Any store that sells pets is still buying from puppy mills, whether they are "USDA approved" or not. Puppy mills churn out dogs for profit rather than for the benefit of the breed. Shame on Pets of Bel Air for their continued ignorance of the issue.

'Shame on Pets of Bel Air for their continued denial of the issue' seems more appropriate.

They are so full of it! They are just sorry they got caught. No reputabale breeder would sell their dogs to a pet store.
They should hold adoption events for the thousands of animals that are killed each day in LA County shelters and stop being a part of the problem if they "animal lovers"

Has anybody else wondered why Pets of Bel Air has been singled out in this. It seems to me the humane society has made as big an example as they could, at the expense of one individual store owner. Why didn't they crack down on more stores in Los Angeles and in other states too, if this is as widespread a problem as it appears to be. The whole thing seems more like a publicity stunt rather then a well thought out plan to combat puppy mills.

HSUS Tricks American Animal Lovers... Again

By: Joe Overlease
Advocate for Fair and Truthful Reporting

In recent weeks the HSUS, (Not your local Humane Society) has conducted a campaign of terror on unsuspecting dog breeders and pet stores across the United States.

The misconception by the average American is the HSUS is a legal entity having some form of federal authority. They in actuality do not, although they carry official looking badges.. the badges carry no authority in any jurisdiction.

The HSUS have arrived on private property with hidden cameras and have intimated owners to surrender their dogs in fear. They represent themselves as inspectors, but they have no authority to inspect anything. To the unsuspecting and un informed breeder this can be a tragedy beyond belief.

These people (HSUS Inspectors) conduct themselves like the Gestapo, they bully and intimidate, and they use any means of false reporting to discredit their target. By using selective photographs and often make comments about conditions and or events that are not even or have never occurred at the property they are targeting.

Recently the HSUS targeted a Pet Store in Southern California and made the public think they had been conducting business illegally. There report said the Pet Store was buying its inventory form "Puppy Mills". a puppy mill is a
unlicensed breeding facility. Pet stores are required to buy only from licensed and inspected USDA facilities. So they have not lied and they have not misrepresented themselves or their puppies

They the HSUS reported the store only bought puppies from individual breeders. In the business of raising dogs, the entire industry in made up of individual breeders, this is a cottage industry, where the majority of all breeders are small family operations. But to hear the HSUS report you would think Standard Oil is involved in some sinister plot. Again the Pet Store has done nothing wrong, They are buying animals from American breeders who are licensed and inspected and are legal in everyway..

This heavy handed smear tactic has caused a great deal of damage to this local business and the media, happily went along with the scam..

The HSUS report showed examples of kennels and called them "Puppy Mills", to the unsuspecting public they have no reason to challenge the report. But... The truth is the kennels shown are state of the art USDA design approved facilities and exceed all federal standards.

The HSUS is a organization that raises millions of dollars each year through a large secret layered organization of so called charities, they spend pennies
for the actual benefit of any animal any where in America. However, most people think when they give to the HSUS they are helping their local Humane Society...Sadly Not one dime goes to your local facilities as they are not even related to each other in anyway.

The next time you get asked to donate for the benefit of animals, you should make sure the money is in fact going to a shelter that really needs the support... Don't be tricked again by the HSUS .

The USDA has done a TERRIBLE job of monitoring these mills! The USDA allows abuse and illegal acts!

The USDA does nothing while the suffering goes on and consumer rip-offs continue! USDA means nothing other than it's def a puppy mill!!

The Detroit News did an expose on the FAILURE of the USDA, and the fact that the USDA colludes with the puppy mills to keep them in business.

Our tax dollars used to support dog abuse!
Here's some of the news story http://www.michiganhumane.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8928

An excerpt-

OVERSIGHT OF BREEDERS:
AGENCY FAULTED FOR NOT CRACKING DOWN ON VIOLATORS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's focus in recent years on giving breeders who violate the Animal Welfare Act repeated chances to correct their problems has drawn harsh criticism - both from within and outside the agency.

