Where Petland Gets Its Puppies

Petland is proud of its commitment to animal welfare and quality of our pets. Petland stores are independently owned and operated, and each operator is responsible for choosing healthy pets offered to Petland customers. Our stores establish relationships with pet providers and are charged with visiting the facilities from which they purchase puppies for their stores.

Where do Petland puppies come from?

Our puppies are happy and healthy family pets. Petland’s puppies come from:

1. USDA licensed breeders and distributors with no direct violations on their latest inspection report. As of January 1, 2015, our policy extends to no direct violations in the previous 24 months. Inspection reports for federally licensed breeders are available free of charge on the USDA website.
2. Hobby breeders as defined by the Animal Welfare Act. These are breeders who raise their dogs in a humane manner.
3. Local adoption pets that are vet-checked. Additionally, some of our puppies and kittens come from local animal shelters or from members of the local community as part of Petland’s Adopt-A-Pet program, dedicated to finding homes for accidental litters. In this program, Petland store operators work with local animal shelters and with members of the community to find homes for homeless pets. Through Petland’s Adopt-A-Pet program, hundreds of thousands of shelter and community animals have been placed with caring families.

The USDA is the agency that regulates the food we feed our families, and we trust its oversight to keep us safe. According to the USDA, there are approximately 120 field inspectors who conduct inspections at the roughly 1,700 licensed kennels.

Additionally, our breeders are covered under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Shelters or rescues are not covered under this comprehensive law. Additionally, many states and local governments also have their own laws that protect animals and the breeders we buy from also have to comply with these laws.

What are some of the things you require of your breeders?

In our many years of business, we have been leaders in encouraging the betterment of breeders. We require our breeders to meet all federal, state, and local laws and maintain our own standards for breeding.

Our breeders are required to obtain a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS inspectors from the Animal Care division conduct unannounced compliance inspections to ensure that the animals receive good care and treatment.

We require our breeders to go above and beyond these strictly enforced standards. Here are a few things we require our breeders to provide for the pets in their care:

•  A consulting veterinarian providing good medical care.
  • A consulting vet must create a written program for the breeder to follow that ensures the health of the dogs and is available for the USDA to inspect and review.
  • The breeder must maintain written veterinarian records of the medical care they perform.
  • The vet must provide vaccinations against diseases and parasites such as:
    • Parvo
    • Distemper
    • Hepatitis
    • Leptospirosis
    • Rabies
    • Bordetella
    • Internal parasites (intestinal worms, heartworms, blood parasites)
    • External parasites (fleas, ticks, flies)
    • Prior to arrival in our store, every puppy will have received a minimum of two vaccinations against the major viruses that can affect puppies and dogs.
    • Every puppy will be current on de-wormings and preventatives against common parasites (Coccidia and giardia).
    • The vet also consults with the breeder operations team to provide good nutrition, exercise, hygiene, and socialization for the puppies and dogs.
• Safe and comfortable housing.
  • We require all our breeders to maintain structurally sound and protective housing that keeps the dogs and puppies at their facility dry and clean.
  • It must protect animals from injury and have no sharp edges or places for them to get hurt.
  • It should keep them from getting out and into trouble, while providing them enough space to walk, sit, and lie comfortably.
  • It also must have convenient and easy access to clean food and water.
• Frequent socialization and exercise.
  • During our breeder visits, we make sure our breeders provide opportunities for the dogs to exercise – with other dogs and with humans.
  • This includes access to an open area or run or a group area where puppies can play with each other.
• A state-issued health certification.
  • Every puppy that is sold to Petland must have a State issued health certificate from the state of origin and signed and attested to by a licensed veterinarian.

How does Petland choose where to get puppies from?

Petland corporate employees and store owners visit licensed and inspected breeders to make sure they meet our standards. In addition to our frequent visits by our staff, Petland’s Director of Animal Welfare Education leads additional visits to approved breeders to make certain standards are maintained. He also works with local, state and federal regulatory agencies and legislators concerning animal welfare issues and education.

An ongoing, transparent process

At Petland, we investigate any claims about breeder facilities that don’t meet our requirements, as we have been for more than 48 years. We recognize and respect sensitivities to these issues, as no one is more sensitive than we are to our puppies’ health and care.