AR-News: (MO - US) Run of the mill (puppy mill, that is)

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=104534



Run of the mill



Friday, April 16, 2004

By Lori Stuenkel



GILROY - It was love at first sight when Debbie Pelliccione found Jack, a 
silky little terrier not quite 2 months old.



“There was something about that dog’s face that I just fell in love with,” 
she said. “I couldn’t leave him there.



“There” was The Pet Stop, 1280 First St. Jack was the first dog that 
Pelliccione and her teen-age son ever purchased, and he immediately became part of 
the family, she said.



During Jack’s first visit to the veterinarian, he received a standard vaccine 
and treatment for ear mites. That night, he trembled and his breathing was 
labored, so Pelliccione took him back to the vet the next day. She and Jack soon 
became regulars at the vet’s office as pneumonia and other medical conditions 
kept their puppy in poor health.



“He was on antibiotics for 12 of the 13 months that I had him,” Pelliccione 
said, producing a stack of medical bills nearly half an inch thick.



She invested $3,000 in Jack’s medical treatments, along with sleepless nights 
spent at an all-night veterinary clinic in San Jose. She and her son were 
devastated throughout the ordeal.



“For the few good days we had that he was a happy, healthy dog, we thought we 
were over the hump, but then we would turn around and he would be sick again.



On Dec. 18, 2002, Jack died. The loss still hurts, Pelliccione said with 
tears in her eyes.



Jack’s veterinarian blamed congenital defects that existed before his 
purchase.



In fact, back during Jack’s first visit, the vet had told Pelliccione her dog 
looked like he came from Missouri. What’s in Missouri? A hot spot for 
organizations that breed and sell purebred puppies in large quantities and often in 
questionable conditions. They’re known as puppy mills.





Harsh conditions



Puppy mills may sell directly to the public or at the mill itself, but often 
supply pet shops directly or through a broker who acts as a middleman. 
According to the Humane Society, documented puppy mill problems include overbreeding, 
inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack 
of socialization with humans, overcrowding and the killing of unwanted animals.



Many pet store puppies are in such bad shape, veterinarians can tell right 
away that they’ve come from a store that purchases from puppy mills.



“In some cases we can because some of these puppies are very poor physical 
specimens of the breed they’re supposed to be,” said Pete Keesling, a 
veterinarian at San Martin Veterinary Hospital. “Yes, they’re papered, but some of the 
American Kennel Club papers that come with them are not guaranteed that 
that’s what those puppies are.



So although someone like Pelliccione may receive purebred registration papers 
from the American Kennel Club, the accuracy of the puppy’s lineage is not 
guaranteed.



“I was naive,” Pelliccione said. “I didn’t know that that’s where they came 
from. I guess I learned the hard way.



Jack’s papers say he came from a commercial breeder named Honey Dew, through 
Hunte Corporation, which claims to be the world’s leading distributor of 
purebred puppies to pet stores. Numerous breeders, veterinarians and even Gilroy 
pet store owners confirmed that Hunte provides puppy mill puppies. The 
corporation is the target of numerous animal rights Web sites.



The owners of The Pet Stop did not return phone calls for comment. A clerk at 
the store provided papers for one of the puppies for sale, which listed Hunte 
and a breeder in Missouri.



Our Pet Shop, at 705 First St., was the subject of a letter to the editor in 
The Dispatch Wednesday that suggested the store gets its puppies from puppy 
mills.



But shop owner Andrea Bertero denied the claim.



“We’re trying to do the right thing,” said Bertero, adding that the store 
began selling puppies at the request of customers.



“They come from all over,” Bertero said. “I pretty much research everything 
on-line, just like anybody would do.



Bertero said she speaks with breeders over the phone and often views pictures 
of the puppies she’s purchasing.



“I try to establish a relationship with breeders and then build off those,” 
she said. “It’s not the Hunte Corporation, and it’s not a puppy mill breeder. 
They’re all individuals.



