Petland Reviews

She was very cute, as all puppies are, and she behaved like a healthy puppy should. The employee told me that the puppy was for sale for 1400 dollars, and I was shocked. Who would pay that much for a puppy?!?! Not me, that's for sure. The employee explained that the puppy came with a complimentary veterinary analysis from a local independent veterinarian, a microchip for easy identification, was AKC registered, had her bloodline traced back 4 generations, came from a USDA licensed breeder, was up to date on wormings, was vaccinated for parvo, kennel cough, and several other diseases, and came with a three year health guarantee. I still wasn't sold. I asked about Puppy Mills, and the employee gave handsome info on the breeder, a couple from Arizona who had been USDA registered for 8 years. She even gave me their address but alas, no phone number.

I was rather impressed by this, although a little baffled by all the info. I did not buy that puppy, as my better judgement would not let me. At the end of my visit with that sweet little puppy, I politely declined to purchase the pup, accepted some hand sanitizer, and left the store. I have seen all ends of the spectrum when it comes to Petland stores, and I honestly think it all depends on the morals of each particular store's manager. All you as a consumer can do is to know where to shop! If your neighborhood Petland is appalling, don't willingly buy a dog from them. Use your brain and DON'T SHOP THERE! If it seems fine to you, shop there as much as you like.

One of my close friends is looking for a dog but, doesn't know what kind to get. So she knew that there was a large selection there at Petland so they went. They look at some breeds there. There was one individual dog that had a broken leg she thought. She said that Petland did not do anything about it and they just let it sit there in pain. I don't know what kind of cold-blooded person could do that. I know that I couldn't go into work every day and see a poor innocent look in a dog's eyes and just ignore it for hours at a time. I asked my friend if the dog was in the last cage to the left on the bottom row and with a chihuahua? And she said, "Yes. How did you know?" I said that the other dog was gone (the one with a broken leg). And the chihuahua was half off. I suspect it's because there is something wrong with him just like the other dog that they put to sleep.

I want to know what can be done about this neglect and abuse done to all of the animals at Petland?

The store manager, Karrisa, referred me to Tammy who takes care of the claims on the puppies. I spoke with Tammy on Friday, 01-02, and she asked me to fax her the pet bills, a paper with diagnosis, and any other medical information. Tuesday, 01-06, I faxed the paperwork to Tammy and verified it was received. A week later, I had not heard anything about the claim, so I called Tammy to check on the status. She informed me that it takes 2 to 4 weeks for the claim to be processed and that I would be hearing from the corporate office. She also asked me to try to be patient. I waited 4 weeks (01-30) to contact Tammy again. This time she said she would email corporate and try to find out the status of the claim and she would call me back. I never received a call back, so a week later (02-06), I called Tammy again.

This time she told me she was just doing her job and that when she spoke with corporate (via telephone) they said the claim was in progress and on the desk of the claim handler. She told me she has done all she can and that it is in corporate's hands. I asked for corporate's number and she could not give it to me. She said I could write a letter expressing my disappointment with how the issue was being handled and bring it into the store or fax it to her and she would make sure they got it. I am at my wits end. I don't know what else I can do. I am trying to be patient and considerate but I feel like I am being put on the back burner. I NEED to be reimbursed asap because the vet bills are due and I am having a very hard time making ends meet.

I went to the store in Viera and the manager, Jeff, told me that he does not legally have to provide me the puppy's health records. I was puzzled as to why a puppy's health records would be such a secret. He told me that he was calling the cops on me and I would have to leave (other patrons could hear us)... My puppy was being treated by the nebulizer in the back for Kennel Cough, so he was reluctant to let me stay but said that the puppy had ringworm not Parvo and that it was another puppy that had Parvo. I told him to prove it but he said he would in the morning, that the clinic was closed. Needless to say that they would not let us play with any puppies anymore and the staff was now being rude... not to mention, that my puppy's pedigree showed that the puppy's mom and dad shared the same dad... I smell a puppy mill puppy cover up!

It was so sad to put him back in the cage for so many reasons. I knew I couldn't take him home with me, but I also knew that this puppy would probably die at Petland due to their complete neglect of their animals and the ignorance of their staff. Like most animal lovers, I wish I could take all of the pets with me, but since I can't... I want to let the public know in any way possible about the neglect of the dogs there and new owners have to understand that due to that neglect, there are so many problems when you bring a puppy like that home. It's a horrible cycle that needs to be stopped! Puppy Mills are horrible! And the irresponsibility of Petland is horrific!

