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| Folks braved the cold and snowy weather in Naperville, Ill., to tell Petland to stop selling puppies. © The HSUS |
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Demonstrators crowded the sidewalks in front of 22 different Petland stores from coast to coast on Saturday, January 10, to tell the company to stop selling puppies. The rallies followed The Humane Society of the United States's recent investigation linking the pet store chain to puppy mills.
Rally organizers included HSUS state directors, other humane groups, and local individuals. Demonstrators carried signs reading "Petland, Stop Selling Puppies/Humane Society Exposes Petland," and "Adopt, Don't Shop."
They passed out fliers explaining the connection between puppy mills and pet stores. The fliers included a photograph of a USDA-licensed breeding facility that sells to many Petland stores, showing the breeding dogs confined to small wire cages.
In the Snow and Ice
Advocates in the northern parts of the country who braved the ice and snow to have their voices heard were cheered on by the public.
"The rally went very well in St. Paul, Minnesota," said demonstrator Stephanie Nay. "We got such a positive response from people passing by and supporting us by honking their horns and giving the thumb's up!"
In Chicago, demonstrators took a cheerful stand despite 10-degree temperatures and six inches of snow. Ellen Holekamp said turnout was great in Wheaton, Illinois, despite the frigid weather there.
"Everyone had a great attitude, was very excited to be there and the response from the public was very positive as well. Lots of horns honking and thumbs up as well as people rolling down their windows to tell us their stories about Petland, and to thank us for what we were doing," Holekamp said. "One amazingly nice woman brought us a box of Starbucks hot chocolates!"
In Sunny States
In Sarasota, Florida, almost 100 demonstrators gathered to spread the word as part of a rally organized by Sarasota In Defense of Animals. "Protesters came from not only our local Sarasota/Bradenton area, but from as far away as Naples," said Elise Matthes, President of SDA. "Hopefully, someday the duped public will get the message to adopt from a shelter instead of a pet shop."
Roseville, Calif., and Plano, Texas, also reported hearty crowds. Participant Pamela Bertsch said the response from Texas onlookers was overwhelmingly positive and that demonstrators were already asking about the next rally.
"Everyone was in good spirits and were so honored to have been asked to be a part of this great effort against the intense suffering at puppy mills," she said. She added that the rally also called much-needed attention to pet overpopulation in Texas.
Dogs Rally
Where weather permitted, many demonstrators brought canine companions they had adopted from local animal shelters, declaring that the best way to get a best friend is through adoption. Also attending the rallies were some dissatisfied customers of Petland, whose puppies had nearly died after purchase and required emergency vet care to survive.
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Even dogs rallied for Petland to stop selling puppies. ©Sisneros/The HSUS |
"While Petland's corporate website claims that Petland managers know and visit their breeders,
The HSUS investigation proved that many stores don't even purchase their puppies directly from breeders at all, but from middleman brokers and from websites like the Pet Board of Trade," said Stephanie Shain, Director of the HSUS's
Stop Puppy Mills campaign. "We're asking Petland to stop hiding behind false claims and stop selling puppies."
Blanket and Towel Donations Roll In
The Roseville, California, and Fairfax, Virginia, demonstrations were combined with blanket and towel drives to benefit local animal shelters. The blanket and towel donations filled so many car trunks in Virginia that HSUS organizers had to recruit a few of the demonstrators to help transport bags of donations to interested shelters.
"Many shelters will benefit from these donations," said Shain. "That's what this is all about—asking citizens to support their local shelters instead of the puppy mill industry."
More to Come
"The dog-loving public told us loud and clear that they are ready to continue to rally on behalf of puppy mill dogs," said Beau Archer, outreach coordinator of The HSUS's Stop Puppy Mills campaign, who was in charge of organizing the rallies. "We're not going to stop until Petland stops selling puppies."
To see photos from the rallies or to upload photos of your own from one of the rallies, visit our Flickr page.
