Attention: David Salinas

The San Diego Animal Defense Team has issued the following open letter to David Salinas, owner of San Diego Puppy:

 

An Open Letter to David Salinas, Owner of San Diego Puppy, 5825 Mission Gorge Rd., San Diego

From the San Diego Animal Defense Team, http://www.sdanimaldefenseteam.blogspot.com/:

Mr. Salinas:

These are  photos of  breeding dogs taken from puppy mills during raids in  April, 2012 and October, 2012. We are sending this to you because you thought it was appropriate to laugh at photos of dogs being brutally and inhumanely treated in puppy mills and dismiss the photos as not being recent enough. Is this recent enough for you?

We will not allow you to create silly and frivilous diversions to the real message of the protests of the San Diego Animal Defense Team at your store, San Diego Puppy, at 5825 Mission Gorge Rd., San Diego. You are on our videotape bragging, "I've sold thousands of puppies...thousands." Perhaps you need a reality check, Mr. Salinas.

 

This is the industry you are supporting by selling puppies in your store. You make a profit off of the dogs. The broker -- in your case, the Hunte Corp. -- makes a profit off of the dogs. The breeding kennels make a profit off of the dogs. This is how they do it. The dogs are made to suffer so that all of you can make your profits. These kennels are not the exceptions. We have documentation that kennels you use have inspection violations from the USDA.

Have you ever visited the kennels where you buy puppies?

How many dogs do each of them have?

How many puppies do each of them produce each year?

How many puppies are processed through your broker in Goodman, Missouri, the Hunte Corp. each year?

Do you see the mother dogs for the puppies you sell? How are they housed? What are they fed and how are they cared for? How often do they see a veterinarian?

You claim the AKC visits every kennel, but the AKC says they only visit kennels randomly or if there is a complaint. From their Investigations Unit: "AKC randomly selects breeders for inspection yearly. In addition, to the random selection AKC inspects breeders based on written, signed and substantiated complaints"      Who is telling the truth, you or the AKC?

As a matter of fact, the AKC states on its website:

AKC Registration and Quality

There is a widely held belief that "AKC" or "AKC papers" guarantee the quality of a dog. This is not the case. AKC is a registry body. A registration certificate identifies the dog as the offspring of a known sire and dam, born on a known date. It in no way indicates the quality or state of health of the dog. Quality in the sense of "show quality" is determined by many factors including the dog's health, physical condition, ability to move and appearance. Breeders breeding show stock are trying to produce animals that closely resemble the description of perfection described in the breed standard. Many people breed their dogs with no concern for the qualitative demands of the breed standard. When this occurs repeatedly over several generations, the animals, while still purebred, can be of extremely low quality. Before buying a dog, you should investigate the dog's parentage (including titles, DNA and pedigree information), the breeder's breeding practices, the breed standard, and the genetic tests recommended by the Parent Club for the breed. 

What about the dogs that are not AKC registered? The puppies you are selling right now, called Malchi, Maltipoo, Yorkiepoo, Yo-Chon, Shih-Poo, Peke-A-Poo, Morkie, Imo-Inu, Dorkie and Chug, are not ever able to be registered with AKC because they are not even real breeds of dogs. These are "designer" dogs, created for the puppy mill industry. The registries that will cover these dogs have no purpose other than to make money off of unsuspecting consumers.

 

Once again, we demand that you actually visit the kennels you use. Take a vacation to do just that. Invite your employees to accompany you so that they too can see for themselves. Research the breeding facilities that supply your brokers and see what a cruel industry this is. We hope that once you realize that you are supporting such places you will not want to be associated with them anymore. The SD Animal Defense Team is willing to assist you in your transition to a humane model that does not sell puppies.

Ordinances to ban the sale of puppies in pet stores are being passed rapidly through the country as the public becomes increasingly aware that the mass breeding facilities, often called puppy mills, supply pet stores that sell puppies. Multiple cities in California  including Los Angeles, Chula Vista, Huntington Beach, Glendale, Irvine, Laguna Beach, West Hollywood and North Lake Tahoe, have also passed similar bans and we fully anticipate that San Diego will be next. The San Diego Animal Defense Team is working with the City Council right now, to do just that.

We are not going away. As long as you sell puppies, we will be protesting your business. 

The San Diego Animal Defense Team