The USDA's Office of Inspector General has criticized the agency since the 1990s for failing to adequately crack down on violators. And in a blistering September report, the inspector general found an ineffective monitoring and inspection system and concluded the USDA failed to take action against "violators who compromised ... animal health."

A USDA inspector, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agency does not allow employees to speak to the media and he fears retaliation, said he and his colleagues are beset with low morale as leadership demands second and third chances for some of the worst offenders.

"When morale is low, you have inspectors doing half of what they normally can do," the inspector said.

i cannot wait til they go out of business. as long as genius people like paris hilton and britney shop there (the dregs of society) then they'll be open, but hopefully this will end soon.

It just goes to show that rich or poor, privileged or not, American consumers are NOT informed when it comes to the purchases they make.... or are they?

Given the tremendous amount of information now available in print and online, it's hard to believe that anyone would still believe that pet shop puppies come from 'reputable' breeders.

That said, one is left to wonder: is the ignorance of mass breeding operations still a viable excuse for those who choose to purchase puppies from pet shops?

Without a doubt, education about this despicable industry must continue but how can anyone begin to address those individuals who are intent on seeking immediate gratification? This is the mentality that keeps the puppy millers in business and the breeder dogs in perpetual misery.

Until such time that purchasing a pet shop puppy becomes an actual EMBARRASMENT, this sad saga will continue.

Give Hope to the Mill Dogs
BOYCOTT STORES THAT SELL PUPPIES!
North Penn Puppy Mill Watch
Visit Us Online: nppmwatch.com

A story that could've involved puppy mill dogs, but (happily) did not:

One of the ladies that comes in our office mentioned that she wanted a little dog. I asked her what kind and she said she didn't care, just little. She said she was going to buy one. I suggested the MDSPCA. She said she didn't think they had little ones; I told her they had all kinds.

A few weeks went by and she had tried the SPCA a few times, with no luck. She was waiting for them to call when they had a little one. I explained that they are super busy and she may want to try visiting again.

A few days later, she came in and told me that she told her grandkids all she wanted for Christmas was money to buy a little dog. I couldn't stand it any longer. I contacted a friend who has connections at BARCS.

I met her at BARCS the next day. She found "Martin", a grey, matted, 4 yr old stray poodle. Because he had just come in, he was in a waiting period in case his owner claimed him.

She had to wait the weekend, but went back on Monday and took Martin home. She got him groomed and he looks awesome. When she picked him up from the groomer, he got excited when he heard her voice. The groomer didn't believe she had just adopted him that morning. He already knew her. They are so incredibly happy together.

She and I (and Martin) are all having a wonderful Christmas this year.

I really do not understand Karen's argument against the HSUS unfairly targeting certain breeders.

ALL breeders should be targeted, quite frankly, and I don't care if some are treated more harshly for publicity or not. Anyone who makes a business breeding puppies is sick and contributing to a sick society. All breeders everywhere should be shut down until every animal is adopted from a shelter, instead of feeding people's desire for the cutest little purebred.

HSUS is one of the only national organizations with the money and manpower to crack down, they are not the freaking Gestapo. Sorry, Karen, if you have an affinity for contributing to the pet overpopulation problem and catering to selfish people who want a cute puppy, only to dump it off in the streets at 7 months. I don't envy your career.

