June 24, 2012
June 22, 2012
BREAKING NEWS! ADT ASKS FOR PUPPY STORE BAN
- Sponsored by: San Diego Animal Defense Team
- To: San Diego City Council Members and Mayor Jerry Sanders
- Sent: June 22, 2012
- Subject: Proposal of an ordinance to ban the sale of puppies and kittens in San Diego pet stores
Dear Mayor Sanders and Honorable Councilmembers:
We ask the San Diego City Council and Mayor Jerry Sanders to ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores.
According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), 98% of puppies sold in pet stores originate in puppy mills. These are commercial dog breeding facilities operated for maximum profit by sacrificing the health and welfare of the breeding dogs as well as their pups.
These factory farms turn out up to 5 million puppies per year for the puppy store business and hold thousands of the breeding dogs captive in cages for their lifetimes.. At the same time, 4 million dogs are euthanized every year in the U.S. for lack of homes -- that's 10,000 dogs each day! Many of those same pet store puppies end up in our shelter system.
The HSUS, the ASPCA and the animal welfare organization Best Friends, are all campaigning to stop the sale of pet store puppies and shut down the inhumane puppy mills that supply them.
To ban the sale of pet store puppies would benefit San Diego financially. In 2006, Alburquerque, New Mexico banned the retail sale of all companion animals. Adoptions from shelters increased 23% and euthanasia rates dropped 35%.
Multiple cities across the U.S. have now joined Alburquerque. Similiar legislation has been passed in the California cities of Los Angeles, Irvine, Glendale, South Lake Tahoe, West Hollywood, Hermosa Beach, Chula Vista and Laguna Beach.
It is time for the city of San Diego to follow their lead and become part of the solution. There is a serious pet overpopulation in San Diego. We must pass legislation to end the unchecked inflow of puppies from the cruel industry of commercial kennels and their sale through local pet stores.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We will be delivering a packet of background information to each of you next week, and will then be setting up appointments to discuss this urgent ordinance.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
San Diego Animal Defense Team
San Diego Animal Defense Team
a grassroots group of local animal advocates
who are working to break the cruel link between puppy mills
and San Diego pet stores
http:/www.sdanimaldefenseteam.blogspot.com
email: sd_adt@yahoo.com
We ask the San Diego City Council and Mayor Jerry Sanders to ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores.
According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), 98% of puppies sold in pet stores originate in puppy mills. These are commercial dog breeding facilities operated for maximum profit by sacrificing the health and welfare of the breeding dogs as well as their pups.
These factory farms turn out up to 5 million puppies per year for the puppy store business and hold thousands of the breeding dogs captive in cages for their lifetimes.. At the same time, 4 million dogs are euthanized every year in the U.S. for lack of homes -- that's 10,000 dogs each day! Many of those same pet store puppies end up in our shelter system.
The HSUS, the ASPCA and the animal welfare organization Best Friends, are all campaigning to stop the sale of pet store puppies and shut down the inhumane puppy mills that supply them.
To ban the sale of pet store puppies would benefit San Diego financially. In 2006, Alburquerque, New Mexico banned the retail sale of all companion animals. Adoptions from shelters increased 23% and euthanasia rates dropped 35%.
Multiple cities across the U.S. have now joined Alburquerque. Similiar legislation has been passed in the California cities of Los Angeles, Irvine, Glendale, South Lake Tahoe, West Hollywood, Hermosa Beach, Chula Vista and Laguna Beach.
It is time for the city of San Diego to follow their lead and become part of the solution. There is a serious pet overpopulation in San Diego. We must pass legislation to end the unchecked inflow of puppies from the cruel industry of commercial kennels and their sale through local pet stores.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We will be delivering a packet of background information to each of you next week, and will then be setting up appointments to discuss this urgent ordinance.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
San Diego Animal Defense Team
San Diego Animal Defense Team
a grassroots group of local animal advocates
who are working to break the cruel link between puppy mills
and San Diego pet stores
http:/www.sdanimaldefenseteam.blogspot.com
email: sd_adt@yahoo.com
June 18, 2012
Dr. Robert Osawa of Pet Hospital of North Park has sent us a message stating that he has contacted San Diego Puppy and Pups and Pets and told them he will no longer be available for pre-sale evaluations. We are forwarding this information to the Department of Animal Services so they can be sure David Salinas and Pups and Pets are following the law and if not, fine them appropriately (It is a $1,000 fine to not have a vet of record.).
We think this is a great breakthough and real cause for celebration!