Bertero said she does use an organization called Transpet to bring puppies 
from other areas, including as far away as New Jersey.



“Transpet is a transportation service for pets, not a breeder,” she said.



She uses the service because local breeders won’t sell to the store.



“Pet store people don’t know the breed,” said Laura Franchi, who breeds 
golden retrievers. She said pet store employees are often unaware of a dog’s 
temperament, full-grown size and life expectancy. “Breeders are very familiar with 
these breeds, we know the parents, grandparents ...



Dog owner Crystal Dudoit, who was at Our Pet Shop Thursday and used to work 
there, said the two puppies she purchased from Bertero are in good health. She 
bought one in December and another last month.



“I’ve seen Transpet. It’s clean,” Dudoit said. “I’ve seen all the 
information that you need on-line. I’ve talked to my breeder.



Breeder Wilma Westhoff, contacted in Chanute, Kansas, said she began selling 
puppies to pet stores, including Our Pet Shop, when they began contacting her.



“I’m not a big corporation, I’m just a small person who enjoys what I do,” 
Westhoff said.



She is particular about the stores she sells to, she said, and follows up 
with the new owners by sending cards and receiving photos of the dogs in return. 
She and her husband produce several breeds.



“These are my babies,” said Westhoff, who doesn’t keep track of the number 
of dogs she sells each year, but estimates the number is between 300 and 500.



Bette Reese, who has bred pugs locally since 1985, said she never sells to 
pet stores because she wants to know the owners personally.



“The reason is that I want these dogs placed into permanent homes,” she said.





Lack of accountability



Another issue with pet store puppies, Keesling said, is the lack of 
accountability for the health of the pet and little record of its medical history.



Both Gilroy pet stores require an examination within three days of a puppy 
purchase.



Gilroy Veterinarian Greg Martinez has performed examinations of Hunte 
Corporation puppies for The Pet Stop before they go to the store as a service to the 
public. He defended Hunte, saying it does not sell puppy mill animals. Hunte 
representatives could not be reached for comment.



“Anytime (the owners) call me and they have a puppy they’re not sure of, I 
will go in and try to screen them so the public does not get sick puppies,” 
Martinez said. “I feel like the public will demand these puppies and will get 
them from wherever.



Today, when customers buy a puppy from the stores, they immediately receive 
papers detailing the animal’s lineage, registration and the store’s policy for 
returning the animal for genetic health defects. If medical issues arise 
within the animal’s first year, customers may contact the store for assistance 
with medical bills, or for an exchange, the stores’ policies say.



Pelliccione said The Pet Stop’s policy was implemented too late to save Jack, 
but said it might not have made a difference.



“The money part of it ... is not as important to me as, I want them to stop 
selling the dogs,” she said.



Many of the problems that can arise from pet store purchases have less to do 
with puppy mills and more to do with a lack of qualifications of the seller, 
some breeders and veterinarians said.



“A responsible breeder looks at a pedigree and makes the best possible match 
they can,” said Pam Rubio, a member of the Gavilan Kennel Club who breeds 
Newfoundlands.



Pet store patrons, on the other hand, most often buy puppies on impulse.



“We see this all too often, and so what we tell people is, if they really 
want to get a pedigree - if they really want to get a purebred dog - they should 
not buy from the first place they go to,” Keesling said.



If a dog can’t be found at a shelter, Keesling recommends talking to people 
who know the breed, researching breeders and visiting dog shows.



Pelliccione said she was looking for a dog the day she bought Jack, but now 
regrets not knowing that a reputable breeder was just half an hour away. After 
researching the breeder for months, Pelliccione purchased another silky 
terrier. But she can’t replace Jack.



“The new dog helped to ease that pain, but it didn’t take it away,” 
Pelliccione said. “I just miss him.







Lori Stuenkel covers education for The Dispatch. You can reach her at 
loris at gilroydispatch.com.






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