Fish and Pet is a pet store in Bellevue, Washington that sells puppies from puppy mills. We are starting this blog to let the world know about the horrors of this store and stores like this one. That cute little puppy in the window is a pawn to one of the darkest secrets in the US, and we are going to let the world know all about it!
Do not buy pets at Sierra Fish & Pet they buy ALL their puppies from puppy mills in the mid-west!
ReplyDeleteLIST OF PUPPY MILLERS GIVING TO PET STORES!!!
ReplyDeleteSierra Fish & Pets -
Broker - JAMES & CYNTHIA HAYES
Breeders - (used through the broker) Probably USDA registered
Kent & Laura Hiemstra
Mike Decker
Judy Hakeneis Avoca, Minnesota
Terry & Renae Schuiteman
John & Judy Maassen
Jerry & Pat Koedam
John & Darla Mantel
Kat Schaefer, aka Kathy Lyn Borden
Sharon Vedugt< br>
Gary & Linda Alexander
TO ALL THOSE COMMENTING ON SIERRA FISH & PET
ReplyDeleteI am an experienced animal advocate and puppy mill investigator. My work is sanctioned by the HSUS, the ASPCA, BEST FRIENDS, LAST CHANCE FOR ANIMALS and CAPS, I have also worked with law enforcement on animal cruelty cases. I think it is great that those posting probably really do care about animals and we really appreciate that, we need more like you. Having said that, please pay close attention; this is quick course in puppy mills. We are not telling you this in a disparaging way, we just think the facts are critically important to this discussion:
First of all Sierra Fish & Pets is not a puppy mill, the y are a pet store that buys their puppies from puppy mills and if a pet store is not offering rescues, their dogs are coming from puppy mills. This is indisputable as responsible breeders DO NOT SELL TO PET STORES! SF&P work with a broker that is located in Iowa. Through this broker, whom also owns a puppy mill, puppies are purchased from other mills. The majority of SF&P puppies are purchased from Iowa, the rest, from other midwest states, or the "puppy mill belt of the US." How do we know? Because we have investigated them. We have spoken with the owner of SF&P, and he does not have photos of where the puppies are coming from, in fact, he admitted, "he did not realize any of this."
Further, in terms of breeding facilties, USDA licensed and inspected DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE NOT A PUPPY MILL. The definition of a puppy mill is a "breeding facility that breeds for profit," that is it, and they are legal. They are not always dirty facilities, some are clean, nevertheless, they are what we consider prisons. Do you think your dog would like to live it's life in a cage? We don't. According to the Animal Welfare Act, which is the only law enforced by the USDA, dogs may be confined 24/7, with no exercise, (only an "exercise plan" is necessary and this cannot be enforced.) They may have as many as 12 dogs per cage, with an allowed space of 6" beyond each dogs measurement. Also, there are 10,000 facilities that are monitored by the USDA and only 70 investigators. They are not mandated to go to a breeding facility twice a year, and in MOST CASES, do not. They don't have the man-power. Next, "papers" do not guarantee purebreed or anything else. Most of the time they are falsified and inaccurate. For $25., the AKC will give you your "papers", and are not able to verify any of the information.
The most unfortunate part of this puppy mill primer is that pet stores can say anything they want because they do not have to be accountable to anyone. There is no oversight whatsoever, and store owners can tell customers anything without worry of any harm. It has been going on for decades. Not only does the public fall victim to the lies, but well-intentioned, animal-loving store-employees fall victim as well. That is why store protests are occurring across the country and the movement is growing. For this reason, for the first time, store-owners will have to be accountable for their lies.
One last item, to dispel the myth about rescues vs. store-bought dogs. 30% of all dogs available in rescue are purebreeds. And, dogs purchased in pet stores come from puppy mills and as a result, more often than not, come with horrific health problems. I won't go into stats, but it's a fact.
Thank you for caring. Please Google puppy mills, and learn the real truth.
Hundreds of Heartbroken Puppy Buyers Seek To Join Petland Class Action Lawsuit
ReplyDeleteMarch 23, 2009
This is just one of the many puppy mills investigators visited which supply puppies to Petland stores. © The HSUS
Following an announcement March 17 of a nationwide lawsuit against Petland Inc. and The Hunte Corporation, hundreds of people have contacted The Humane Society of the United States to tell their heartbreaking stories of purchasing dogs they were told came from good breeders. The lawsuit accuses the pet trade giants of conspiring to sell unhealthy puppy mill dogs to the public.
"Our staff has been swamped with calls," said Kathleen Summers, director of the Stop Puppy Mills campaign. "Many of the stories would bring tears to your eyes. I just spoke to a woman whose husband purchased a Petland puppy for her on Valentine's Day. The puppy started coughing as soon as she came home from the store. The puppy has been diagnosed with lung and heart problems and has been hospitalized for the past several days. The family is not sure their puppy will survive. What should have been a heartwarming story for this couple is turning into heartbreak."
A number of callers reported spending up to $10,000 on veterinary bills to treat their dogs’ infectious diseases or congenital defects. Others said their puppies died shortly after purchase.
Take Action, Shop Smart
Did you buy a puppy you believe may have come from a puppy mill? Tell us your story.
Donate to help stop puppy mills.
How to avoid buying a puppy mill dog.
Spreading the Word
In the days following the news of the lawsuit, The HSUS' Stop Puppy Mills social networking groups saw a surge in membership; the campaign's Facebook group grew by more than 5,600 members and its MySpace group grew by more than 300 members. The Facebook petition to tell Petland to stop selling puppies had more than 460,000 signatures as of March 23, showing that this issue has struck a chord with hundreds of thousands of animal advocates on the Web.
Making the Case
The lawsuit, filed in federal court March 16, alleges that Petland and mass commercial broker The Hunte Corporation are violating federal and state laws by misleading customers across the country into believing the puppies sold in Petland stores are healthy and come from high-quality breeders, when in fact many of them come from commercial dog producers known as puppy mills.
"They assured me she was not from a puppy mill because she had a pedigree," said one caller who had purchased her puppy in Florida. "Later I found out she was from a broker in Oklahoma."
Puppy mills are commercial-breeding facilities that raise dogs in shockingly poor conditions, placing profit and a low overhead above the health of breeding dogs and their puppies. The dogs are often kept in wire cages, stacked on top of each other, with no exercise, socialization, veterinary care, or loving human interaction. After their fertility wanes, the breeding animals are destroyed or discarded.
Petland continues to deny it supports these substandard breeding facilities, and claims to follow "Humane Care Guidelines" developed in conjunction with the U.S. Government. However, the USDA recently informed The HSUS in writing that it has no record of any such guidelines.
Tell Us Your Story
Consumers who have purchased sick puppies from Petland can contact The HSUS by filling out an online form at humanesociety.org/puppymillstory.