Complain about a product or service

Petland

Daralynn of Marietta GA (07/02/08)
August 2006,my precious Yorkshire Terrier was purchased there. I never knew how terrible pet stores are about the neglect, abuse and disrespect customers receive as well with Petland. After purchasing my puppy and going through all the devastating things we both endured I found droves of complaints about pet stores. Petland companies led the list of complaints.

I never thought I could love an animal as much as I love and animal as much as I loved her. When I purchased her she was in the hospital the next day! She suffered from breathing problems, bloody stools. There are so many complaints here and we all have very similiar stories, therefore I'll make mine short. The owners weren't nice to me and unwilling to give me a refund. When there vet looked her over they didn't find anything wrong with her. They claim was they always get depressed once they leave the store.

I spend at least 3,000 in vet bills. My personal vet and hospital bills combined alsmost caused me to get behind on other bills. But I wanted the best for her. Unaware of all the complaints I figure we would get past this illness. Finally my vet told me her illness is chronic. How could I continue this way. At this point it was 2 weeks of back and forth to vet and hospital. This went on for 6 mos. Th eonly reason she lived that long is because my vet kept her on Iv and meds. all the time. But it became too costly.

Finally my vet agreed to take her for me. She cared about her after 6 mos. of going through the emotional heartache of losing a dog as soon as I got her from Petland. I love the breed, but I'm afraid to get another dog after this turmoil. In the 6 mos. I had taught her to potty and retrieve her ball. My intentions were to give her a better life then she knew. My vet ran every test it was in the world for a puppy and they couldn't find anything wrong.

I wish someone would closed down pet stores that sell pets, crack down on all puppy mills and find a way to make sure breeders are taking proper care f the animals to ensure better health. The puppies suffer but they can't talk. If anyone can do something about this please contact me. I would love to be inform of the crack down. It seems as if we are all making this complaint to the wrong people. I've complained some place before, and know one seems to care. This is all about making money. Know one care abou tthe pets or the people that love them.

Kathleen of Wesley Chapel FL (06/16/08)
On 5/28/08 I purchased a two month old pomeranian female. She was seen by the vet before I was able to bring her home. I was told by Petland that I had to take her to see the Vet. in four days. I went to Pebble Creek Animal Hospital and by that evening she was experiencing piercing screems. Next day I took her back to the vet and they told me she had kennel cough. They said that it could lay dormant for up to three weeks. They gave me an antibody for her to take.

She didn't seem to get any better and then one week later she wouldn't eat and all she wanted to do was sleep. She only weighed 1-1/4 lbs. When I took her in she had bad pneumonia and they had to keep her for 3 days giving her nephalizer treatments around clock every 4 hours. I have to bring her back tomorrow for the next 3 days before they take another xray as only one lung has cleared up and the other is still not doing well.

My friend is going through a similar situation but her dog didn't have to stay overnight but brought her in every day for 3 days. While we were there on Saturday a golden retriever puppy came in very sick with pneumonia and parvovirus.

My complaint is that when we purchased these dogs in good faith that they were well dogs. Just the opposite they are all sick coming out of Petland Wesley Chapel. I am concerned because my dog is so small and underweight for 2 months old. What recourse do I have at this time as a consumer? Is there a lemon law that protects customers and dogs. They shouldn't be allowed to sell sick dogs. Also I worry about the future of my dog will she be sustible to other diseases especially if she is exposed to other dogs?

Is there any way that I could be reimbursed for the inconvenience and heartbreak of my puppy. They are covering the medical expenses for 6 months for a sick dog. But I want a well dog.

Janice of Wesley Chapel FL (06/15/08)
I purchased at Petland Wesley Chapel a 9 week old puppy on May 24,2008.This was the first day the store was open to business. Within a day the puppy was coughing. I took her to the vet on the following Tues. (Mon. was a holiday) and he said it probably was caused by her initial first round of shots. I took her back the following Mon. and he said she had kennel cough so he gave her a 10 day supply of antibiotics.

On the 10th day I took her back and she now has pneumonia. I have to take her every day ( a drive of about 16 miles round trip,twice a day for approx. 6 days)for nebulization and coupage. She is on 2 antibiotics and another medication (albuterol) to open her airways.

I,for a fact, know of 2 other dogs that were purchased there that have pneumonia,one of which also has parvo. That dog,right now is at the emergency vets office undergoing treatment.She is a 12 week old golden retriever.

Petland gave us a 6 month contract to pay for vet visits in case of illness and a 1 year contract in case of congenital or herditary defects. I signed this contract thinking I was buying a healthy puppy.The vet says the puppy will recover but he cannot guarantee her long term heath which is of great concern to me.I understand that anywhere that you purchase a pet that they may have heath problems down the road but buying a sick puppy from the onset makes me nervous. The puppy and I have bonded and I would hate to lose her.The vet told me yesterday (June 14,2008) that he is longer associated with Petland but he will still honor the contracts up to that date.

Ashley of Mansfield OH (06/04/08)
Let me just start by saying my 12-13 week old English Bulldog is in good hands now. My fiance and I purchased our dog in Mansfield, Ohio. My dad was nice and put $1,000 on her to put her on hold so my dad could get a loan to pay for her so I could pay my dad back.

Well when he put that money down my dad told them that we would be back next week by friday to pick her up. They harrassed us and called us twice a day to find out when we were coming to pick her up. Well we finally picked her up on Friday when we told them we would.

My mom requested for me that I watch how they bathe her to give her the best care I possibly can. Well they did show me how to after giving me a huge hassel with my age that they recommended that my mom should be present to help me understand. Just for the record I am 16 and I graduated early please tell me I need help cleaning a dog!

Then we took her to the vet (yesterday) that they recommended and I am not pleased because I had to pay $100 just in medication for her infected ears and unproperly cleaned wrinkles. My parents are taking her next week for another visit so more is to be known.

Thankfully, there is no long term damage so far known.

Andrea of Calhoun GA (06/03/08)
It is a shame that these animals are living in the situation that they are. This place is nasty, smells terrible and they just moved into this building. No water, urine in the cages. Something needs to be done the employees and the owner do not seem to care.

Brittany of Jacksonville FL (06/03/08)
I got my puppy from Pet land. They made me go to Beltway animal hospital. The animal hospital has said he has had kennel cough for 7 months. They just keep giving him antibiotics and he just keeps getting worse. Kennel cough isn't suppose to last this long. I am now at the point were Im spending $134 a visit when Pet lands 3 year warranty should be paying for it.

I'm paying $134 for a visit. My dog isn't getting any better. I'm losing money and may be losing my dog

Theresa of Liverpool NY (06/03/08)
I purchased a female Siberian Husky for $1,100. Part of their contract states that you have to bring your animal to a vet they are contracted with. So, I brought my dog to Cicero Animal Clinic Upon, my first visit, I was told my dog had kennel cough and she was given an antibiotic.

I was also told that my puppy had an amibilical cord hernia and could NEVER be bred. This is something that petland DID NOT tell me upon the sale of my dog! They also tested her for Parvo and Gihardia. She came back positive for Giahardia. And had to be treated for that. The reason I do not like Cicero Animal Clinic is because the claim they called me and left me a message stating that my dog had Giardia. Well, I NEVER received the message. And found out she had it at her next visit which was a MONTH later and they cleared her with a CLEAN bill of health! ( which they should not have done until after she was treated for the Giardia and deemed fit for sale)

I called the Manager at Petland to report that my dog had kennel cough and Giardia. I also reported that I was never told upon sale of my dog that she had an amibilical cord hernia and could not be bred. The manager was completely rude, unprofessional, and did not care. He had the nerve to say to me Now why would we do that? Why would we sell a dog to you and keep that from you?

Then the jerk stated It was in your paper work wasnt it. The point of this matter is. It was in the paperwork, in a little statement that the common person would not pick up on. The other point of this is that Petland puts it in the paperwork to cover themselves, BUT does not tell you upon the SALE of the animal!! My Husky is now a healthy, happy, well loved, and now 6 1/2 months old. I cleary took her out of Cicero Animal Hospital and have her at the vet that I take my cats too and am very happy with my vet. I also called the AKC registry paperwork for my dog. The paperwork is false paperwork which stated she is not registered and probably came from a PUPPY MILL!!

Karen of Atlanta GA (05/29/08)
2 Puppies in the store have mange, they are a mixed breed appromately 5 months old, another puppy , a bulldog, has pneumonia. The owner will not reduce his prices and these dogs are too large for the cages.

Mechelle of Winston Salem NC (05/17/08)
We went down to Medina to purchase a Minature Schnauzer. My partner was very explicit whe she asked if the puppy was AKC registered. We were told YES. My partner shows dogs in AKC sanctioned shows. We finally received the papers on May 15, 2008. The original purchase date was March 14, 2008. This pup's papers to be registered is with the ACA. This is the American Canine Association. This is not the American Kennel Club. We spent $958.00 for what?

Our purpose was to show this dog in sactioned AKC shows to get his AKC Championship and to utilize him as a stud for quality AKC puppies. Our economic loss on this is substancial. Yes, he is a companion to us, but now we should have him neutered as his worth as a stud is null.

Stefanie of Euclid OH (05/09/08)
Well, I am a student at Ohio University and I visit Petland regularly. Some of the pets that I have seen are in horrible condition. The Chihuahuas shake uncontrollably and some of the larger breeds that come in like the golden retriever are entirely too skinny.

One particular dog that sparked my anger was a Maltese that came in about two weeks ago. The dog had close to no hair and looked to be way younger than 8 weeks old. I will never buy a dog from Petland.

Well, the local dog shelter that euthanizes many dogs throughout the year has had to fight with Petland over selling dogs. Petland sued the city for making an ordinance that said dogs under 6 months of age couldn't be sold. There is a massive overpopulation of stray cats and dogs in the area.

Tara of Washington IA (05/01/08)
I volunteer at my local animal shelter, we recently received 2 Bichon Frises due to the owner being allergic. He had bought them both from Petland, while he is still paying for them, over $800 each. Which of course he couldn't take back. They are now is a loving forever home and was adopted out for $115 each. Local animal shelters do have pure breed homeless animals from time to time. Or even if they are a mix with whatever breed the consumer is looking for, they generally more heathy that a pure breed.

Please adopt a homeless pet from your shelter, don't spend thousands of dollars on puppy mill dogs. The thousands you spent on your pure breed could have helped hundreds of loving companion animals.

C of TX (04/30/08)
I am a former petland employee. I advise not to shop at petland georgetown. Not only was i treated horribly but i witnessed many customers treated poorley by the owner and manager. When i started i was intrusted on how to deel with customers and they take pride in kicking people out and scaming them for all the money that they can squeez out of you.

They will do anything to sell you a very OVERPRICED puppy. A puppy they bought for $600 will cost you $3,500 Puppys are said to come from breeders, but many come in sick and are sent back to be put to sleep. As a person working in petcare (former Vet-Tech) I advise youSearch your papers and internet for a puppy breeder DONT SHOP AT PETLAND!