Petland of West Des Moines just recently stopped paying the Veterinarian of Avendale Veterinary Clinic, so he no longer visits once every week to check the puppies. The majority of the people who do take care of the puppies are teenagers with no prior experience caring for animals (other than household pets). They are the ones who are expected to keep a watch on the puppies and to tell the managers if they think one is sick. There is only one person allowed to work in the kennel from 11:00 am - 9:00 pm. This requires the one person working back there to care for up to 60 puppies by himself or herself. Needless to say, these puppies do not get the care they deserve.

The most important thing a worker in the kennel is told to do, however, is keep the glass clean so the customers can see, and then buy the puppies. This is the main concern of the managers, because it is the main concern of the owner (who is the father-in-law to the general manager of the store). Petland is a rip off. If they did not sell $1000 puppies every day, they would not be in business, and they realize this. The cost of shelf items is at least 50% more than at the competing pet store chains.

We were standing outside of the store, in the general mall area, talking to the woman when the owner of the Petland came storming out and accosted the woman verbally, yelling in front of at least twenty other customers and mall patrons, telling her that she had no right to be stealing his business and customers. The woman was shocked and very apologetic, trying to tell him that we were just exchanging personal information but he wouldn't stop yelling long enough to even hear what she was saying. We stepped in at that point and defended her, but he merely turned and yelled at us as well, telling us to get out. We were already outside of his store, so we left the mall to escape any further wrath. We were deeply disturbed and offended by his inappropriate behavior as was everyone within hearing distance of the confrontation. We will not be returning to buy that dog, nor will we ever set foot in that store again. In the past, we have frequented the store and spent large sums of money there, but the owner's behavior was so wildly inappropriate and offensive that we cannot, in good conscience do that again.

The owners are always visible and willing to answer any questions. There isn't a high turnover there at all. We've been talking with the same sales associate for 2 years since they've opened. Regardless of where these puppies come from, they too need loving homes, and the people at Petland Davie are very accommodating.

I am glad that I was able to find these two babies and have the privilege of raising them and loving them. Petland did everything right for me. They were very helpful with both purchases and were themselves pleased to send the dogs to a happy home. I'm not certain what all the hoopla is over puppy mills and pet stores, but adopting, buying, or acquiring any dog, from any source is a wonderful thing if the owner takes the full responsibility of knowing the breed and raising it correctly and fulfilling the dog's needs. Any person who purchases or adopts a dog has a choice as to whether they will do the right things for the dog throughout the dog's lifetime. I have only had good experiences with Petland and it is now my job to raise and love the dogs.

I have never been so disappointed and annoyed by any business practice as this. First of all, she was not told 4:00. Second of all, it is winter and bad driving conditions and it was 4:03. Trust me; no one I know will ever purchase anything from Petland. They kept my beloved pet from me after surgery because of a 3-minute delay; just how ridiculous is this? I am just as annoyed today as yesterday and doubt that I will ever forget your inconsiderate practice. I called your store at 4:45 for help. You took my number and said you would investigate to see if you could help anyway and never even bothered to call me back.

After having my puppy for a couple of months, she started having seizures. She was around 6-7 months old. I was shocked because I had just lost my previous Pomeranian from epilepsy. The very next morning, she had another seizure. I scheduled her appointment with the veterinarian and at that time she was diagnosed with epilepsy which is a hereditary disorder by Dr. Robert **, D.V.M. I asked the front office of Black Mountain Animal Hospital VCA if they can write a letter stating what my puppy was diagnosed with so I can take it to Petland.

The next day I picked up the letter from VCA and took it into the place where I bought my dog on 510 Marks St. #120 and gave a copy of the letter to the Manager there named **. He said he would have to give a copy to the corporate office and they will be issuing me a check for the price I paid for the dog in a couple of weeks since she was still in warranty of the 1st year. After 3 weeks, I called him and left several messages to see the status of my claim and he never returned my phone calls. I finally got a hold of another store manager at a different location and told her my situation. She told me there was no corporate office, just the two owners of the company, Brad and Karen Logan, and she told me they worked out of another store.

So I finally reached one of them. I inquired the status of my claim. She didn't even know what I was talking about. After explaining to her my situation, she accused me of lying, that they don't know if the dog is really epileptic and had the nerve to tell me to just return the dog after almost a year of having her. I told her the veterinarian that diagnosed her is the one it states in the warranty to use.