There are two sides to every story and this particular case is no exception. As a dog lover I more than understand that the overpopulation of dogs in America is a growing concern. In my house I have four dogs, two of which (a toy Australian shepherd and a cocker spaniel) I purchased at a petstore, one from a private Boston terrier breeder and one rescued from a family that could no longer care for her. As far as health concerns go, the two purchased from the petstore and the beagle that was rescued have been 100% healthy with not even a cough that needed to be treated. Our rescued beagle did have difficulty socializing with other dogs at first but proper training and socialization at our home has opened her up to be quite a friendly (and mothering) dog to our other puppies. The boston terrier had to undergo an $1800 surgery to repair bad knees. And till this day, still walks with a slight limp. When I read the comments on this thread regarding the purchase of puppies from pet stores as being irresponsible I cringe. Instead of cracking down on those who sell dogs to a public with an insatiable demand FOR dogs, how about strict fines for those who abandon their dogs? After all, responsible dog owners don’t abandon their dogs no matter where they got them from. Unfortunately, there are too many people who purchase or adopt a puppy when they have either insufficient time or money to care for them. Regardless of where these negligent people get their dogs, whether it was from a responsible breeder, a shelter or a pet store, they are still going to abandon them if they don't have the capacity to care for them.
So here's my proposal: provide a shelter fine for those owners who have abandoned their dogs. Track ownership of abandoned dogs through microchip registrations, and make those ACTUALLY responsible for leaving a dog on the streets pay compensation to the city for housing these dogs. Judging by the hundreds of dollars it costs to adopt a dog at the shelter, this fine might be what it takes to ensure only those who will provide a loving and reliable place to live for their dogs will be able to take them home.
P.S. If all puppies in petstores are from puppy mills and these puppies are more likely to be “sick” or have “behavioral problems,” then how come VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance), the largest pet insurance provider, provides lower insurance rates to those puppies purchased at petstores? The answer is simple. According to VPI, dogs from petstores require far more frequent health inspections and are less likely to have serious illnesses than those dogs that come from “private” or “hobby” breeders. The answer is simply in the Dollar $ign, VPI pays out more treatment expenses to those who got their dogs from “breeders” than they do for petstore dogs. I know this because all my pets are insured now after shelling out $1800 for a dog that cost me $300 from an EXCLUSIVE Boston Terrier breeder, who gladly introduced me to the parents, both of which had no signs of knee problems.

No reputable dog breeder would sell puppies to a pet store. The ones I bought my dogs from wanted to know which home their dogs went to and followed up on their progress by staying in touch with us and also helping us when we had questions.

Puppy mills should be outlawed! As they have not got the best of the breed at heart, or the best intentions for the dogs. They are purely profit driven. And any dealings with live animals always ends in disaster.
Show breeders should be curbed too. why have 10+ litters a year? Just to full fill their hobby as a show person?
While there are thousands of dogs dying in shelters. They should have to have a permit to breed and the permit should be adjusted accordingly to how many dogs are in shelters! If there are too many dogs in shelters, nobody should get a permit to breed! Farmers should fall under the same category also and the rest of the pet dogs should be neutred.
All puppies should be neutred and MICROCHIPPED.
Properly registered breeders are not allowed to sell to petshops! Thank God!
Back yard breeders and puppy mills are the ones that supply pet shops!
Pet shops induce impulse buying. Impulse buying stops people from accurately judge their position as to if they are able to give a dog a forever home and if they have the means to properly look after a pet.
It promotes dumpage of pets!
Petstores don't properly look after a puppies needs. They are not able too, even with the best intentions, but they are a sales store not a breeder!
and Bel Air, don't blame the Government for your short comings. Any reputable store would check out the origins of the puppies they buy. Since you did not do that , I think the Dollar signs are more important to you then the well being of dogs. Shame on you bel Air, I may not shop at your place anymore!

No wonder they can sell to people like Paris Hilton:) Who in their right mind trusts the USDA anyways? The same people closing a blind eye to the downed cow problem until HSUS threw it in their face.

Breeders that advertise that they are state-licensed and USDA-approved are most likely another cog in the pet mill machine. Stay far away from breeders that tout such licensing. You may be curious why a breeder would even be associated with the United States Department of Agriculture anyway. Interestingly enough, after World War II, the USDA encouraged farmers to raise puppies as an alternate form of income when traditional crops failed, according to Woolf in “Just What Is a Puppy Mill?” With the supply of puppies on the upswing, ambitious entrepreneurs set out to make money opening retail pet shops that spread across the country.

Puppy mills need to be passe. They are the cause of so many homeless animals that end up euthanized. Plus the treatment of animals in them is very inhumane. I am totally against them and want them removed forever.

Of course they are buying from puppy mills. Who else would be churning out mass quantities of dogs? Mass commercial breeding needs to be STOPPED.

No puppy mills!