Lenny of Imperial PA (04/26/08)
We purchased our Boston Terrier from Petland in November of 2005 without a health certificate for $1499.00. Six months later she developed a rear leg condition that required surgery on each rear leg. We contacted the Robinson Petland, and felt pressured into complying with the stores requests of faxing info, Organizing an x-ray,which we did, but wasn't good enough. Then it was about seeing a Doctor in Plum, PA (which wasn't happening, nor was it in the warranty to do so.)

Hearing about the store owner going to our vet to demand all our dogs records was quite upsetting. Hearing how he could have the surgery done at little, or no cost to us, was also upsetting. We were happy that our vet was trusting and honestly answered that this is a genetic defect documented from poor breeding. (Puppy Mills) We compared the warranty with PA state puppy laws and were shocked as to what we found.

We ended up filing in Allegheny County Arbitration Court, which can be done without an attorney, and were awarded about half of our expenses. To this day we haven't been paid from Petland. We also have six months left of the Petland Warranty. We also have made the Attorney Generals Office in Pittsburgh aware of the differences between the PA State Puppy laws and Petlands Warranty.

We have a dog we will always need to watch that has a pin placed in each rear leg, bothered by the cold weather, someday they may need to be removed. Sure it's great to play fetch on the good days, but one bad day really upsets us seeing her licking her rear knees over, and over. I'm sure the store owner could give a Brass Band Speech over it, but I know by talking with a dozen, or so of a hundred+, x-Petland employees, they didn't like what happens there either.

Mary of Canal Winchester OH (04/13/08)
I got a siamese kitten (lola) from petland on 3/27/08. when i was looking at her i noticed that she had yellow crust in the corner of her eyes. i thought it was just eye sleep that had dried up and no one had wiped away. i took her to their vet for her check up and told them that she had been scratching her ears and i thought she had ear mites, they looked and said they were just dirty and that they would be fine.

a couple of days later her eyes were swollen, pink, and they both had a discharge, i took her back and they said it was just an infection and gave me eye drops, after 2 weeks she still had it and my other cat (carson) had it also. i took them to a 24 hour vet in worthington, and said that they both have a upper respiratory infetion, from feline herpes. now i have to give them eye drops eye ointment an oral antibiotic and another antibiotic i have to mix in their food. they will have this for the rest of their lives. my boyfriend and i are going to do something about this, its not right.

Julz of Roscoe IL (04/06/08)
I purchased a male westie puppy who was around 8 weeks old from the local Petland store. This was way before I had EVER heard of puppymills. I recently watched the special Oprah Winfrey had on such places and was completly horrified. I had NO idea that people could be so inhumane!!!. I just wanted to say that I am one of the very lucky ones I believe. My westie is now 6 months old and VERY HEALTHY!!. He is awesome with kids, other dogs and quite entertaining. I have never kenneled him, unless he is in trouble, which has only been a few times. So, I truly feel VERY lucky that I received one of the GOOD ONES from our local Petland. I can say that I will never purchase another pet from ANY pet store, after watching the special on TV, even though mine is awesome. I will definetly go to our local shelter/adoption facility.

Kathy of Merrillville IN (04/06/08)
I bought a pomeranian puppy from Petland on Rt 30. Pomeranian breed standards say they are supposed to grow to 4-8 lbs, she is 25 lbs. She is the size of a sheltie. This is breed misrepresentation, you do not get what you pay for at Petland. She could have been registered thru one of their junk registries APRI, but there is no point in registering through there because you cannot show any dogs without AKC anyway. She is now 6 years old. She has knee problems, breathing problems, seizures, and is neurotic. She hides and hoards food (probably learned as a small pup for survival).

I have been to the vet many times with her over her breathing problems and seizures. I never added up the dollar amounts for this. I had her spayed in honor of her mother, who is probably still in a mill churning out unhealthy mentally ill puppies for Petland. Please let others know that the huge price tag on the cage is not the only price they will pay when buying from Petland, they will also have huge vet bills.

Nancy of Tampa FL (03/31/08)
My mother purchased a toy poodle on 2/29/08 fly home to N.Y and puppy was one step away from being dead, they rushed puppy to emergency animal hospital and they keep it for the night. The next day took the puppy to the Vet. and they keep the puppy for the next night. After several days trying to get this puppy to eat and ran tests on her the vet advised my mother to put her down because she was not a well puppy. The vet. even called the store to explain all this to the manager.

So now were in a total disa greement with the store because they did not agree with the decision of the Vet. they will not pay for the puppy or the vet bills. We have spent over $2,300 and we have nothing but heart ache.

Abby of Athens OH (03/30/08)
I'm only ten years old and I know how bad Petland is for our town. Petland puts their dogs to sleep or PUTS THEM OUT ON THE STREET if they don't get adopted! That is overcrowding our dog shelter and causing unnecessary euthanasia (putting to sleep)!

Brianna of Des Moines IA (03/13/08)
We fell in love with our little siberian husky named Nala. She was cute and sweet but our one concern was that her nose was a little warm. The next day we went back to shop for chew toys and a brush, and one of the employees from the day before helped us. When we were questioning about her dry warm nose, sneezing, and coughing she informed us that she was being treated for kennel cough while she was at Petland (which was not disclosed to us or no remaining mediacation was given). She told us it is treatable but could not tell us yesterday because she could get fired for telling us.

She just encouraged us to bring her in to their vet and we wouldn't have to pay anything for treatment. We brought her to Boulder Terrace Vetenarian office, which was required to do so in 5-7 days after the purchase that way it would be covered if anything was wrong with her. We could not choose to bring her to our vet. He brought her to their vet the next day. They gave kennel cough medication and said everything else was fine and they would contact us if anything came back bad from the fecel sample.We didn't hear back from them.

Our our own vet ran the test and it came back positive for Giardia. I'm glad I can finally cure our poor sick puppy. She is going to have the best life ever and she will be a survivor, luckily we caught this early. ALl in All it has been two months and lots of hassle.

Dennis of Pittsburgh PA (03/12/08)
On August 5, 2007, I purchased a puppy from Petland at the Robinson Towne Center store.The breed was a Dogue De Bordeaux.The puppy was purchased as a birthday present for my 6-year-old son.The purchase price was $2399.00 plus the sales tax. Everything seemed fine with her until Halloween night, 2007.We noticed that she had been sleeping a lot and wasn't her normal self. She was also not eating or drinking as before. On November 1 we took her to the vet to have her checked to see what was wrong. The vet did some tests and took x-rays of her and didn't find anything to cause this problem. The vet said that she could have a flu and treated her with an antibiotic which we thought would make her better in a couple days. A couple of days later I returned to the vet to report that there was no change in her condition.They referred me to another vet that was an emergency trauma and specialty vet.

When I called Petland to inform them that the puppy was sick, I was told that breed of dog sometimes gets like this, and they will not cover any vet bills that I may acquire. Well, after spending about $3000.00 in vet bills and finding out that the dog had a liver shunt, I was informed that Petland would give me another puppy. They assured me that it was an unusual thing to have a defective dog. My brother who had also bought the same breed of dog from the same store, later found out his dog had severe hip problems. The manager informed me that he has sold hundreds of dogs, and there were never any problems with any of them. He said that lightning struck twice, once being of the same breed, and twice being we were brothers.

Needless to say, I never recovered any vet bills that we spent, and my son watched his birthday present slowly die within four months of her purchase date. After all the problems that I have encountered, I wouldn't recommend Petland for anything, and I think that they should take more responsibility in the products that they sell. The loss was $3000.00 in vet bills for a $2400+ defective dog that died within 4 months of purchase.

Maria of Cameron TX (03/12/08)
I purchased a White Siberian Husky as a Christmas gift for my 3-year-old son. About 4 days after I took her home, she developed an upper respiratory disease. I thought it was something minor, and so I took her to the vet. The puppy then started vomiting and having bloody diarrhea. She had lost her appetite and was growing extremely weak as each day went by. All of this led to having her hospitalized. For almost two weeks she stayed at the vet. I was so upset with Petland and tried calling them on many occasions to let them know what exactly was going on with our puppy. On every occasion they seemed sympathetic until I asked for a refund-- and everything changed.

Our puppy died on February 2, 2008. I purchased her on December 23, 2007, and the whole entire time she was in and out of the vet's. Since the store found out that my puppy died of distemper, they have not wanted  anything to do with me. They will not answer my calls--and make up policies about emailing the manager only, rather than speaking to someone like it had been on other occasions. I have called the store, the store's vet clinic, and the corporate office, as well. I am getting nowhere. It is really frustrating that no one wants to talk to me about my situation. I have nowhere to turn, and it is making me very upset. I have sent every document that I have as supporting evidence about my claim, and still nothing.

I have paid $700.00 in cash and financed $1,300.00 through Petland's bank. With the late charges to the account the total is now about $1,400.00. I also paid around $800.00 in vet bills. It has been a very frustrating time for me. Petland wants me to pay the remaining balance on my account without even reviewing my claim, saying that there is nothing that they can do for me. It is horrible to lose a pet and have to continue paying for it after it has passed. If anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do, please contact me.

Steven of Kettering OH (03/12/08)
We bought a Weimeraner puppy in February of 2007 at the Petland at the Greene Crossing in Dayton, Ohio, for just over $1,300. Everyone was very nice and very helpful throughout our purchase. We had the puppy home for 2 and 1/2 weeks, and began to notice (on a Friday) that he had begun limping, favoring his front paws. The condition got worse as the weekend went on, and by Sunday he couldn't even get out of his crate and walk around. Because it was a Sunday and our vet's office was closed, we immediately took him to the Dayton emergency veterinary care center, where we spent over $800 to find out that they didn't know what the problem was. We then went to see our regular vet (which Petland required us to go to but is VERY good) on Monday. He recommended that we take our pup to the Cincinnati area emergency care facility (also very good). Our dog was there for a full week and underwent a variety of tests, which added an additional $3,385 to our debt. We are now faced with a decision to undergo more surgery, at an estimated cost of $1500-2200 dollars, or put our 3-month-old puppy to sleep.

I contacted Petland right away, and the staff at the Greene Crossing was as helpful as they could be. This is in no way a negative comment against the staff or store manager at the Greene Crossing location. However, I was just today informed that the only restitution they could make would be to reimburse us for the $1300 and some odd dollars that we spent for the pup and nothing else. I had always been leery about buying from a pet store, but when the manager (Steve) told us that the advantage was their guarantee that if anything health-wise happened to the pup, it would be covered by Petland. We had already fallen in love with the pup, and this was enough to get us to buy him. I am in the process of filing a small claims suit against Petland in the amount of $3000--not quite what we spent on our pup's bills, but enough to have the process expedited through the courts and to keep the suit in small claims. I am very disgusted with the Petland corporate offices in their practice of not honoring what was stated to us before we paid for our pup.