Since then I have not been given a check and my calls have not been returned. I have been giving my dog Phenobarbital every day twice a day since she has been diagnosed. I did my own investigation and found out that my dog's breeder is not reputable and has sold many sick dogs to Petland. She gives them shots so they can go into heat early and inbreeds the animals with their own brother and sister. Now Petland on Marks St., Henderson, NV the one that I purchased my puppy from is under investigation by the US Humane Society for purchasing dogs from puppy mills when they guarantee healthy blood lines or your money back. Petland practices fraudulent activities and false contracts. They should be shut down not only for making false statements in their warranties but for animal abuse alone.

The next day, I called and talked to the vet. He said that he said she only had a possibility of having it and he could not be definite in his diagnosis because of her age. I asked why he did the surgery and neuter her then. He said that it is his belief that if the dog has altered hips, she should not breed. He had told my husband that she did have it; that was why we did the surgery. Everyone we talked to after this asked why the surgery was mandatory now. It could have waited till 6 months of age. It cost me $404 to get Charlie back from a free visit. I'm not sure how that works???

I was completely lied to by Petland about this doctor. I truly believe that they are working together for the money. They have now neutered and cut Charlie's pelvic bone because of a possibility. We had originally wanted her to breed and now we can't plus we put this puppy through a surgery that was not necessarily needed. We will still keep her and love her but this whole situation is totally wrong.

I love my dog. I don’t want him being sent all over the place now, he’s safe with me. So I asked about Petland paying for it at their vet. They said, “No, we don’t do that.” I said, “Well I still owe you a little money. Can we work something out on that? He said NO. So although at this time he is getting over the kennel cough and we will have the dew claw removed, everything else seems good. He’s a smart pup and a joy for my whole family. Consequence: Bringing him home with me gave one of my other dogs kennel cough.

When I called the owner at this Petland store, she said she was sorry that the salesman did not disclose the medical information on the dog with me, and that he was new and still needs to learn all the procedures. And that unfortunately, I could only trade the dog or get a doctor note on the allergies and pay a 30% return fee. That made me even angrier. Exchanging the dog was not an option because of the allergies. When I later called her again asking if I could go ahead and return the dog and just suck up the 30% fee, which I felt was completely insane considering the medical condition error was not my fault, she stated that, “Oh I have recently consulted with my business partner and we aren't even going to allow the return of the dog with the 30% return fee because you did not contact us within 48 hours.”

This has been the most horrible experience for me and I'm finding that other local people have had the same issues with this store. They should not be allowed to continue to get away with this unprofessional behavior. And unfortunately for me, I am stuck with a dog to get rid of that I can't even keep in my house due to allergies. Please do not buy from PETLAND unless you make them slow down and take time to explain to you all of the dog’s medical history and what this means to you before signing any paperwork. Just a horrible place of business and very unprofessional owner. She was quite rude to me.

Case in point: a ferret had a horrible upper respiratory infection. Looked like death warmed over. Owner was warned repeatedly by staff members to treat the animal but the owner ignored them until a customer came in and ASKED IF IT WAS ALREADY DEAD. This is absolutely disgusting and unnecessary - it's also not the only issue. Bird cages never have their shaving replaced (because they don't look dirty), reptiles die because they aren't heated or fed properly, and customers are repeatedly lied to about the health, condition and warranty on the dogs. This company is disgusting.

I called the store and they said to come in to be given drops on Friday - this is common. On Fri am, hamster was dead when we awoke. I returned to the store on Fri at 5 pm. For two weeks, employee said she knew nothing about the hamsters. Manager said the wet bottom medicine had a guarantee. But in examining the dead hamster, we saw there is no wet bottom issue. We were given no wet bottom meds nor told to purchase. No one said anything about needing meds or illness at all. Nate says he doesn't replace free hamsters and refused via telephone. Daughter was devastated.

Right then, I knew this was something more than just hard stool. The Veterinarian came in and told me that the puppy had been having issues with her bowels for some time and that they had been recommending to Petland to have further tests done but Petland had felt she was fine. Sadly, we had to take the Silky back to Petland. We did get a full refund but money wasn't even the issue. We were heartbroken. I feel Petland was negligent in the care of the Silky and also dishonest with us. When we purchased her, the sales manager is supposed to go over the medical history which he failed to do. I feel that the store knew there was something more seriously wrong with her than they led on.

