Petland

• Petland Breeders & Breeder Requirements
• Encourages Responsible Pet Owners
• Protection Programs
• Working At Petland

Petland Breeders & Breeder Requirements

One of Petland’s primary missions is to enhance the human-animal bond and provide life-long companions for its customers. Petland encourages the highest quality of pet care and is committed to improving conditions for all dogs in the communities the company serves.

Petland boasts that its puppies make healthy and happy family pets. Petland puppies come from the following sources:

• USDA Licensed Breeders and Distributors
  • Breeders and distributors must have no direct violations on their latest inspection report. As of January 1, 2015, the policy extends to no direct violations in the previous 24 months.
• Hobby Breeder as Defined by the Animal Welfare Act
  
  • Small-scale breeders who are dedicated to humanely raising their dogs.
• Local Adoption Pets That Are Vet Checked
  
  • Puppies and kittens that come from a local animal shelter or members of a Petland community as a part of Petland’s Adopt-A-Pet program. Petland store operators work with local animal shelters and members of a community to find homes for homeless pets.

During Petland’s time in business, the company has been encouraging the betterment of breeders. Petland requires its breeders to comply with all federal, state, and local laws, as well as, maintain the Petland standards of breeding. The breeders need to uphold these standards to continue working with Petland:

• Obtain a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
• Consult a veterinarian providing proper medical care
  
  • The consulting vet must create a written program for the breeder to follow that ensures the health of the dogs is available for the USDA to inspect and review.
  • A breeder must maintain written veterinarian records of the medical care.
  • The vet must provide the vaccinations against diseases and parasites (Parvo, Distemper, Hepatitis, Rabies, internal and external parasites, etc.).   
  • Before arriving at a Petland store, every puppy will have received a minimum of two vaccinations against the major viruses.
  • Every puppy will be current on de-worming and preventatives against common parasites.
  • The vet will consult with the breeder team to provide proper nutrition, exercise, hygiene, and socialization for the puppies and dogs.
• Safe and Comfortable Housing
  
  • Breeders must maintain structurally sound and protective housing that enables all dogs and puppies to stay warm, dry, and clean.
  • Breeders must protect animals from injury.
  • Animals must have enough room to walk, sit, and lie comfortably (free of urine and feces).
  • Housing must have convenient and easy access to fresh food and water.
• Frequent Socialization and Exercise
  
  • During breeder visits, Petland makes sure the breeders provide plenty of opportunities for the dogs to exercise, both with other dogs and humans.
  • Puppies have an open area to run or a group area where puppies can play with each other.
• State-Issued Health Certification
  
  • Every puppy sold to Petland must have a state-issued health certificate from the state of origin, signed and attested to by a licensed veterinarian.

Encourages Responsible Pet Owners

Petland stores boast being one of the most reputable breeders in the industry and one of the safest places to buy a puppy. The company standards go well above and beyond government and industry standards, and Petland doesn’t mind paying additional costs to maintain the highest-quality care for its animals. Petland even has a Pets-For-A-Lifetime policy. If a situation arises in which a pet parent can no longer take care of a Petland puppy, the company will help find that pet a new home. 

Protection Programs

Petland’s number one priority is to sell happy, healthy pets. The company not only prides themselves on the care of the pets while in the store but when a pet goes home with their new family. Petland has pet counselors who are available to assist pet owners whenever they have a question. This can include anything from which kind of dog food to buy or what vet care is necessary for a long and happy life. 

Petland is dedicated to matching the right owners with the right pets, and the company offers several programs to make sure a pet is ready to join the family.

• Puppy and Kitten Health Warranty, which covers health and hereditary issues and concerns.
• Puppy Resource Kit, local canine resources as well as important pet care information. Petland contains a DVD that offers training for housebreaking, socialization, and obedience.
• Petland Enhanced Protection Program (PEPP), a strategic partnership combing a national microchip database registry with an Amber Alert type of service, providing extra protection for pets and the family.

Working At Petland

Those interested in working for a Petland store can search for job opportunities near them through the Petland store locator. The application process is relatively simple, job-seekers will fill out an online or in-store application (this will depend on the location) to become a staff member. The company is actively looking to hire professional retail employees in the franchise and company-operated locations. 

• The HSUS Investigation
  
• Limited Store Locations

The HSUS Investigation

The Humane Society of the United States recently conducted an undercover investigation against several Petland locations. The investigation took place between September 2018 and April 2019. According to the Humane Society, many of the animals at the stores were suffering from a variety of illnesses such as seizures, respiratory infections, parvovirus, etc. Many of the puppies and other animals who were sick were either treated by an untrained employee, left to die, or taken to the vet at the last minute resulting in euthanasia. One location encountered a puppy with canine parvovirus and continued to sell puppies to customers without informing them that their puppy may have come in contact with the infected puppy.

While Petland claims to get their puppies from reputable USDA Licensed Breeders and Distributors with no recent USDA violations, the investigation states that the company is “not checking state records on dog breeders or removing distributors from its supply chain even when some of them…...have been linked to issues like the Campylobacter disease outbreak.”

Limited Store Locations

Customers interested in visiting a Petland store will find that they are only located in the following states:

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• New York
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Wisconsin