Debbie of Janesville WI (03/10/08)
In June of 2006 I bought a Chihuahua from Petland. All the papers stated that's what she was. I took her to a vet here, and she made the comment that she was not pure chi but looked more like a toy terrier. Chi's don't get bigger than 8lbs and if they are, they are heavyset. My dog (Miyia) is a 11.6 lb. dog with a nice trim profile. I had planned to breed her, but now I can't since she isn't a purebred. You know how excited you get when you look at all those cute puppies, and Miyia was the one that stood out for me. My son and daughter-in-law have a chi and about 4 lbs. I thought it would be nice to have a small lap dog for myself. I got somewhat of a small dog but not a chi. Of course the warranty that Petland gives you covers their liability really good for any problems that may occur. Do you really look at all the fine print when you are so excited about adding a new addition to your family? Be warned, read everything before signing anything. Well I paid $799 for my little friend which was discounted from $1499.99. I was horrified when come to find out that I basically paid over $800 for a mutt, who I love dearly.

What gives them the right to charge that much money for a mixed breed that isn't registered? It was stated that she was Unregistered but not that she was non-registerable. Of course it states that the parents are registered (mine has only one registered), but they are U.S.D.A approved which is actually just a license for a puppymill. The sire is registered APR which means nothing since the dog is never checked by a vet or anyone. It goes on the honor system. So the breeder can state whatever they want to as far as the breed goes. It's all relative when they talk about registered and approved breeder. The breeder is a puppy mill, and the USDA just proves that is what they are. So what kind of dog are you really getting from Petland?

I did call corporate office and they gave me the name and number of who to contact at the store. I told him the situation about paying that much for a mixed breed. He recites what the warranty shows--which is they sell dogs for companionship only. They are not responsible for errors, omissions, or misrepresentations. So by someone else's misrepresentation, you get a mixed breed that they are not responsible for. But, he did offer me a store credit for 50% of the purchase price. Now, what do you do with a store credit for pets only at $400? Buy all the neighborhood dogs their beds, treats, and whatever? And by the way, he is offering this to keep a pleased customer. But before I get the store credit, I have to bring in a letter from my vet stating that upon his examination, he has determinde that my puppy is not a chihuahua and secondly, bring the pup back to the store so they scan the chip and determine that she is the pup they sold me. Oh, I thought this was so generous of him (ya right). I am checking into what I need to do to get a refund on the cost of Miyia.

So far, physically she is healthy except for episodes she goes into where she sounds like a honking goose. I don't know what is causing it. I've gotten some hints but no diagnosis. I refuse to take Miyia to their vet when I have my own. I don't trust their vet. Hopefully as she ages, I'm praying that she will not have the health issues I've heard about with the dogs they have sold. What is it that will take them out of business--because I will definitely help!

Jennifer of San Antonio TX (03/10/08)
I purchased a puppy, spending $999.00. The puppy was so cute I couldn't resist even though it wasn't registered and was coming from a pet store. I felt bad for him. I was never going to by a dog from a pet store and get suckered in like an idiot, by cute looks. Upon filling out my paperwork, they told me the puppy was acting like it was only from puppy stress. I believed them; after all, life stinks sitting in a small cage alone, and they said that most dogs get it. Upon arriving home with the puppy, the dog starting coughing and didn't play. The next morning I took the dog to the recommended vet within the 5 day period they ask you to, and the dog had kennel cough.Come to find out, which no one told me, the puppy was already on medication there before. No one sent me home with medication; even the vet, who must have some kind of referral deal going with Petland, told me they should have told me and sent me home with medication. The dog had just been put back on the "for sale" block that day, and I happened to buy him.

Upon calling Petland, they said it must have been a mistake by my sales representative. They did not care. It was no big deal to them. It took me forever to get through to the 18-year-old manager who wasn't on duty, then was on duty, then wasn't; they said there were 3 managers who just said bring the dog back, and they will give you another. This was beside the point. What kind of place didn't take care of the animals? I felt bad for the rest of the dogs. Petland personnel even went over to the vet when I dropped the dog off to be treated for the day, and took the dog. A lady name Vileka dropped into the vet and stole him back. I called the vet to see how the puppy was doing, and she said Petland picked it up and said I was returning the dog. I said, "No, I wasnt-- and why would they release my dog to Petland?" I told them to bring the dog back, or I was pressing crimal charges. It was ridiculous.

Finally, I took the dog to my vet, and the dog is still home--depressed, sick and on meds. Do not buy from Petland. We need to get these companies closed! I lost money having to take off work, dealt with a brand new puppy and having to medicate him. He doesn't play, and it took time to call these people and fight with them.

Lisa of Alpharetta GA (03/09/08)
I purchased a Yorkshire Terrier on 1/26/07 for over $2,000. I was told that he was able to be Kennel Club registered. I now find out that he can be Continental Kennel Club registered. This registration body is usually for inferior breeders and puppy mills who cannot get their dog registered at American Kennel Club. I have spent thousands on this dog when he became ill. The vet could NOT find out what was wrong with the dog. My greatest shock is to find out that he is a Silky Terrier and NOT the Yorkshire Terrier that I paid for. DO NOT BUY ANY PETS FROM PETLAND!

Awaiting response from Petland. Awaiting results of DNA testing of dog.

Cindy of Derby KS (03/05/08)
On 01/4/08 we purchased a Boston terrier from Petland in Wichita, Ks. He was 75% off, so that made him about $400. I asked why he was on sale, and it was because he is 4 months old so they are discounting him. After we went through all of the paper work we left with our puppy. When I got home I started looking through the paper work and there were all kinds of documents they hadn't gone over with me, like the vet report that says one of his testicles hasn't appeared and that his orifice is enlarged, but they were closed so I couldn't call then tonight.

So we get home and he gets bloody diarrhea all over the house and this went on all weekend. I called on Saturday morning and the Petland employee listened to what I had to say and then said I will have my office manager Laura call you. On Monday 01/7/08 we took him to the vet for his 1st check up and our vet said he had worms and mites and the bloody stools is from the worms. Our vet gave us medicine and said bring him back in a month for another round of meds. On 01/18/08 we went back to the vet and he said Chomper still has worms and sent some stronger medicine home with us. On 02/19/08 we had to take him back to the vet because he was still bleeding and no solid bowel movements have taken place since we got him. They hospitalized him for the night and diagnosed him with gastroenteritis.

It now 03/05/08 and this dog has yet to have a solid bowel movement. He is ruining my carpet and I can't leave him in his box all of the time. So far in addition to the dog, all of the stuff I had to buy at Petland, special food, vet bills and carpet cleaning I have spent over $1000. I have called the stores several times and every time all I got was, I will have Laura call you back when she gets in the morning. Well after about 10 phones calls Laura finally called me back and asked that I send her my vets diagnosis. So on 02/28/08 I sent her all of the vet bills, patient history and my vets diagnosis and she is yet to get back with me. I called her today 03/05/08 and she said that she is going to talk to her store vet about our puppy tomorrow.

Michael of Fakeville ME (02/27/08)
I just wanted to comment on all the people who were complaining about puppies they got from Petland. Just because the dog is AKC registered that is no guarantee of health or quality. Its just a registration that keeps track of the dog. It doesn't mean the dog is good enough to be bred, it most likely has genetic diseases and deformations. Why would you all spend lots of money on dogs from puppy mills when you can go to a reputable breeder who does health test on the parents and can guarantee quality for probably less money? If Petland tells you they get them from reputable breeders they are lying. No reputable breeder would sell their pups to a pet store because they can't manage who gets the dogs.

Mary of Mentor On The Lake OH (02/26/08)
I want everyone to know now that Bob has worked with me on giving a fair amount of money back. So I want you to disregard the complaint I made earlier.

Bob now is going to give me a refund of a fair amount.

Christina of Galena OH (02/25/08)
On March 23, 2007 my fiance and I bought a Siberian Husky from the Westerville, Ohio Petland. We bought this puppy specifically for later breeding purposes and were assured that he was AKC registered. From the very first day that we brought him home he has had diarrhea, we went back to the store that we bought him at and consulted an employee about the situation about a week after we bought him. Two different employees told us that is was more than likely just his nerves and once he adjusts he should be just fine. We then took him to our family vet who happens to be one of The Ohio State University's top vets, he put him on medication to harden his stools. He is no longer on them, but they only helped for all of maybe two days! We sent in his AKC registery papers with a check about a month ago. Today, 2-25-08, I received his APRI Registry! We NEVER would have spent over 1,600 dollars on a dog that was not even AKC registered! We were assured at the store before we bought him that he was AKC registered!

We have had to pay many vet bills due to his diarrhea problems and due to these problems our dog cannot even come inside..it's like he cannot even control when he has to go. We have been paying a monthly credit card bill that Retail Services has continued to send to the wrong address and charge us late fees after late fees. We cannot breed this dog due to him not being AKC registered. We also intended for this to be a family pet, I was pregnant at the time we bought him and wanted him to be well associated inside the house for when my baby arrived. Due to his diarrhea problems he has to stay outside, which breaks my heart.

Shayla of Hilliard OH (02/24/08)
When I went into this Petland in Hilliard, Ohio, I was stunned by what I saw. For once, the little guys seemed to be doing better than the bigger guys. There was a black lab puppy, and a st. bernard puppy there. OR at least that's all I saw. Now, the little black lab puppy was SO SKINNY! It was nothing funny about his situation. I went there with my sisters and neighbors. I saw him and stood close to his cage the whole time. He was so happy, and so energetic, but he was so skinny that you could see his ribs, his legs, his backbones, and his face was so sunken in. I felt so sorry for him. I knew he wasn't gonna make it out of there alive.

While I waited for my sisters, I had a little chihuahua puppy brought to me, and I did something that wasn't allowed. I went to the back of the store with her, out of sight of the manager and the three teen aged staff that was there, and checked her teeth, ears and weight. Now I didn't know how much she was supposed the weigh, I'm not a vet. But she was very small. Her belly was okay, no hair loss or rashes. But when I checked her little teeth, she they were brown at the top and turning yellow at the bottoms. They weren't white and translucent like they were supposed to be. Then I checked her ears. They smelled very badly, something I know isn't supposed to happen because I have a chihuahua at home. It was right then that one of the teen aged staff found me and told me I had to stay in the play area.

When I put the puppy back and checked on the black lab puppy, another one of the teen aged staff was petting him. He ran his hands over his back and all over his face. The dog was so happy I was surprised he didn't have a heart attack right then and there. I could tell that the teenager could see that the puppy was starving, but he didn't do anything. And here's the kicker - THEY HAD A WHOLE CABINET FULL OF DOG FOOD RIGHT BEHIND HIM! THE DOG DIDN'T HAVE A BOWL OF FOOD OR WATER! I asked him why he didn't give the dog any food, he said to me, and I quote, we feed the dogs every day. Three times a day. Not anymore for running the risk of them getting too fat. I ALMOST SLAPPED HIM!

Im pretty sure that the lab is dead now. and the little chihuahua was there last week but wasn't there the other day. I don't know what happened to her, but she isn't there. and they don't tell us where they went, TRUTHFULLY! I just hope she did find a nice home!