At 11 months, Pug started swelling and my vet did emergency surgery. That is how he found the non-disposable stitches. About three years after, he passed away at the age of 15. I worked in the area of Pete's and customers told me the conditions of the store. That is when I contacted Dr. ** and he and his associates shut them down for 3 days. But apparently, he is still running his business. Why can't the government shut down all Petland stores? There is news about them and picketing constantly in every state.

After Unloading and putting up the groceries, I checked to see how Max was eating. He was still weak and not eating well and having irregular bowel movements. I noticed there was a bowl with the same colored substance as the DogSure the vet had given us, but this was all chunky-looking. I looked at the can in the refrigerator and tried to pour some more out into the bowl. It barely came out and what did was something that looked curdled like yellow cottage cheese. The bottom of the can is imprinted with 0518D and under it is X2 10 UPC Code: 20279 99400.

I called Petland and told Amy ** - the cashier that had rung it up about it and she said to bring it in and I could get an exchange. I told her as far as I lived from there, it would cost me more to go there, than the can of DogSure. She put the manager on and I explained the problem AGAIN and I asked how to read the expiration date and I gave her the information from the can and she said that yes, it was expired and to bring it in. She would either exchange it or give me my money back. I want you to know that this can has been expired before this store was ever open. When this can expired, I don't think the building they are in was even finished being built.

The puppies ARE socialized often. We are each assigned to socialize puppies for 45 minutes each, not counting the customers that play with them throughout the day. Not only the puppies are given attention, but you would find that the birds and small animals are extremely friendly and well-socialized. The puppies and kittens are vet checked every week, and their vaccinations are updated when necessary.

If a puppy isn't sold immediately, their prices come down until they are sold. They are not sent back or put to sleep. I could not work there if that was the case. We haven't had a puppy there longer than 2-3 months. If a puppy is returned (which is not very common) it is resold to another home, not sent back. Each puppy has a health chart that is updated w/ every meal. They are weighed every day, and are scored based on how well they are eating.

We always pair our puppies up in their kennels w/ another one so they aren't alone. They are paired together according to size and age, and how far along they are in their vaccinations. If a dog is sick after purchase, they are treated through our vet immediately. Our vet is always on call. We have very good warranties and we do fulfill our end. There are things that are the customer's responsibility, such as feeding them regularly to avoid hypoglycemia. I purchased my dog from petland last year. He is in excellent health, and a great companion. I have absolutely no complaints working at this store.

However when we looked at our paper work 2 weeks later we read that our warranty on him would only be good if we brought him to the vet within 2 days of purchase. Well we were so lucky to have the new guy whom was suppost to be guided and watched, was selling us this puppy alone. We don't have a guarantee because one, we were never told, so needless to say they would not give us a warranty on him when I called. He was treated before we got him for giardia which is an intestinal parasite. He was given a clean bill of health.

Well there were other dogs living with us and all of them tested positive for giardia shortly after we brought Spike home. It's not a life threatening thing, since we have no warranty and spent about $2,000 on him. Alot more than we wanted but he was worth it.

If this dog is indeed not pure breed and not registered, I'd like a refund. The only reason for purchasing this puppy from here was to be sure that it was pure breed.

We didn't need to take our dog to the groomers, which saved us a lot of money.

During Memorial day weekend the dog's health regressed to the point where on Monday Sept 1st the dog was not eating and was running a temp of 102. We called Petland on Monday morning Sept 1st @ 11:00 am because the dog was seriously ill. Petland contacted the local vet/animal hospital (Glen Ellyn animal )and called us back to say that the vet would not be available until later that day and gave us very specific instructions on how to treat the dog in the interim. Petland called us back once @ 2:30 pm to check on the puppy and to say that the vet was not available until early evening. By the time the vet was available the pup was running a temp near 105. We dropped off the pup @ 6:00 pm and waited for the clinic to call.

One of the Vets from the clinic informed us that the Weimeraner pup was very ill and was diagnosed w/ pneumonia. When we questioned the vet about the possibility of a case of Canine Influenza the Vet responded that we treated the dog as if it had indeed has the Canine Influenze since there have been 61 documented cased of the disese recently reported in Illinois since June of 2008. When we asked why they did not test for the disease they responded by saying we do not have the lab equipment or capability to conduct that test and that if we wanted that test conducted we would have to take that up w/ Petland. The pup has been in the animal hospital since then. When the Animal hospital called on Sat Sept 6th to say that the puppy was ready to be picked up we explained that we were unable to pick him up on short notice.

