(WXYZ) - When you spend hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars on a pet, you expect your new addition to the family to be healthy. The Action News Investigators have new information about another sick dog that was sold at a local pet store.
Petland says they only buy dogs from USDA licensed breeders. But critics say, that’s not a guarantee that the dog isn’t from a so-called puppy mill. And they want Petland to do better than that.
First it was Rocky – the 3-month-old English bulldog who was sold with kennel cough.
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Sarah Casteel/Puppy Died] “It was just hard to look at him and say, 'I’m sorry buddy, couldn’t help ya. I tried.' ”
After three weeks of desperate attempts to save the puppy, Rocky had to be put down.
[
Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “She’s real, real skittish.”
Now, it’s Laci.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “This is what she’s on now, which is people medicine.”
Patti Johnson says she, too, ended up buying a dog with kennel cough.
[
Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “I want their license taken away for selling sick puppies.”
Both Laci and Rocky were purchased at the Novi Petland store in September. And their owners say the dogs were sick when they bought them.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “She had a runny nose, and she had a little bit of a cough, but they told us she had a cold, and she was on medicine.”
After she purchased Laci, Patti took the puppy to the same vets who had been checking her while she was at the pet store.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “I said something about her having a cold, and the vet said, 'Oh, no no no! She had kennel cough.' ”
Patti says she spent the next month taking Laci to the vet several times a week.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “She would cough to the point where she got sick."
HC: "Throwing up?"
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] "Throwing up. She would gag. That’s not a healthy puppy.”
Patti says they had to do chest x-rays, blood work, and the little cocker spaniel was put on daily breathing treatments for bronchitis.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “I cried a lot of tears..”
Patti says she tried calling Petland to complain that she paid $488 for a sick dog, but no one answered because the store inside 12 Oaks Mall has been closed for remodeling since October 1st.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “I’ve gone over there three or four times. The doors are locked, you can’t get in.”
That’s the same thing we found the last time we wanted to talk to Petland managers last month.
We didn’t get any answers on camera at the time, but we have since learned that people have reported to the Humane Society of the United States that they also got sick dogs from the Novi Petland.
And the Novi store isn’t the only Petland location that’s dealing with consumer complaints.
The Westland franchise store, which is operated by a different owner, has been in the dog house with a local group called the Puppy Mill Awareness Meet-Up.
[
Protestor] “They’re selling sick dogs from puppy mills.”
The protestors want people to boycott both local stores because of this, the class action lawsuit that customers have filed against Petland. The current version of the lawsuit uses information from a Humane Society of the United States investigation. The HSUS claims the national chain gets many of its dogs from puppy mills, mass breeders often accused of sacrificing the health of dogs for profit.
The HSUS says earlier this year, it discovered documentation of the Novi store receiving dogs from alleged puppy mills that have been cited for Animal Welfare Act violations.
[
Renee Miller/Puppy Mill Awareness Meet Up] “This is no way to treat man’s best friend.”
In fact, the local protestors just uncovered this state of Missouri health certificate that shows Petland Novi received six dogs in August from a breeder who has been cited by the USDA for having unsafe electric fencing for dogs. In the past, the USDA cited that same breeder for selling puppies to pet stores before they’re 8-weeks-old, which increases their chances of illness.
The new owner of Novi Petland says that he does not buy dogs from sub-standard breeders, and that all of his animals are checked by vets before they’re sold. His store is now back open, and he says he’s happy to sit down with any of his customers who have concerns.
[
Renee Miller/Puppy Mill Awareness Meet Up] “We would like to see them just sell animal supplies, and just be a regular pet store. So we’re working really hard to have Petland go humane.”
Until they do, the activists want families to visit places like the Humane Society of Huron Valley to adopt a homeless pet instead of shelling out thousands of dollars at pet stores for dogs who might not be healthy.
As for Laci, Patti is nursing her back to good health. So far the Petland warranty has paid for most of the puppy’s medical bills. But it’s Patti’s peace of mind that will take the longest to recover.
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Patti Johnson/Bought Sick Dog] “What I really want is an apology from them, and I want them closed for selling sickly puppies.”
Petland’s national spokeswoman says that she doesn’t think their side of this story is being fairly represented. But several attempts have been made to talk to the owners of both of the local Petland stores. They have refused to do an on-camera interview with The Investigators.