Jessica of Ankeny IA (02/21/08)
My husband and I got a Siberian husky from Petland January 20th. She seemed sick since the day we got her. We thought it was because she was stressed, she had diarrhea. We had called Tim the owner of Petland and he never called us back. We took her to the vet several times because we didnt want her to get dehydrated. He put her on some different meds. Nothing helped. Wednesday night (30th of January) she started to act really freaked out and crying so we thought she was in pain. My mom and I called Petland on Thursday the 7th and spoke to a young lady that works there. She stated that they were no long involved with Starch Pet Hospital where we were taking our new puppy too. I was very upset to find that out while my dog is dying at their place! We took her to the vet on Thursday and she started to have many of seizures in one hour. The vet took her home to his house overnight to watch her. He called Friday and said he had been giving her valium for her seizures. We put her down on Friday February 8th. Tim said he would pay for her and he hasnt we are getting bills now and he wont return our calls. I have already filed a complaint about Petland West Des Moines, Iowa with the Attorney General, Dept of Agriculture, Better Business Bureau and the Humane Society. I just thought you should know how your business is being ran out of Iowa!

Mona of Wilmington IL (02/18/08)
We purchased an AKC Registered Maltese dog on December 15, 2007 from Petland in Joliet, Illinois. I stipulated we only wanted an AKC Registered dog and we were assured this was the case. We were told by Petland that we would receive the AKC Registration papers 13 - 18 weeks after the purchase. On January 23, 2008, we were informed the Registration papers were at Petland. Upon examination of the Registration papers, we noted the dog was not AKC Registered but APRI Registered. I requested Petland Store Owner, Gary Lyons contact us promptly. Gary contacted me on January 31, 2008, nine days after my request to speak with him. He told me he would contact the breeder.

On February 7, 2008, Gary contacted me and told me the breeder had mixed up the paper work but that he totally agreed with me that it was not my fault and that the breeder would have to replace the puppy with an AKC Registered puppy or reimburse us in full. He said she only wanted to return half the cost of the dog but he was in agreement with us that the mistake was hers and that he would make good if she didn't but that he would not sell anymore puppies for her and he knew she would make good because she makes a lot of money through Petland.

Gary assured me that on February 14, 2008, that we would either have a new Maltese AKC Registered puppy or we would be reimbursed. This promise was made on February 7, 2008. I contacted Petland on February 14, 2008, and was informed Gary was on vacation and while he was supposed to return that day, but he was extending his vacation to February 18, 2008. I contacted Petland on February 18, 2008. I was told Gary was back from his vacation, he had been to the store and left. I was annoyed and told the girl he was not keeping his word to contact me February 14, 2008. I asked that he contact me. I received a call from Gary Lyons on February 18, 2008, indicating the breeder had gone to her contacts and told him none of the breeders would give us a dog. He said the deal was that we either return the dog for full reimbursement or that they give us half back on the dog. There was no consideration of the costs incurred or the suffering we would experience after bonding with the dog, then, losing it.

We signed a contract stating the dog was AKC Registered, an AKC Pedigree, the dog's neck bracelet indicated AKC Registration and the Pet Resource Kit gives an AKC Litter #. The store manager told us the dog was an AKC Registered puppy so we had nothing to suspect the dog would be otherwise. We are bonded with the puppy. We had a professional website built by a programmer to show our dog, to educate Matlese dog owners on the breed and hope to breed Maltese. We paid for the dog's needles, heartworm treatment, kennel, dog beds, blanket, carrying case, dog dishes, water bottles for kennel, apparel, grooming tools, grooming table, wizdog (for puppy pad training), puppy pads (x2), leashes x2, collars x2, eye stain medication, low blood sugar paste, grooming x2, two books and a magazine on the breed, bows and ribbons, shampoos, detangle sprays, dog gates x2 and gas to vet, puppy training and grooming.

Our intention is to breed a Maltese puppy twice, then, keep her puppy and enter into bettering the breed through breeding and education. This is why we wanted the AKC Registration. We do not want APRI Registration or any other Registration. We do not wish to breed our dog because she does not have AKC Registration. We will have her spayed. We have bonded with her very much and, as we are unable to have children, we think of her our baby and love her dearly, as she loves us. We are a family. Now, we are faced with purchasing another AKC Registered Maltese dog. We will have to face the same expenses for another dog, which we would have never allowed to happen, had we thought Petland was selling us a dog that was not AKC Registered. The cost of having an additional Maltese dog is significant, since, in addition to the cost of maintaining a dog, this high maintenance breed requires grooming every 6 weeks at $40.00 per session. The life expectancy of a Maltese is 15 years, therefore, we are expecting an additional grooming cost in excess of $5,000. The cost of an additional dog is estimated at $15,000-20,000 for the lifetime of the dog. The cost incurred due to the neglect of Petland will cost us this amount.

The option to return the dog for full reimbursement does not include the cost incurred through ownership of the dog over the past 2 1/2 months. The option to return the dog does not consider the suffering we will incur for the pain of separation and anxiety we will suffer. This dog is like a child to us. The option to keep the dog and pay $700 for her does not compensate us for the costs we have incurred and will incur for their mistake. We feel we should be permitted to keep the dog because we have bonded with the dog and that Petland should fully reimburse us for the dog because of the costs we have lost due to their mistake. Therefore, we do not feel their offer to receive full reimbursement for returning the dog or paying $700 for a dog that will be an additional cost to us and that is not AKC Registered, as stipulated in their contract. We feel Petland was negligent for selling us a dog for $1,400 and guaranteeing the dog was AKC Registered. They caused us great hardship and sorrow over this.

Mary of Mentor OH (02/12/08)
I purchased a Westie from this Mentor Store. Since the first day I brought her home she had diarrhea and blood in it. She did this many times a day. I told their vet that since the first visit that she had this going on. He brushed it off and said he didn't see it in the stool sample. But he gave me medicine to harden up her stool. Some antibiotic. Well 2 visits later and many bloody stools of diarrhea, I went back to the vet. He said that this may be a condition she may have for her lifetime. After she got spayed, by the third visit she still had bloody diarrhea. I called concerned about her swelling after her surgery. The vet was very bothered by me coming back. Of course I had to bring 3 stool samples of bloody diarrhea so he could take his pick at which one to look at. He called me in and wanted me to assist to find the bloody poop. I was shocked. Isn't this his job to do that?

Anyway he asked, "Haven't you ever had a puppy?" Like I should be used to seeing this bloody diarrhea. Well after calling Bob the owner and voicing my concerns to pay for the vet bills, he offered to pay. After falling on the ice from cleaning out the cage and cleaning up about 4 messes in 1 day, I had enough! So I showed up at the shop on a Sunday during a busy time. I took pictures of the dog with a bloody diarrhea, poopy cage. And I went to the local CVS to get big prints made. I walked into the store with our sick puppy, all her food and items and the meds she was on. I flashed the pictures to the lady at the desk. She yelled at me and told me to put them away. Then she had another lady to talk with me. The look of shock from the pictures of the poop said it all.

To make a long story short I said I couldn't clean up 1 more mess and that my back was hurting. So I turned over the dog. They demanded papers on the dog. Well after an hour went by, I marched back up and demanded the papers on the dog back. And I said I wanted our puppy back. Well the worker called Bob. Of course they tried to get me to talk quietly in the office. Well after realizing that I walked out of the office. I was getting an attitude from the owner. So I told him I want a full refund, or I'm going to the news and newspapers. He said if I did that he wouldn't work with me, and that I was being out of control. I told him I didn't plan on buying a sick dog! So he offered to have the dog monitored for a few days until he gets back in town, and then we would talk. I hope I did the right thing to hand over the dog. And I hope he gives me a refund--a full one! Being a young widow with 2 young kids, he really took advantage! But I am not gonna give up. I'll have him and his store on the news if that's what it takes!

I spent over $1,000 on this dog! And I can't afford to have to keep up with the vet visits, etc. I also fell on the ice trying to clean out the cage. I messed up my back.

Guy of Cape Coral FL (02/10/08)
I bought an Italian Greyhound in the end of 2006. The dog was ill the week after, throwing up and could not hold down food. I took the dog to the Vet linked to Petland; they told me to give her medicated food, and she should be okay in a few days. This dog was not eating or drinking, and was weak. And this was the advice of a Vet. After about 3 hours, the dog was whining and screaming all day. We finally took her to our own vet, and the dog had pneumonia, and was almost dead. We called Petland to state this, and they stated we should have revisited the vet they use, and would not pay the bill. Now the dog has chronic issues, spinal deformity, wobble syndrome, muscle and nerve issues.

The results are this dog will have life-long medical needs beyond my ability to pay. These dogs are supposed to be well breed, and good blood lines; this looks like a mill puppy situation. The papers given when you buy the dogs state pure breed; the results of the dog I have purchased show this as being false. This dog now has to be seen by a nerve and spinal DR in Sarasota to see if this is life-challenging. They need to pay for this dog's medical. and return my money for selling me a sick dog. This is by no means a good experience. I love this dog, and she's family, and we'll do whatever it takes, but this company needs to be held accountable. And I will do whatever to make sure this is known.

Beth of Bremen OH (02/09/08)
In August 2004, I entered Petland in Lancaster, Ohio. I have been in there quite a few times as I love to pet the kitties, but this time I really looked at the Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier. I had seen him there before, and I used to go in once a week. I of course fell in love instantly. He was 4 months old. His price was $1300.00 but because he had been there so long they were willing to come down to $600.00. Well, I went home, told my husband and he said yes, so I went back to get him. Now, I will tell you he was pretty good--that is for about a week. All of a sudden, his skin turned black and he itched awful. His ears were infected as well. I had already taken him in to their vet for the initial vaccinations and exam, and he was in perfect health they said (of course).

Well he is now 3 years old, on Prednisone every day, on Benadryl every day and has to eat special food that costs $40.00 a bag. I have spent over $2500.00 on vet bills. He is such a good boy, and we all love him so much. I did locate his birth place, and it is a puppy mill. I should learn my lesson, but I went in to a different one last week and found an older lab/basset mix. I probably will get him; someone has to save these puppies.

Marla of Melbourne FL (02/03/08)
I purchased a Sheltie puppy from the Petland in Viera, Florida on December 21, 2007 for my parents who had recently lost their two Shelties. The same night she was purchased, she started coughing. We took her to Petland's vet as per our contract and were told she had kennel cough, possibly from her vaccination for kennel cough just days before. We were given meds and there was high pressure by the vet to get her next round of vaccinations (which we would have to pay for) while we were there. I immediately lost faith and trust in the vet when they wanted to vaccinate a sick puppy. I declined the vaccinations and all the other supplies that they tried to pressure me to buy while I was there. I did the nebulizer treatment that Petland has in its store for a week, and gave her antibiotics and still she coughed. When I returned to the vet, each time they recommended vaccinating her, and I declined saying I didn't want her to get them while she was sick. Eventually, after a month went by and our puppy was no better, I went back to the vet and was told that Petland would not cover her vet bills, and that our contract was null and void with them, due to not following their vet's advice and getting her vaccinated. I left the vet's office that day telling them that neither they nor Petland care about their pets! I have since been seeing my own vet at the Melbourne Animal Hospital who advised me to hold off on all vaccinations until she gets over this bought of kennel cough. I'm just glad that I did not follow Petland's vet's advice. They just want to make money and don't seem to care about animals.