We visited the Petland store on Sun Sept 7th to express our concerns about the dog, Derrick the manager was not very cooperative with us concerning some of the long-term effects that we had about the future health concerns about the dog. We are currently investigating some of the long-term implications of the potential influenza strain and the potential effect of these latent effects on all three dogs. We are also now very much concerned about the puppymill connection w/ Petland and would prefer to purchase our Weimeraner from an independent breeder. Petland has offered to accept the dog back and place it the Adopt A Pet program w/ zero compensation for our costs including the bordetella shot for the 7 yr old dog not purchased from them.

Since the dog was purchased w/ kennel cough and diagnosed w/ severe pneumonia and potential canine influenza we are seeking compensation for the impact on the other dogs and full re-imbursement for the Weimeraner. Petland has not offered any compensation or recognized any culpability for the potentillay sick dog.

she got in my face real nasty said we could of sold this snake. i said it had been lose in the store for 2 months not no one reported it to the customer's, nor to the police. she told me to leave the store, that petland doesn't due refunds nor layaway's on animals. i contacted petland 2 times about this no one has ever contacted me. no refund, no snake.

bay ferrets are being sold that are less than 4 wks old. 1 that was so sick this woman told them for 2 hr's it had blood coming out of it. when she threatened to call human society they got the vet to check the baby. that was the last anyone ever seen of it.

We phoned Petland from the Vet's office and were told that we had 2 options. We could return the puppy for another one or have the puppy treated by the vet and Petland would pay all costs and if the puppy didn't survive they would provide a replacement puppy. The Petland owner did clarify that due to the nature of the parvo disease if we opted for a return he would need to speak to the treating vet to give authorization to have the puppy put to sleep. We opted for treatment. Petland did pay and all turned out fine. Our Siberian Husky lived to be 16 years and a wonderful pet.

Our 2nd purchase was a Westie in 1999. I had gone in to buy pet supplies and fell in love with him. I made return visits daily for 1 week watching for any signs of illness due our last experience with parvo. At the end of the week when the little guy still seemed healthy and happy I made the purchase. It was almost closing time and Petland said they would mail the registration papers to me. I went back the next day to purchase some items to spoil my new pet and discovered the store had gone out of business.

It took me 15 months to finally receive the registration papers. I made 23 documented calls to Petland Corporate office and around 7 letters. After receiving the run around I finally contacted the Attorney General's office in Kentucky where the purchase took place and the Attorney General in Ohio where the Petland corporate office is located. Magically within 2 weeks my papers arrived along with a gift certificate for merchandise. Unfortunatley by this time it was past the AKC's registration deadline of 1 year of age. So I have an unregisterable dog. Good news is at 9 years he's still healthy.

On August 20th, our puppy began acting different. He hid under our shed and was almost comatose. He wouldn't eat or drink (not like Rocky) and only moved around a little bit. We kept him warm and went to bed with him around 11pm. At 12:15am on Thursday the 21st, he was whining and had vommitted in his crate and had bloody fluid leaking from his nose and anus. I rushed him to an emergency 24 hour vet and arrived at 12:45am. He died in my arms at the front door.

The vet said she had never seen a puppy die in such a way, and that he had completely leaked out on her exam table in the back. She offered to do a post death exam, but said it would cost around two thousand dollars. I did not have that money to spend. I only had my beautiful puppy for eight weeks.

Petland sold us a puppy knowing he had a parasite, Banfield did numerous studies and did not detect anything other anemia, which they also assumed was due to a parasite. He had been given all of the medication that he was prescribed. The corporate office of Petland today took our phone call and hung up on us when we wanted to place a complaint. We found the breeder that bred our puppy in Oklahoma and the president of the Oklahoma Boxer Club said that they felt sure it was a 'puppy mill,' which PetLand guarantees it does not buy its puppies from.

I would have to say this was the most traumatic experience I have ever had with a pet. People have to come to grips that older dogs are most likely going to pass at some point, but no one ever thinks so of a puppy, a four month old puppy. More than anything else, I would hope that PetLand would have to endure something substantial to ensure that this will never happen again to any of their customers. In total we spent around $1500 for the puppy itself, and around another $600 in vet bills.