Following is the letter we have now sent to Dr. Osawa:
From: Animal Defense Team
To: Roberto Osawa DVM Pet Hosp of North Park
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 9:37 AM
To Robert Osawa, DVM
Pet Hospital of North Park
From: San Diego Animal Defense Team
www.sdanimaldefenseteam.blogspot.com
June 17, 2012
Dear Dr. Osawa,
Thank you for your letter. We applaud your decision to no longer provide pre-sale evaluations for San Diego Puppy and Pups and Pets.
The other work that you do –giving free first exams to all new customers and volunteering with the Pet Assistance Program for low-cost spay and neuter is admirable. We completely support spay and neuter programs and have never had a problem with your new customer policy, unless it is tied to being a puppy store vet of record.
We will of course be confirming your information. It is an important step in stopping the influx of puppy mill and backyard breeder puppies into pet stores in San Diego, and we welcome your participation as part of the solution! Knowing you would now agree to signing the Compassionate Vet Pledge from Prisoners of Greed, we are including it in this packet for you. Please sign and return.
There is a wonderful website we think you might find to be valuable that has direct information for professional veterinarians across the country regarding the inhumane and cruel industry of store puppies and puppies sold online. They also have informational brochures for your clients. The website is www.pupquest.org . You will see at the top a link to the section for veterinarians. We are also sending by mail a copy of the California State Pet Shop Laws.
We are adding this information to our website. Due to the information you sent us, we have not scheduled any more protests at your clinic.
Thank you so much. If you ever have questions, please feel free to contact us.
San Diego Animal Defense Team
Sd_adt@yahoo.com
Let’s put an end to unlicensed puppy mills today!
Let’s put an end to unlicensed puppy mills today!
Click here to urge the USDA to regulate unlicensed, online puppy mill sellers! This is what we've been waiting for -- let's make it happen.
Click here to urge the USDA to regulate unlicensed, online puppy mill sellers! This is what we've been waiting for -- let's make it happen.
June 13, 2012
June 09, 2012
Why We Are Protesting Dr. Osawa
The Federal Animal Welfare Act requires that a veterinarian prepare a vet plan. Without a plan, the kennel can not obtain a license from the United States Department of Agriculture. If every vet in this country, stood for compassion and refused to be the vet of record for a commercial kennel or a pet store that sells dogs/puppies, no commercial kennels could operate.
If Dr. Osawa of the Pet Hospital of North Park, refused to be the vet of record for San Diego Puppy or any other pet store that sells puppies, they would have to close their doors. They could not legally continue to operate without a veterinarian in business with them. Instead, Dr. Osawa has chosen to be the vet of record for virtually every pet store in the city that sells puppies. What could possibly be his motivation to continue to partner with these stores that make money on misery and the suffering of animals?
We have written to him twice, asking him to reconsider and to sign the Compassionate Vet Pledge from Prisoners of Greed, agreeing to not partner with pet stores that sell puppies. The first time was a week before Puppy Stars, Pet Place and Naedeen Puppies were raided on the grounds of animal cruelty and neglect. The second time was on 6/4/12. We also warned him that we would need to include him in our campaign of protests unless he responded. We have not heard back from him. We are protesting at his clinic, Pet Hospital of North Park, on Tuesday, June 12, 6 - 8 PM.
Most dogs in puppy mills live their entire lives in wire bottom cages, they are bred when they are six months old, bred every time they come into season, never allowed out of the cage to exercise, not provided quality food or medical care, left outside in the winter and summer without heat or air-conditioning and killed when they do not produce. Certainly veterinarians who are dedicated to the care of animals would object to these practices.
June 04, 2012
Class action lawsuit against online dog seller!
Dozens of Former Customers Join Consumer Lawsuit Against Nation’s Largest Online Dog Seller
The Humane Society of the United States and Leopold Law flooded with calls and emails about Purebred Breeders LLC
Fifty former customers of online puppy seller Purebred Breeders LLC have joined a lawsuit against the company alleging that they were misled into buying sick or injured dogs. The suit was amended and filed by consumer justice law firm Leopold Law of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in partnership with lawyers from The Humane Society of the United States.
The lawsuit alleges that Purebred Breeders violated Florida state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers into believing that the puppies it sold were healthy and came from high-quality breeders, when the dogs came from inhumane breeding facilities, also known as puppy mills, all across the country. The lawsuit charges that Purebred Breeders runs nearly 800 Web domains designed to mislead consumers into believing that they are dealing with breeders in their home states when shopping online for a puppy. Thought to be the largest online seller of dogs in the country, the Florida-based company sells as many as 20,000 puppies a year over the Internet, according to whistleblowers who worked for the company.