Kathy of Kenosha WI (01/22/08)
I purchased a Maltese puppy that was born back in 12-1995: a female. She had a small illness, they covered all costs, and we did take her to our own vet. Then we purchased a male Maltese that was born on 2-1996 after he had been there for months and months.The poor litrle guy was filthy and under weight. We purchased him ONLY because we felt so bad for him. He had a broken tail due to over-crowding, a cold and upper chest infection, ear mites and diarrhea. They paid for all our vet costs again. We paid $799 for the female and talked them down on the price of the male to $550--after telling them I'd make their store go through what they were putting these puppies through! Have never been back there to this day.

They covered everything. Both are wonderful little dogs with bad knee caps and messed up legs.

Diandra of Clermont FL (01/19/08)
My husband and I purchased a golden retriever puppy on January 8, 2008 from Petland. The following morning we went to their recommended vet because we noticed a green discharge coming from her nose. She has kennel cough. We did not have to pay for that visit because it was covered in our purchase of the puppy. We did however request another fecal sample and giardia test because she also had loose stool. We paid for that out of pocket and were told that the test was negative. We voiced our concern because giardia can be passed to other dogs and to people. We have 4 other dogs and 3 children in the house. Around January 17th, the stool became very loose so I took her to my local vet on Saturday the 20th only to find out in fact she does have giardia which she obviously had when we purchased her 11 days prior. We paid again out of pocket to treat her and now that my other dogs and family have been exposed there is a possibility that they will also have to be treated. When I contacted the pet store and their vet, I was told that they would not pay for her treatment expense because we didn't go to their vet which is the vet that tested her 10 days ago and told us she was negative for this.

We have had to pay $101.00 in vet expenses and will have to pay for more medication in 3 weeks on top of the purchase price of the animal because we were sold a sick puppy. Also my family is at risk for becoming sick with this bacteria along with my other four dogs which will mean more vet bills.

Mary of Sevierville TN (01/13/08)
On 11/18/07, I bought a papillon for my daughter for her birthday/Christmas gift.  When I bought her, she weighed 1.5 pounds.  Three weeks later she had a runny stool and occasionally there would be blood in the stool. On 1/08/08, I came home from work and she was lying down and I thought she was dead.  A few minutes later my daughter hears her whining and she could not get up.  The vet said she was seizing.  She tried to save little Daisy, and she finally got her warm because by the time I got to the vet with her she was nearly dead.  The vet said she had a bad heart and would never lead a normal life.  She called Ms. Adams at the store and Ms. Adams said she personally checks all the dogs herself.  So the vet is mailing her the findings and I'm going back to the store to argue my case.

The vet bill came to $158.00 but the vet said it could run higher just to keep her alive.  It is a sad thing to have to explain to a child that her dog has to be put to sleep because it has a birth defect.

Jessica of Coal City WV (01/11/08)
We purchased an Italian Greyhound at PetLand. The dog itself was $1,393.88. (That's not including all of the other stuff we had to get for her.) We had her for 5 days altogether. We took her on the third day for her first vet visit and found out that she had Kennel Cough. So we got the meds for her and started her on them. The next day when we got up she was vomiting and had bloody stool. We called PetLand and told them about the bloody stool, and they told us that it was normal for her to have bloody stool--that it could be from stress. But when her stool turned to nothing but runny blood, we took her to the vet. A Parvo test was run and came back positive. We told PetLand that we couldn't afford to keep her in the vet's, so they gave us a check and told us that if the dog made it through we would have the option to buy her back after she was well.

Well, she died tonight and we called PetLand and told them we paid in cash and we wanted cash back--not a check. So now we are waiting to see if they will do that. Our daughter is 2 years old, and this was her first puppy. We were attached, also. And now we're out a puppy and money for everything that we bought for the dog that can't be used again for another dog because she had Parvo. I think pet stores like PetLand should be closed down. Puppy mills are animal cruelty. If someone like you or me did half the stuff like they do to animals, we would be locked up for life. Why are they still in business? I just don't understand. I will probably be leaving more messages on here when we find out more from PetLand.

Karen of Pittsburgh PA (01/11/08)
I lost my Yorkshire terrier after 14 years, and a week later walked into Petland to see if I was ready to buy a new dog. The first one I saw looked just like the one I had to put down. Holding her I talked to the manager; she assured me the dog did not come from a puppy mill. I asked if the dog checked out healthy. She said the dog had a respiratory infection, that she had her last dose of medicine that morning, and the vet had just seen her and checked her out. I paid $1899 for the dog; they wanted $2199. The dog only weighed 2.5 lbs. I got home and put the dog down, and as soon as she started moving around she was breathing bad. I called the store, talked to the girl I bought her from, and said this dog is breathing bad; she told me to bring her back to their vet tomorrow. I asked, "Why would I do that when your vet this same day said this dog was fine?" She said if I went to my own vet they would not pay.

I went to my vet. The dog was VERY sick with kennel cough and severe upper respiratory infection. I reported this to Petland and again was told they would not pay. In 6 days I acquired almost $500 in vet bills, I had 2 emergency visits when the dog could hardly breathe, she was put in a nebulizer, 3 types of medicine, etc. I spent every moment for 6 days nursing this dog and had the dog constantly under a vaporizer. When I would call Petland to report these problems there were two times they didn't even ask what dog or my name--just said they were not paying. I do believe that this dog would not have lived had I not bought it. This ordeal has been 2 weeks; the dog still breathes hard in activity. I have also learned the dog has an enlarged heart. When I told Petland this, I was told to show xrays for a refund.

I cannot now return a dog I am attached to. I love this dog. What I want to get from all this is my $500 plus what I paid, in a check not made to me but to an animal rescue organization that I choose. I have filed a claim with all documentation to the attorney general. I am hoping that something can be done to help these dogs that Petland really doesn't care for properly. It is all about business to them.

Mikki of Charleston WV (01/06/08)
I purchased an English Bulldog from PetLand in Corridor G, South Charleston. The asking amount on the dog was $3700.00. The guy helping me was really nice and he ran my credit and I was only approved for $3000.00 so he cut me a deal which I thought was a good one. He told me that bulldogs are very good around other dogs and are easy to maintain and train. I brought the pup home and he immediatly starting chasing and terrorizing my 2 pound chihuahua and pinned her on the couch. I also had asked the guy if the dog had come from any type of puppy mill or anything like that and he said, "NO, I personally go and check the dogs out and purchase them," and he made it seem like the dog was from the area and he deals will a breeder from here.

Well once I purchased the dog I found that it was from MO and was shipped here. Every time he ate he had runny stool that had blood in it. I tried to keep him in a kennel cage while I was at work and he pooped in the cage, sat and played in it until I got home. The night before I returned him he had runny bowl movements almost every hour of the night. I took him to the vet in hopes that if something was wrong he could write a letter stating that he was unsuitable to be sold but he couldn't find the problem. I returned the puppy the same day I took him to the vet and the woman told me I had to pay 50% of the fee of the dog for returning him or I would have to keep him. She hand wrote my return on the back of my receipt and made me sign it stating I would pay the fee in order to return the dog. She didn't give me a return receipt or anything and when my bill came the full amount of the dog was still on it. So I had to call for a straight week and everytime I called nobody wanted to know any information about me, they just said It's been taken care of. Everyone was extremely rude and unhelpful.

I am now paying $1500.00 for a dog that I no longer have. PetLand messed me over in more ways than one. They take advantage of people and talk up a lot of their sales. I have a dog at home and I was trying to keep her from getting sick from him and looking into his best interest because I knew I could not make a suitable caregiver for him once I got him into my home.

Keri of Janesville WI (01/06/08)
We rescued a St. Bernard from Petland last July. She had been at the store for over 2 months, and had outgrown the pen space. She had a sign on her cage that stated "make an offer on me, I am too big for my cage." We made an offer, and brought her home. We visited a vet the very next day, and had her vaccinated, and checked. She had a severe rash on her belly, which turned out to be Giardia, a parasite infection from an unclean enviroment. We had to treat this four times before it cleared up. Right away we noticed that she limped, and thought at first it was from being in a cage for over 2 months with no exercise. Not so. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 5 months old, and has severe problems getting up. Because of her bad hips, her knees go out and cause severe pain. We never intended to have a show dog, we saved her to be our beloved friend and companion. Since we paid very little for her, Petland would give us NO guarantee on her health. We LOVE her, and now face many, many expensive vet bills to try to keep her walking and healthy. BEWARE OF PETS FROM PETLAND!

Adrian of Norcross GA (12/22/07)
Why is Petland still in business? They are selling sick, misrepresented, overpriced animals to unsuspecting, trusting consumers that only want a pet to love and care for. I think that it is sick and someone needs to shut them all down! My gripe is with Petland in Alpharetta, GA. They really got me good! I purchased what I was told was a PUREBRED Yorkshire Terrier for $2100 from them Christmas 2006, and almost a year later I find that my dog is a mixed-breed--NOT a PUREBRED, as advertised. I am trying to resolve this with corporate now because when I addressed this matter about 6 months ago, the store management was rude and very unprofessional.

Debra of Tavares FL (12/19/07)
I purchased a Papillion Puppy from Petland in Leesburg, I did not know that he was very sick and he almost died. The main thing that he had was Phenomena (among other things). We have saved his life thanks to a wonderful vet. I have tried calling Petland and contacting their corp. office. The store told me that I could send into the insurance company and get $800.00 towards the vet bill and wouldn't talk to me any further, and they didn't care how the puppy was. Their corp. office couldn't even get the store to call them back so they said that they couldn't help either.

My puppy is doing better and is going to live, he was in the hospital for 6 days and he has to keep going to the vet for blood work and X-rays until the Pneumonia is gone and my vet bill is going to go over $2,000 before I am done. He is a part of our family and a wonderful puppy. My point is that this pet store doesn't care and won't even talk to me. I know from talking to people that I am not alone, this has happened a lot to people. There is a warranty for up to the price of the dog but what about the fact that I supposedly purchased a healthy puppy.

He is adorable and weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz. when I got him. The important thing is my puppy is going to be O.K. but it is not right what they are doing. I have all of the vet notes and bills and even a page from the pet store showing were he had lost 3 oz. and they did nothing about it and when you don't weigh much more than that, that is a lot!!!

Mary of Colorado Springs CO (12/18/07)
Back in 1996 we purchased our Samoyed dog from Petland in Niles, Ohio. Within 6 months our vet diagnosed the puppy with hip dysplasia, and he had to be operated on. Petland made us bring in the Xrays, and a letter from our vet stating that the dog really did have dysplasia. They offered to replace our puppy with a new one, but we were already attached to him, and would not give him up, knowing what they would do to him.