My boyfriend took the puppy to their Vet on 7/29/08. The vet wrote down his vaccinations and said that he had been treated for Kennel Cough at their vet on 6/27/2008. The vet prescribed an 10 day antibiotic for the Kennel Cough and an antibiotic for a parasite that he had. On 8/2/08 I took the puppy to a vet in St. Joseph, IL for it is a neighboring town of where I live (Champaign, IL) so he could get vaccinations. The vet gave him an exam and and gave him an antibiotic because his kennel cough had not gotten better. On 8/11/08 I took the puppy to my vet and his cough had gotten worse. Again he was given an antibiotic for Kennel Cough. He was also given an antibiotic because he still had the parasite. On 8/20/08 I took the puppy to the vet because his Kennel Cough had not gotten any better. Once again he was given an antibiotic. The Vet said that he needed to be seen on 8/23/08 if he was not better.

It is now 8/23/08, and we took him to the Vet this morning. He had an x-ray which found that he has Pneumonia. He is now on another antibiotic. Mind you he has still not had his vaccinations because he has been sick since I purchased him.

I called PetLand 1 week after I purchased the puppy because I was told that I would receive papers in the mail for his microchip. An employee answered the phone. She said Oh I'm sorry yeah. I asked when I should expect the papers from the microchip company. After I had not received the papers from the microchip company I called them and they said that they had never gotten any information regarding the puppy. I called Helpmefindmypet on 8/20/08 because I yet to receive papers from them. Once again they said they had not received confirmation from PetLand.

On 8/22/08 I called PetLand to speak to the owner. I was told that she would call me on Saturday 8/23/08. On 8/23/08 the owner(Mary) called. I told her the situation and that he has been sick since I bought him. She kept interrupting me, and told me that he had never had kennel cough. I told her that their Vet treated him for it and she said that their Vet staff is proactive and that every little cough is treated. I told her that the puppy was sick immediately after he got home and she said that sometimes happens. I became so furious that I hung up and she called back saying that they have no records of the puppy being treated for Kennel Cough by the breeder nor their vet. She also said that Helpmefindmypet lost the papers that PetLand sent but she would resend them for me.

I have Vet bills that total 155.35. The Vet said that he may need more antibiotics and treatment. The vet recommended perhaps returning the puppy to PetLand. I mentioned this to the owner of the store and she said that they don't accept returned puppies. So there are consequences for them selling a sick puppy?

On the other hand Petland puppies are a much better choice. The puppy had to be put to sleep 4 months and $5,000 later. It appeared that the dog had distemper despite all of the vaccinations he had supposedly received. According to several experts on canince immunology it most likely lay dormant in his system from the time he was a small puppy. The dog most likely came from a puppy mill where they live in unsanitary conditions with sometimes hundreds of other dogs. The puppy mill proprietors save money but inocculating the dogs themselves. They are not trained to administer vaccines correctly, do not store them properly, and often just skip dogs alltogether.

We had our puppies blood tested to see if he had antibodies to distemper which he should have had he been inocculated and sure enough he did not. When we contacted the store they said sorry about your dog but without an autopsy and proof that he had a congenital problem they were not responsible at all. When asked if they could contact the breeder to find out if there was a problem at their facility Petland stated that they worked with reputable breeders and that would not be necessary. We specifically asked if our dog came from a puppy mill and they said NO.

After researching a little further we found out that our dog not only most likely came from a puppy mill but it appeared that he may have come from one of the worst puppy mills in Iowa. This is consumer deception and fraud at its finest. The public pays a very high premium for dogs in good faith that the breeder had been researched by the pet store for them. They believe that is what they are paying for. It is completely the oposite. Petland is one of the largest distributors of puppy mill puppies. In fact, approximately 95% of their dogs come from puppy mills. Sometimes you are lucky and get a healthy dog but it is best not to take a chance since they are born into very unsanitary and unhealthy environments. Buyer be ware.

We owned the puppy for 4 months. Including purchase price, 1 month training at a boarding facility, and vet bills we have lost about $5,000. Our 3 year daughter is broken hearted and we have no recourse with the store.

We told the salesman that our sister had purchased a puppy 3 months ago that had kennel cough and that we were concerned that this puppy also had kennel cough. He told us that he would check with the manager and took a while to return. He advised us that this puppy has been on antibiotics and that the vet was not present but that he could find out when the puppy would finish his 2 weeks of antibiotics before he was able to leave the store, if we were still interested. Since our sister had purchased a puppy previously, they decided to knock off $50. from the outrageous asking price.