“Purebred Breeders continues to operate a deceptive business model that is generating a host of distraught customers across more than 20 states,” said Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president for animal protection litigation and investigations at The HSUS. “Internet puppy sellers like Purebred Breeders deceive consumers about the origins of the puppies they sell and inflict huge expenses and terrible anguish on unsuspecting families that purchase sick or dying dogs over the Internet.”
Overall, more than 100 calls and emails have poured in to The HSUS and Leopold Law, as customers describe their experiences receiving sick puppies. In one case, a woman got a puppy with deformed feet. The Better Business Bureau has given the company a C-minus rating due to the number of complaints from consumers and other factors.
Shortly before the lawsuit was first filed in November, The HSUS released the results of a shocking investigation into Purebred Breeders. The investigation, featured on NBC’s Today Show, highlighted the connection between the company and puppy mills, where parent dogs are often stacked in cramped wire cages, with no exercise, veterinary care, socialization, or human companionship.
“Purebred Breeders continues to shirk responsibility despite the steady stream of plaintiffs that continue to come forward with similar complaints,” said Ted Leopold, the lead attorney in the case. “This amended complaint proves that the allegations are not isolated and are systematic of the egregious and unconscionable behavior perpetrated by the defendant.”
Any consumer who purchased a sick puppy from an online seller is encouraged to fill out this complaint form.
Since the filing of the lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a federal rule to close a loophole that allows hundreds of large-scale commercial puppy mills to operate without federal inspections or oversight.
The rule, which would be implemented under the federal Animal Welfare Act, would require large-scale, commercial breeders and dealers who sell puppies to members of the public “sight unseen,” including those who sell over the Internet, such as Purebred Breeders and their suppliers, to be licensed and inspected and abide by the same basic standards of care as those who sell wholesale to pet stores.
The USDA is accepting public comments on the proposed rule through July 16.
The Humane Society of the United States and Leopold Law flooded with calls and emails about Purebred Breeders LLC
Fifty former customers of online puppy seller Purebred Breeders LLC have joined a lawsuit against the company alleging that they were misled into buying sick or injured dogs. The suit was amended and filed by consumer justice law firm Leopold Law of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in partnership with lawyers from The Humane Society of the United States.
The lawsuit alleges that Purebred Breeders violated Florida state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers into believing that the puppies it sold were healthy and came from high-quality breeders, when the dogs came from inhumane breeding facilities, also known as puppy mills, all across the country. The lawsuit charges that Purebred Breeders runs nearly 800 Web domains designed to mislead consumers into believing that they are dealing with breeders in their home states when shopping online for a puppy. Thought to be the largest online seller of dogs in the country, the Florida-based company sells as many as 20,000 puppies a year over the Internet, according to whistleblowers who worked for the company.
“Purebred Breeders continues to operate a deceptive business model that is generating a host of distraught customers across more than 20 states,” said Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president for animal protection litigation and investigations at The HSUS. “Internet puppy sellers like Purebred Breeders deceive consumers about the origins of the puppies they sell and inflict huge expenses and terrible anguish on unsuspecting families that purchase sick or dying dogs over the Internet.”
Overall, more than 100 calls and emails have poured in to The HSUS and Leopold Law, as customers describe their experiences receiving sick puppies. In one case, a woman got a puppy with deformed feet. The Better Business Bureau has given the company a C-minus rating due to the number of complaints from consumers and other factors.
Shortly before the lawsuit was first filed in November, The HSUS released the results of a shocking investigation into Purebred Breeders. The investigation, featured on NBC’s Today Show, highlighted the connection between the company and puppy mills, where parent dogs are often stacked in cramped wire cages, with no exercise, veterinary care, socialization, or human companionship.
“Purebred Breeders continues to shirk responsibility despite the steady stream of plaintiffs that continue to come forward with similar complaints,” said Ted Leopold, the lead attorney in the case. “This amended complaint proves that the allegations are not isolated and are systematic of the egregious and unconscionable behavior perpetrated by the defendant.”
Any consumer who purchased a sick puppy from an online seller is encouraged to fill out this complaint form.
Since the filing of the lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a federal rule to close a loophole that allows hundreds of large-scale commercial puppy mills to operate without federal inspections or oversight.
The rule, which would be implemented under the federal Animal Welfare Act, would require large-scale, commercial breeders and dealers who sell puppies to members of the public “sight unseen,” including those who sell over the Internet, such as Purebred Breeders and their suppliers, to be licensed and inspected and abide by the same basic standards of care as those who sell wholesale to pet stores.
The USDA is accepting public comments on the proposed rule through July 16.
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