It ended up costing us $2,000 in vet bills, plus he had to be neutered right away so that he would not pass it on to his puppies. He ended up later having an enlarged heart, mammary tumor, and had to be euthenized in July due to stomach cancer. The only thing that Petland would do for us was give us $300 towards his hip surgeries.

Dm of Mulberry FL (12/10/07)
We purchased a maltese puppy for $1600.00. The papers we received showed a 6 generation bloodline. But come to find out our little guy had only 3 toes (that the doctor missed) and was not show worthy. Now we loved the little guy and therefore did not return him to be destroyed, which was Petlands only response to our situation. Now this was the second strike as the lab we paid $500 for from the same Petland testicles never would drop and he could not be bred. His lineage was also AKC registered. It is my belief that Petland sells dogs that are turned down from other dealers and/or breeders and they buy them at a discount and sell them as though nothing is wrong with them. They know that once the animal is in your home it is hard to give them back, and they let you know that if you give the animal back it is to be destroyed.

Our maltese constantly tries to knaw off his foot, he must be watched and should be medicated for the rest of his life. The lab had to have surgery which cost $450.00. Neither animal will be worth what the papers lead you to believe. They can not be bred.

Janice of Louisville TN (11/18/07)
I purchased a Maltese puppy from the above Petland on 11/10/07, 1:29 PM, according to receipt. The pup was apparently ill as it died while under the care of a veterinarian four days later.

The cost of the Maltese and supplies (foods and a medication to prevent hypoglycemia) recommended by Petland came to a total of $1,260.58. The vet bill was nearly $300.00.

The monetary and emotional cost has been great. When I called Ms. Adams, she expressed no concern about my loss, financial or emotional. She assured me that there was no warranty on the dog, and expressed no intent to reimburse me for selling me a sick dog.

Michelle of Liverpool NY (11/14/07)
We purchased a black lab from Petland of Syracuse in February. I brought my kids with me, so the salespeople were aware of their ages (10, 7 and 4). I was assured by the consultant that this breed was a good family dog.

Recently she attacked two of my children, on two separate occasions, causing injury and terror. In both cases, the attack was unprovoked. She has been to training (6 weeks) She has plenty of room to run and gets lots of exercise. She is well taken care of.

After doing some research about the animals that Petland sells, I worried that our dog could have some genetic deficit that casues her to snap. When I called Petland for some advice, the owner, Jeffrey F, would not come to the phone. I was told he would call me back and he did not. He only returned my call after I said that I was putting the dog in the car to bring her to the store.

Once there Jeff explained to me that it was a behavior issue and that we must be training our dog to behave this way. He suggested that I get a personal dog trainer. When I asked about the training that was supposed to be a part of the VERY EXPENSIVE package we got with the dog, he showed me the 1-800 number!!! He sold me a phone number, no real help. This is clearly a dangerous situation, but he offered nothing.

Kim of Orlando FL (11/14/07)
I purchased a puppy from Petland in Orlando, Florida on 7/2/07. The day we brought her home I noticed she had what appeared to be kennel cough. I got her into the vet and her kennel cough had turned into pneumonia. Petland agreed to pay for all services as they sold us the dog in this condition. Now months later my puppy is still sick and is still being treated by the vet all going back to the kennel cough. She has been on medication since we purchased her.

Last weekend I took her in for a re-check since she was still coughing and to my surprise was informed that Petland was refusing to pay for any further treatment. However, she has never been cured of her sickness that they sold her to me with. I was also never given the option to get a new puppy, one with out any medical problems. I strongly believe Petland is selling puppies that they know are sick for outrageous amount of money and then refusing to finish the treatment agreement they originally agreed to.

I now have a sick puppy that cost over $2000 and now also have to pay for all of our visits and medication. This visit alone cost me $110 and I was informed she would need to be brought back for further medication. I have all the receipts for every visit we have taken her to and all of them show the same exact illness that Petland sold her to us with.

Michelle of Telogia FL (10/06/07)
My husband and I went to the store and bought a miniature pinscher from the petland in the mall for over $1100.00. The gentleman at the store reassured us that we would recieve our AKC registration papers in a few weeks. Well needless to say, that has been three years ago, and we went to the store more times than I can count and also called many more times.  We have always have been assured and promised that they were going to get ahold of the breeder to get my papers. But to no avail have they done so. So my advice if you buy from there: walk out with your AKC papers, and no exceptions....

Cannot get my dog registered so I can breed him with my female AKC registered dog. So I have lost out on 4 breedings and quite a bit of money because of their neglect.

Kelli of Edwards CA (09/25/07)
I purchased a puppy from PetLand. As we waited for our puppy to be bathed and ready to go home with us, the top kennel door was left open and the puppy which was kennelled with my puppy fell out onto the ground. This was about a 4 and a half foot fall. Someone picked up the puppy and it was placed back into the kennel.

Furthermore, we live 4 hours from this pet store and spent aproximately $1250 after paying for our pet and food, toys, etc. When the registration papers came in to the store, the store manager refused to send my registration papers to me unless I paid a $10 certified registration fee. I don't think it is too much to ask for PetLand to pay the cost of shipping the registration papers to me after spending such a large amount of money in their store.

Sheila of Ny NY (09/23/07)
Every time we go into this Petland Discounts store, there is a sick or dying betta fish up for sale. Once, the betta was just lying on the bottom of the cup, grey, with visible fin rot, and I told the employee that there was something wrong with the fish. The employee flat out denied it and said, Maybe he's a special fish.

I was totally disgusted (I have two alive and well bettas at home, so I know a sick fish when I see one) and brought him in back to the fish guy, who literally said, My god, he's dying.

He claimed he would medicate the fish, and took him in back. That was the end of that.

That happened a couple of weeks ago. The most recent incident was that I walked into the store, and there was this blue betta obviously very close to dying. He was upright in the jar (totally unnatural for bettas), was gasping for air, had a bloated stomach, and popping eyes (a symptom of the betta disease Popeye, which happens when the water they are kept in is not taken care of). The water was filthy.

I took him in back to the fish guy, who was this kid who obviously didn't know the first thing about fish. He knew enough to think that the betta was dying, though. I asked him if they would medicate him, and he said no.

Totally disgusted, I decided to try to save him myself, and bought him. I put him in another container with nice, clean water, water conditioner, and aquarium salt.

He died within a half hour.

Ruth of Circleville OH (09/23/07)
My boyfriend and I purchased a 10-week old english bulldog. We were told the puppy was up to date on all shots and was healthy. As per their guarantee we took the puppy to their vet (North Fork Animal Clinic) within the 4 business days. We were told then the puppy was healthy and looked great. We were given an antibiotic for a small rash on his tummy. We started the antibiotic that day. Later that evening the puppy developed a cough.

The next day, after taking 3 of the antibiotics, we thought maybe he was having a reaction to the meds so we stopped giving them to him and called our vet (who takes care of our other 3 dogs). On Sunday, a normally healthy, super active, super great puppy, would not eat, slept all day, and was hot to the touch.

We immediately called our vet who informed us it was puppy flu and Petland in Chillicothe has been having this problem for about a month. When I called Petland, they said it was an opinion of our vet that there had been no problems. However, they agreed to cover our emergency office call and meds. Our vet even told us that a puppy from there had died from the puppy flu and another from bordatella within the last two weeks.

Luckily we caught ours in time and the puppy should recover. However, we have now infected our other 3 dogs (13, 12 and 2).

Terri of South Webster OH (08/08/07)
We purchased a 5 month old English Bulldog from Petland in Ashland, KY. When we were ready to take him home, we were informed that he had swallowed a rubber duck, very negligent on their part if you ask me. When I took him to the vet (the one they used) to see what should be done about the duck, it was then that I learned that he had been there for about 3 weeks with a respitory infection and pneumonia and had almost died while in Petland's care. And he would have respitory problems for the rest of his life.

Oddly enough, when I looked at the daily health report and medical records provided by Petland, there was no mention of the illness or vet stay. They lied to us about his health and even gave us false documentation of his health history. I immediatley called the store manager, Brian, but he refuses to talk to me. I am very upset with the service I have recieved from Petland, but more so the conditions they allowed my pet to live in, and then had the nerve to lie to me directly when I asked if he had had any health problems.

Angela of Danville WV (06/25/07)

We purchased a 6 week old shih tzu for $1300 from Petland in May 2005. I noticed that the puppy would drag her hind legs when she walked fast or ran. She also had a wierd smell to her and no matter how many times I gave her a bath she would small like oil and her hair was oily. She was also completely infested with fleas. I took her to the vet 2 days later. The vet informed me that the reason she was dragging her legs was because she was kept pinned up in a cage and did not have enough strength in her legs for her to run, and that she would be ok with time. He then informed me that she had mange, fleas, and pin worms. I was furious. He was furious as well.

I ended up paying over $400 to get her treated. When I called Petland to make a complaint I was told by the manager that Petland guarantees every animal we sell and you can bring her back and we'll refund your money. Well, my children, husband, and myself had already fell totally in love with her. I could not take her back. I told Petland that they needed to at least cover some of my vet bills. The manager tried to say that the puppy caught mange from my house and that the others in the cage with her at Petland did not test positive for mange. I then informed them that the vet told me that it took a few weeks for an animal to show signs of mange once they had contracted it and that we had only had the puppy for 2 days. I did not get any money back on the puppy.

Sheera of Waxhaw NC (04/27/07)

I used to work at this facility about a year ago. I quit because of the horrible things that were occurring on a daily basis. I have been a veterinary nurse for 4 years now, so I of course knew better than most, if not all, of the employees I was working with at the time. Every single puppy and kitten was sick. They all received the same exact treatment without proper diagnostics or proper dosing techniques for each medication. Every puppy that was shipped in had bloody diarrhea. Additionally, they all had kennel cough. They were all given the same amount of antibiotic and cough suppressant no matter how big or small they were.

If the puppies were coughing, they were placed in a nebulizer with a specified amount of liquid that should only be dispensed by a veterinarian. The worst part of all this is that when I told my fellow employees that these symptoms the puppies showed were NOT normal at all and could turn into something serious if not treated immediately and properly, they simply replied that the manager said that they all come in that way (meaning with bloody diarrhea and/or coughing) and that it was fine.

Each Petland has a veterinarian that is supposed to check each puppy that is shipped in. I never once saw them be examined by the vet. In fact, I never saw the vet enter the store at all. These puppies come from puppy mills. They are tube-fed on a truck as they are each delivered to their pet store destination. Tube-fed means that a tube is inserted into the esophagus so liquid food can be introduced into the stomach. However, this is often done by people who are not properly trained to do this and the tube ends up in the animal's trachea.

They were not exercised regularly. They are only removed from their cages when someone wants to look at them to buy them, or when they are being moved to a different cage. This means that many dogs sit in those cages for days and days and days. They are not played with or loved on if a customer does not want to look at them. I was so disgusted with the treatment of these poor puppies, and with the fact that this store was allowed to do business like this, that I quit without notice after 2 weeks.