The salesman suggested we purchase another puppy from their store since we were concerned. He stated that the rest of the puppies were in fine health and not suffering from kennel cough. After sitting with the puppy for 2 hours, my husband was in love with the poor and sick creature. We decided that we could wait for the puppy to finish the antibiotics. We took the puppy home a few weeks later. He acted more like a puppy, but he got tired easily and had the same labored breathing.

We took him to the Niles vet, the one that Petland recommends. The vet told us that the puppy basically has pneumonia and that we need to take the puppy back to Petland immediately. The vet told us that the puppy needed to be quarantined and go on stronger antibiotics for a few more weeks. He added that he only volunteers for Petland because he feels so sorry for those animals that do not get proper care. He stated that most of the dogs have kennel cough and that the store should not keep purchasing and selling puppies until the place was clean of illnesses.

I was upset, but I wasn't sure what I was hearing. I returned the puppy to Petland, and the vet had already alerted them of the return and care of our puppy. The staff were very kind and allowed us to visit the puppy in the "quarantined" area-- a smaller room with 4 kennels and an intubation spot-- but it was still located in the same kennel as the other puppies and the door was not always closed. We got to go into the back area of Petland, of course, and we saw that most of the puppies' charts showed that most of them were on antibiotics of some sort. There were definitely some healthier puppies and hopefully they were sold quickly and never got sick.

The Petland manager threw in a free water dispenser for the puppy when we picked up our "healthy" puppy. Since then, the puppy has been to the vet numerous times. We decided that we did not trust Petland after the experience. We considered continuing to see the Niles vet, except that the staff were not so friendly, and perhaps the vet was in on some scheme in the long run.

The puppy has never been healthy. We met him at 2 months old but did not take him home until he was 4 months old. He is going to be 2 at the end of this year. We were told that he will not grow to his full size because he was so sick. He weighs about 40 lbs and our other male husky is twice his size and weighs 75 lbs. He is unable to digest foods normally (we've played around with different protein sources and starches-- he cannot even handle the prescription ID food, cannot eat white/brown rice) and is constantly requiring a vet visit for an IV and antibiotic shot. He is beautiful and happy, otherwise, but he has never really known how "healthy" he should actually be... being sick is who he is.

Furthermore, we've told all of our family and friends NOT to purchase from Petland and to be wary of kennel cough and other illnesses, if they chose not to heed our warning. Our friends purchased a puppy 5 months later, and they went through the same issues. Their puppy had kennel cough, and Petland told them it was just a little cold, that the puppy will be fine in a few days, just like humans. They have had numerous puppy issues and vet bills, as well. Their own veterinarian told them that the puppy will never grow to its full size and that it will always have health issues as a result of being sick at such a young age.

A lot of time missed from work due to watching the puppy, who is basically like a sick baby/child. Veterinarian bills that are pretty routine. Trial and error buying of various foods with a lot of waste since the puppy couldn't handle most of them. No paid-time off from work and physical damage to property from a puppy who has had unnecessary accidents out every end of his body. His purebred status is also questionable, as many have pointed out to us. We paid top money for this "purebred" puppy.

Needless to say, I bought her with my entire 2-week's paycheck... I guess from all the reports, you could call it luck, but she's perfectly fine. She's not depressed, she eats most of her food and is the sweetest thing I've ever met! And I even made suer I bought her a mat and pillow so she would atleast be a LITTLE comfortable in those horrible cages. But overall, best choice: atleast leave your puppy there for a week. Maybe during your visits you may notice something wrong.

Their Vet at Seven oaks Pet Hospital takes great care of our puppy. We absolutely recommend Seven Oaks and Petland in wesley Chapel to others.

The girl who waited on us, Sarah, replied when I asked her if the pup was in good health (our dog of 7 years had just died and I told her I could not handle the situation emotionally if the pup was seriously ill) she said, If the dog was not healthy, it would not be in the window.

Because of the detailed warranty restraints coupled with the severity of the dog's illness (50/50 chance we were told) we immediatley went, in person,at 9 in the morning (before any customers were there so it would be private) to Gary (Sarah was there as well and vouched for the fact that we had called within 12 hours to tell her the pup was not eating) who told us it was okay to use another vet (our vet's nephew, Jeff, works there and was right by Gary when he spoke with us and vouched for his uncle) and stated that the warranty would be upheld anyway as it was just a guideline anyway, and that he would do right by us and shook both our hands.

