KTLA_PUPPYMILLS.mov

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http://network.bestfriends.org/campaigns/puppymills/15434/news.aspx

Best Friends' Puppies Aren't Products campaign featured in Los Angeles news story

Awareness is the first step toward positive change.

And the more people who find out about where most puppies in pet stores really come from, the better.

KTLA-TV in Los Angeles featured an exclusive story Wednesday on "the dirty little secret" most pet stores will never tell consumers about. The station went undercover with animal welfare groups, including Best Friends Animal Society, to find out the truth about pet stores and their connection to puppy mills.

Elizabeth Oreck, national campaign manager for Puppies Aren't Products, one of four Best Friends campaigns aimed at reaching the goal of No More Homeless Pets, and Jennifer Krause, campaign specialist for Best Friends Los Angeles programs' Puppies Aren't Products campaign, were both interviewed for the KTLA news story. The story also included undercover video taken by Best Friends.

The story took a close look at Barkworks, an L.A.-area pet store chain that is being accused of allegedly buying puppies from mills, selling people sick dogs and lying to customers. In addition to Oreck and Krause, KTLA reporter Lu Parker also interviewed former Barkworks employees. To see the KTLA news report, click here.

"This isn't just an animal welfare issue, it's a consumer issue," Krause says. "It's about unfair business practices. People are getting lied to and things are being misrepresented. Pet stores are telling people that they don't get their dogs from puppy mills, but the reality is that 99 percent of pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills. When you buy a puppy from a pet store, you're supporting a very unsavory industry where dogs are mass produced with little if any veterinary care. These dogs often have genetic problems and infectious illnesses."

Krause says she has hundreds of testimonials from people who've unknowingly purchased sick dogs from Barkworks and other pet stores in the L.A.-Orange County area. She also has testimonials from veterinarians who've treated these sick dogs.

Educating consumers
Best Friends staff and volunteers have been doing all they can to get the word out about where puppies sold in pet stores come from. Since Best Friends Puppies Aren't Products campaign held its first peaceful demonstration in L.A. back in December 2007, a number of pet stores selling mill puppies have closed their doors, including two Posh Puppies stores, Pets of Bel Air, Pet Love in the Beverly Center and Petworld at the Northridge Fashion Center. Puppies and Babies, owned by the same person who owned Pets of Bel Air, also closed down.

Best Friends isn't looking to put pet stores out of business. It simply wants pet stores to adopt a humane business model. That's just what Jamie Katz did when she opened Woof Worx on Valentines Day 2009 in the same spot that used to be home to Pets of Bel Air. Woof Worx makes its profits from selling pet supplies and services, and the only dogs you'll find there come from area shelters and rescues. Katz is not only running a thriving business, she's saving lives.

The work continues. Peaceful demonstrations are still being held each weekend in areas near Just Paws at the Glendale Galleria, Puppy and Me in Sherman Oaks, and Barkworks stores at the Mission Viejo Mall, Westside Pavilion and the Brea Mall.

Not only are Best Friends staff and volunteers educating people about the pet store-puppy mill connection, they're also giving people directions to local shelters and rescues where they can find just the dog they're looking for, even if it's a purebred or one of the popular "designer dogs" -- mixed-breed dogs like cockapoos and labradoodles. About 25 percent of dogs in shelters are purebreds.

"People are paying thousands of dollars for dogs in pet stores when they could find the same dogs at a shelter," Krause says. "When you adopt, you not only save a life, but more often than not, you're getting a healthier dog."

How you can help:
If you've purchased a sick dog from an L.A.-area pet store, or if you'd like to volunteer with Best Friends L.A. programs' Puppies Aren't Products campaign, e-mail Jennifer Krause at jkrause@bestfriends.org.
Read more about Best Friends' Puppies Aren't Products national campaign and learn about building awareness about inhumane conditions in puppy mills, encouraging people to adopt rather than buy pets and advocating for better legislation to combat puppy mills..
By pledging to adopt from a shelter or rescue group, instead of buying a puppy from a pet store, you can save dogs and help create a world where there are No More Homeless Pets. Take the pledge.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• puppy mill
• breeders
• pet stores
• barkworks
• just paws
• pet land
• puppy and me
• best friends animal society
• lu parker
• rescue
• adoption
• breeder

[ClovertheSpy]

@ClovertheSpy it's her first litter and they aren't reputable breeders at all.

[ClovertheSpy]

I have friends who just bred labradoodles(their poodle just gave birth a few hours ago).My family isn't too pleased.We know they're more in likely going to be in shelters,so sad.

[labrat882]

She just kept her cool when the dog puked and just.. caught it on her hand! Kudos xD

[littletroll]

I'm so glad that this was on KTLA. Many, many people will have seen it and hopefully they will have learned about the terrible reality of puppy mills. I love how the newscaster was so unruffled when the little dog got sick on her hand. You could see that she is a real animal lover.