Kenneth of San Antonio TX (04/11/07)
I bought a dwarf rabbit for my girlfriend at PetLand as a surprise. I had done a little research on caring for rabbits before I bought him but obviously not enough. When I bought Mr Bunnysworth the kid working the register handed me about $120.00 worth of stuff and said this was everything I needed for the rabbit. It was all the wrong stuff.

The crude protein was too high, he never mentioned buying any hay or grass, said to use pine or cedar shavings, which is completely wrong for rabbits and sent me home with Guinea Pig food saying they were out of Rabbit food but this was perfect for it anyway.

Poor Mr Bunnysworth died of GI stasis within 2 weeks. By the time we realized he was hurting and took him to the vet they said it was too late, he died at the vets office in obvious severe pain.

I didnt want anything back from PetLand but I was furious that they gave me such wrong information on how to care for a bunny.

We now have 3 healthy bunnies (6 months now) from a local breeder who has a great reputation, these rabbits and friendly, healthy and we have all the necessary information to keep them that way for years. I feel terrible my first bunny died in such pain, and I place the blame squarely on bad information and terrible practices at PetLand for sending us home with everything but what the bunny actually needed.

Victoria of Racine WI (04/06/07)
I purchased a Beagle puppy from Petland in October of 2005. When I got him he was quite small. Although I was told he was 9 weeks old, he only appeared to be about 6 weeks. He wasn't a very active puppy when I first played with him, but the sales person assured me that it was because he was so young. When I got him home, he was quite sleepy, and for the next day or so he did nothing but lay around. I took him to the vet immediately, and they actually kept him at the vet's home for a week for around the clock care. they told me he had dog flu, and potentially pnuemonia. They told me to prepare for the worst.

As luck would have it, I did get my puppy back after about a week, and at first everything was fine. However, as time passed on, I noticed that his teeth looked odd, so I took him back to the vet. It turns out that either due to his illness or due to genetics, my 10 month old puppy had teeth in the decrepit condition of a 12 year old dog. They will probably all have fallen out before he turns 4. And he also has a sort of acid reflux, in which every morning, he vomits stomich bile. I could set a watch to it. It is very painful to see.

Petland did honor their 21 day warranty, in which they cover all vet bills and meds for any problem that comes up within 21 days. Also, I was given a refund for my dog's genetic issues, but here's the kicker...it was an instore credit. Like I want another problem puppy from a mill. And even if I had gotten actual cash back, it wouldn't even begin to compensate for the problems that lie ahead.

My dog will need a special diet for dogs with no teeth. Will he be able to play tug of war or chew bones, or fetch? Is he in pain? What about his throat? I don't even know if it will heal or if it will continually wear down. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know that Petland doesn't care.

During the time the genetic issue arose, I had taken a job at this Petland, and kept it for about 7 months. I can't begin to tell the horrors both to the puppies, and also to the customers. I know now that these are truly corrupt businesses, and I have seen the full truth in puppy mills and the type of people who support them.

Jaclyn of Tampa FL (03/31/07)

We saw an adorable female yorkie, she was $2400, and we took her home that night. She went to the free vet check said everything was fine. Few days later we had to take her back to the vet. She had a lump on her back and was dragging on the floor as they do if they have parasites. The lump was from the infected microchip and came back having three types of worms, 2 that are very contagious and even humans can get them, so now with worrying if our other two dogs have them we have to worry if WE have them.

The parasites and infection caused her to go into hypoglycemia; she’s been at the emergency vet hospital for 5 days now and thousands in vet bills.

Laurel of Bradenton FL (03/12/07)
Bought a dog, now two years old, has been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, Vet says it's genetic. Petland was buying pets from a rogue puppy mill called Pine Springs Pets.

$1,000's of dollars in vet bills. Sadly, the contract with Petland only covers illness during the first year. Very smart. Most puppies don't show signs of genetic problems until around two years old.

Francesca of Kenosha WI (01/11/07)
On Aug. 25, 2005 my sister and I decided to go look at puppies at Petland. When there we saw an adorable puppy being bitten by another puppy who was in the kennel with Mico (the puppy we bought)! We had not gone in with the intentions of buying a pet but we decided to ask the employee to take out Mico so we could play with him for a little bit. Needless to say we became immediately attached to this adorable apricot cockapoo.

We decided that we go ahead and purchase the puppy-the sales person went through all the necessary paper work and made sure we signed and initialed everything. All we were told at the time of purchase was that the dog had a slight case of kennel cough but nothing too severe. They said that he just needed to go visit the vet that they told us to go to and he would be fine. Not knowing very much about purchasing animals to begin with we went ahead and put our trust into this company!! Boy were we wrong to do that!!!

Within a couple of days of owning our very first puppy he had already been to the vet a handful of times costing us well over $500 within the first month of owning him. I forgot to mention we paid well over $1000 for the dog. There is just so much wrong with the puppy it is so sad - Petland needs to be stopped!!!! They are not giving their animals the opportunity to live a happy healthy life!!!

Greg of Akron OH (11/15/06)
I just rescued a Lhasa Apso puppy from the Petland store at Chapel Hill Mall in Akron 11/11/06. The sales rep explained and even sent home a brochure on kennel cough BUT never said that the puppy WAS sick and needed immediate veterinary attention. I'd guess all their puppies sold there are sick. Kennel cough is highly contagious. None of the puppies were coughing at the store due to giving them a cough suppressant (I'm assuming) Within 4 hours of bringing the pup home It started coughing and running a fever.

I paid $800 for a sick dog and they originally wanted $1000. The pup is supposedly 12 weeks old, but looks 6to8. You can also feel its spinal cord. suggesting is was malnourished. Not trusting Petlands Vet located in Medina (25miles each way), the pup was taken to Banfield Vet Clinic whom I have dealt with before and received excellent care. Keep in mind that this pup was just seen by Petland's recommended vet on 11/03/06.

Banfields diagnosis was severe pneumonia and ran a series of other related tests along with X-rays. Total cost so far is $500 for the 1st days treatment. This is the 2nd day for further treatment. At this point they are not 100% certain the puppy will even make it. This practice of theirs is disgusting and needs to be exposed and they either need to give these animals proper care or go out of business.

Barbara of Chillicothe OH (11/14/06)
I wanted to update on my complaint that was put on the web site regarding my purchase of a Keeshond puppie and the subsequent headache of getting a refund. I am part way there. After complaining to everybody who would listen and alot who wouldn't, I received a check todayfor the majority of the money Petland owes me. I will be in the store tomorrow and I intend to leave with the rest. I think the finally straw that got things moving is the fact I have filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals Office. If nothing else people hate paperwork and I am sure this complaint will bury them for a little while. So, two days after telling them what I did, I have $535.00 of the 594.01 they owe me.

Barbara of Chillicothe OH (11/10/06)
I purchased, in cash, a keeshond puppy. I saw him one day in Sept. and he was too high priced so I told the salesperson if it ever got down to $400. give me a call. Oct. 18th 2006 I got the call. I told them I would get him that night. He wasn't ready so I waited while they bathed him, paying for him & purchasing all the other things they say you have to buy while they finished him up. I carried him to my car and drove a 1/2 mile to show him off to my sister. He fell over as soon as I placed him in the grass. Righted himself and proceeded to walk oddly. I had a feeling it was not good and I should have gone back right then, but I was so happy to have a dog I convinced myself it was ok. I thoguht maybe he was stiff from living in the pen at the store. Well it did not get better , so I made an appointment the next day with Petland's vet.

The xrays of the pup's hip were unbelievable to even my untrained eyes. At 4 months old he had hip dysplasia in both hips. The one was so bad the leg bone was no where near the hip socket. I called the store from the vet's office and told them I was bring the pup back. The assistant manager tried to get me to keep him till the store manager returned in 8 days but I said no. I took the pup directly back to the store and handed the pup over to another store assistant manager. Gave them a copy of the vet's report and told him I wanted my money back. He said I would be called the next day. In the meanntime I looked the breeder up on the internet as they say they all come from reputable breeders. This one has a history aand certainly falls into the puppy mill ranks. I gave them a copy of that when I returned on Friday when no one contacted me.

They said they couldn't give me a refund in that amount of money, it had to come from corporate. They supposedly do not have that much cash in the store. I was told I was not the normal customer as I paid cash. I was told at that time it would be the followiing Friday, , Oct 27, when the manager would get back and that she would call me. I did not contact the store that whole week as I figured nothing was going to happen till the manager got back. Ms. redman never called so I called her. The short version of the rest of the story is, I was told I would get a refund, it is now November 10th and I do not hear from Petlnd and I have not received a refund.

Mike of Crystal Lake IL (10/02/06)
The short of it is I purchased a puppy by the time I got out of there was about $1400.00. Within a few weeks we discovered she had intestinal parasites. The way we found out, she had bloody diarrhea and was vomiting in the middle of the night. We called the animal emergency room, which told us because she is so small we would need to bring her in or she could dehydrate and become hypoglycemic. We were given medication and sent home. We had brought in a sample of the diarrhea but because it was more mucus then pooh, they couldn't test it.

Later we found out she not only had intestinal parasites but these were the ones that can be passed to humans. Next she developed a rash, we thought it was from the medication. We had some tests done and discovered she had skin parasites. The thing to remember is we have another dog at home and have for three years that had never exhibited any of these problems till now. The dog we had for three years has now started with the vomiting and diarrhea. Yep now they both have parasites.

I called Petland in Crystal Lake and talked to Dan the owner who was no help. They cover these problems for seven days and that is it. Even then they only cover the medication witch is the most minimal part of the treatment. So here we are over $500.00 in vet bills and a little wiser. So if you buy an animal from these guys pleas ask it to get sick with the first week and even then take out some insurance on the animal.

I called Petland in Crystal Lake and talked to Dan the owner who was no help. They cover these problems for seven days and that is it. Even then they only cover the medication witch is the most minimal part of the treatment. So here we are over $500.00 in vet bills and a little wiser. So if you buy an animal from these guys please  ask it to get sick with the first week and even then take out some insurance on the animal.

Kelsey of Tallahassee FL (09/22/06)
My mother bought me and my sister two twin bunnies for our birthday. We instantly feel in love with them. About 2 weeks later one of them died for no reason. It just mysteriously died. Fearing that maybe it had some sort of disease we took the other to the doctor, but not before contacting the store. They responded that it was past 7 days and they would not give us another one. When we took the other to the doctor we found out he did have a parasite that only could be passed through other bunnies. Since we only bought the two he said that it came from the litter and was highly contagious.

When we called the store they said no one had called to complain and no bunny was reported with a paracite which was clearly a lie because we reported to the manager the day before. The doctor put my rabbit on medication but it was too late because it died less than 3 hours later. We found out that we had been giving it the wrong treats and bedding. We also were sterlining the cage with the right products. I was amazed because the treats and bedding and cleaning products were all in the rabbit package that we bought from them. That litter had about 6 bunnies and they didn't tell anyone else and sold them all. They may have all had it and they didn't care. They had no idea how to take care of them and completely told us the wrong information. They ruined our birthday.

Brooke of Fairfax VA (09/17/06)
We fell in love with our boy, Charlie, a longhaired dapple doxie. We payed over 1,00 dollars for him. When we purchased him they had another doxie and told us to get her too, because they would make cute puppies. Upon getting him home he had some guarding issues with his food and his testicles did not drop. Our vet did the surgery and found he had no testicles. I called the store and they said he was neutered, and after much search a small "nu" on Charlies paperwork was all that identified this.

A few months later we spent another 600 dollars for a lump to be removed which was not cancerous. The real heartbreak came when the aggression started. Charlie sent me to the emergency room with seven puncture wounds, next up was my nephew who also went to the emergency toom with a mangled finger that required stitches, than me again, this time 5 puncture wounds and an IV drip. We spent 1,000's of dollars working with every behaviorist and nothing could help him. He would snap, for no reason, and attack.

Charlie had to be put to sleep when he was only a year and a half old. We fought so hard for him but he became so violent and so unpredicatble we could no longer live with him, and no one could take him. As he fell asleep for the last time all I could think about was how wrong this all was. Aggression is a sign of inbreeding as well as being taken from the mother too early. I will never forget him, I cry for him every day, and I will never stop hating the people who did this to me, to my boy.

Sara of Baraboo WI (09/03/06)
I was in Illinois trying to waste some time before going to an event in Schaumburg. I have a dog so I visited two pet stores. I believe the first one was PetCo. Great store with two yellow labs to adopt. Obviously had gone through a lot, but getting healthy. Needing to waste more time, we traveled around and found Petland. As soon as I walked in, I gasped and said Oh no and walked over to the cages of puppies. I had heard of puppy mills when I was trying to looking to buy a dog (I got her from the Humane Society). I knew as soon as I went in that that's what it was.

Some of the dogs were playing, others were just lying there. I would have never bought any of these animals from the pet store directly. I did see signs that said they were looking for locally raised pets...but I'm afraid to know how many people run puppy mills in their garages/homes. I saw one puppy separated from the rest saying that it was sick. And boy did it look it. I was sick to my stomach just looking at all of these adorable little animals knowing what the mother had gone through. What made me even more sick was the people buying them. I realized they may not know about puppy mills and I hope that if they did, they wouldn't support such a thing. I hope that one day pet stores such as these are shut down or at least have the selling of these kind of animals banned.

Lynn of Whitewater WI (08/16/06)
I purchased a very sick puppy that met the health screening provided by a contracted vet. The puppy turned out to be very sick. Vet/manager gave a different song and dance after implying that I was a competent/researched purchaser. I am devestated and irate and feel horrible for the puppy. I am also irate that this business can continue. I am at a loss of what to do regarding the unethical treatment of animals and dishonest service to consumers.

Alison of Acworht GA (02/26/06)
We purchased a puppy on Friday Feb 17th. My husband had orginally gone by himself to look for a puppy. He came home and said he found a Boston Terrier/Bassett Hound Mix at Petland. We decided to go see the puppy. She was adorable. We got her out and she was very playful. We decided to put $100 deposit on her for 1 week so we could get things together for her at home. This puppy was for my 6 year old son. He was very excited that he named her right away" HARLEY". We went about 4 times to see her before we got her so my son could play with her. She was always so playful and sweet. We finally did pick her up on Friday.

I took her straight to the vet. She had a fecal done and I was told she had worms. She was given meds for the worms and I was told that she might get sick. That night she played for a while then she started to get very sick. She got sick all over our house. She wouldn't move. The next morning I called the vet. We took her in. She ended up having Parvo. She was half dead. She had to be put on fluids right away. I called Petland and told the manager that we had just gotten her yesterday and that she had Parvo. I told him that all the other puppys were probabaly infected too. Because we did notice that everytime we went to see her she was in a different cage. Parvo is a very serious, contagious illness for puppies.

The manager wanted us to bring her to him so his vet could check her out. We told him it didn't matter what vet she saw as long as she was getting treatment and to take her off fluids to bring her to him she could die. She stayed at our vet from Sat to Mon night. We did bring her home Mon Feb 20th. She didn't move all night.

We took her to their vet Towne and Country on Tues. She has been there for 6 days so far. She is still there. I called 2 times on Tues to see how she was doing. Didn't get much info. Called Wed they never called back. So basically we need to decide what to do. We need to talk to the vet and the manager. I want all my vet bills paid for and I want full remeinbursement for the puppy. She was $400.00. I feel that this is only far after what trauma my family has been thru. My 6 yr old son keeps asking me why we got a sick puppy and is she going to die. He talks about her all the time. If she doesn't get better we can't get another puppy for at least 6mos to a 1yr because of the Parvo in our house. 

Tracey of Redford MI (09/10/05)
My boyfriend and I purchased an eleven week old Boston Terrier from a Petland in March of 2005. As soon as we saw her we knew that we had to take her home, we named her Brooklyn. We paid $1500.00 for Brooklyn. Two months ago Brooklyn began losing her hair and her stomach was covered in red pussels. Our vet diagnosed her with mange. We were told that this type of mange is genetic and once this is disease is discovered the pet should not be bred.

We contacted Petland and we were told that we needed to see their vet and if this was the case they would replace Brooklyn with another puppy. Obviously replacing Brooklyn was not an option but we made an appointment with Petland vet for another opinion. When we met with their vet we asked if mange was hereditary, we were told yes. We asked if her mother and father should have been bred, and we were told no, the vet told us that this mange had to have been seen somewhere along her family line before.

We asked the vet to write this down for us, he told us that he would. The vet left the room and never returned, a vet tech came in the room and told us that only the owner had the authority to write such a thing down. We were told that the vet that we spoke to was new, and didn't know any better. We never saw the owner and we never got anything in writing. I have wrote letters to the vet and to Petland with no response. We have spent over $1000.00 on vet bills and medication with no gurantee that she will ever be cured or that this disease will not continue to come back.

Paul of Ft Myers FL (07/11/05)
Purchased Yorkie on april 29, 2005 for 2,199 dollars. Dog soon began having attacks which turned out to be seizures. After many visits to their vet and ours, it was finally determined that the puppy has a liver shunt and will require major surgery to correct and will not be able to be bred. Petland has returned the price of the dog less the $300 they gave to our vet. I explained to the owner that according to the pet lemon law, she was responsible for the price of the dog plus vet bills up to the price of the dog. She shouldn't have shorted me 300 dollars when she returned the money for the dog, and she still should pay for my vet bills up to the price of the dog. At least that's my interpretation of the pet lemon law.

The dog is scheduled for surgery on july 14th, cost will be approximately $1, 879.00 I really feel that they should pay for this bill. I have spoken with the owner today, she refuses to consider it, claims my wife signed all the fine print in their contract and they aren't responsible for the extra vet bill even thought the law says she is. This dog unknown to me had a very bad upper resipiratory infection and was on meds until the day before my wife picked her up. A few days later when we returned with the ill dog, the same vet said, without a physical or blood tests, that she needed nutrastat a tube of basically corn syrup. On the second visit, again without tests, we were told to feed it more often. Finally with the dog still sick, we took it to our vet who discovered the upper respiratory infection and confirmed it with the petland vets -- it's how we became aware that THEY knew the dog was sick...and said nothing.

Laurie of Ottawa IL (06/09/05)
On 3/31/05 I purchased a Chocolate Lab from the Naperville Petland, I was given a 14-day Warrenty which covered physical health problems. 3 days after my adoption my puppy began choking. Being a new dog owner, I did not know what was happening and rushed her to my vet. After an examination and x-rays totaling almost $250 it was determined that my pup have pneumonia brought on by kennel cough.

Adhering to the agreement with the Petland warrenty I contacted them within 24 hours. The mgmt did not seem suprised when I started to tell my story and agreed that it sounded like kennel cough. They said that it is common. I was advised to take my pup to their vet. Which I did, right after leaving mine. Their vet was 1.25 hours away. I spoke to management on several days regarding the bills from the original visit, when I was promised to be reimbersed for medication. After 1 month of not recieving this money I insisted on talking to the owner who called me back and assured me that I would be refunded for this and 2 other RX I had picked up from my local vet.

Another 2 weeks passed and I still had not received this payment and I spoke to his wife who explained that the receipts had been misplaced. I reminded her that I had sent them 3 prevoius times. She appoligized and said she would send a check that day. 1 week later I received a check for $48, half of the cost of medication that I was promised. I later looked back at my agreement with Petland that does not state that I am required to seek attention at their vet. My pup has been sick with pnemonia for 9 weeks and we still make trips to their vet every 2 weeks. Because she has kennel cough I can not expose her to other animals who may also go through this same ordeal.

Jennifer of Shawnee KS (4/2/03):
My four-year-old niece and I went puppy shopping one afternoon at Petland. It was one of the cleanest pet stores around. We fell in love with an American Xocker Spaniel, or that's what we were told she was. We came to the conclusion we were going to make her part of our family. Her original selling price was $600, however the sales person made the comment, "If we know shes going to a good home were willing to work with you on the price." This should have been my first clue!

I did so the next day, and was told she is healthy but their is no microchip in her. I took Haley home and drove directly to the pet store. To my suprise the store was closed and locked. Everything and everyone were gone. Just the day before I was in there and no one said anything about this. And to my shock, I now did not have the paperwork for Haley. I became panicked and called our local news station and they came out and did a story on it. I also called and had the credit card payment stopped, after all their was a 48-hour return policy for all animals.

I received the phone number of Petland Corporation from the news reporter and gave them a call. Their response was the individual owner of that store is the person responsible. We cannot do anything. With that I have begun my battle. I did manage to locate a P.O. Box for the owner, to send in our requests. I did that and one month later nothing. To hieghten the excitement, Haley has now come down with an disorder of the eye called cherry eye. We had to take her to a eye specialist who is recommending a surgery to have this problem fixed. This problem can be painful if not fixed. It can also be very expensive.

Glenn of Elk Grove Village IL (4/26/00):
On 8-5-99 I purchased an American Eskimo Puppy that was born on 5-27-99. We were assured over and over again that all of their puppies are from reputable breeders. So we gave in and purchased him. He is now 11 mos old and has already had two knee surgeries for "trick knees". The vet that Petland sent us to, acording to the owner of the store, did not check for this and according to Mr. Bosco they should have. Yet he was only willing to refund us the purchase price of the dog. This is crazy -- the owner of the store admitted this was a problem by saying that their vet should have checked for this and didn't. Now our current vet has found that our dog has imperfect hips also.

We have spent thus far $2,800 and it could be much more in the future due to the hip problem although he is not clinical yet on the hips. As for emotional: this pup was bought with the sole intention of getting my wife's mind off of getting pregnant as we are have problems in that area and all it has done is create a headache of a different sort. My wife is so upset watching our pup suffer through surgery after surgery.

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