The pup got well, and we felt they owed us the vet bill only so we went to negotiate with Gary in his office one week later. This would have been the time to tell us he could not pay the vet bill (we took him copies of all health documents and the itimized bill) and that he could only give us our purchase price back, but instead he agreed to pay the full vet bill and said he did not have the money right now on hand and had to wait until the end of the week to write the check and that (said it twice in front of Sarah) we would have it by the beginning of the week. This was a very good meeting full of handshakes and smiles and personal stories etc. Gary and Sarah seemed truly pleased that the pup was well, and Gary even said, God works in miraculous ways before we left.

When we did not get any check by Tuesday's mail, my husband called to touch base only with him about the situation. At that time Gary told us that he did not have the money, had no idea when he would, and had no idea when we might get a check with the tone in his voice that we were not going to get it ever. He pretended he did not know who we were even though this was a 10 day tiem frame.

When we first contacting him about the pup's health, we were trying to help him out by telling him up front about the parvo situation. Parvo is highly contagious (we have to change clothes before we can leave the house after being with the dog while he is contaminated for a total of 30 days) so we thought he should know since his pups may be between parvo shots and get parvo as well. When we went to talk with him, I looked at the cages to see if the other dog who was in the window was okay, and the cages had been cleaned. It did not look as if Petland had done anything differently to the cleanliness of the area. In the 7 days our pup was in the animal hospital,how many people purchased dogs, played with pups, or went home to deliberate about buying the dog they played with with parvo on their unwashed hands or shoes(yes,the hidden illness can attach itself to shoes, hair, hands, and clothes it is that lethal to dogs who have not had their parvo shots).

My backyard will be contaminated for 1-3 years and no new puppy can come into our house or our fenced in backyard until the pup has had ALL its shots. How kindly do you think your neighbors are going to be if you bring parvo into the neighborhood? The good news is that once the pup has had it, and survived it, they cannot get it again; but an older dog who may be sick can still get it. We went to find joy in a pup, and now are disinfecting our yard, our house, our clothes, our shoes, and telling people who we know who have dogs we can't come near theirs for 30 days and, no, they can't play with ours.

Gary claims to have been in the business for 30 years, so folks, he KNOWS! Petland does not care. All Gary had to do was give us something, even if he could not give us the full vet bill. Our attorney (yes we are making plans) told us that the warranty has twisted wording so that the health of the pet is the responsibility of the new owner provided you go to their vet, and they have no emergency clause in the warranty if in the middle of the night your dog gets sick and the THEIR animal hospital (in Niles) is not open.

I am writing this to you because I was told to NOT go to Petland before I walked in there, but just like you, I felt that it would not happen to me and that our local Petland was not like those other nasty ones. The pup looked fine. They will until you get them home. And have you thought about what will happen 2 years down the line in that 3 year warranty if you happen to be away on vacation and the dog gets ill in a kennel or in a different state and you cannot get him/her to THEIR hospital. Yep, you got it, the warranty will not hold. Just read what you signed. They have no intention of paying you or replacing that dog. They will say whatever you want to hear and hope you leave fast and don't call back. The Petlands in America have been to court so often they probably do not even show up (Google that one, too). The cruelty to animals is hideous, and the cruelty to the consumer is just outrageous.

Read above.

I read one comment on how her puppy wouldnt eat or drink... thats hypoglycemia. Something that ANY puppy/dog can get in a stressful state of moving from one place to another. The owner needs to MAKE that puppy eat and drink. Take care of the animal as if it were your child. If it doesnt eat of drink, make it. Yes, you make need to take it to a vet before it gets worse, but you would take your kid to a vet before it would get worse.

And as far as the microchip goes, its a 90% success rate, not 100%. True, maybe not all vets check, but in a good town, if someone found a good puppy, they would take it to police and/or shelter where they WOULD microchip it and find you, the owner. I have also read comments about past employees saying dont get a puppy from petland, may i remind you, most of these people probably havent learned and dont know half of the stuff some of the stores go through. They were probably fired for good reasons, and are very bitter, so of course they are going to say bad things.

Again, some little 10 year old (showing you that ANYONE can comment and say crap) said that they thrown out/kill their puppies at a certain age, and that offends me. I am a huge dog lover and i would not have worked there if that was the case. They keep them there and lower the price untill they find a home.

And last but NOT least, i have also read comments of how people say the wire bottoms look uncomfortable and are cruel to keep them in the tiny boxes. The wire grates are for sanitary reasons. Its easier to keep puppies out of the poo and pee if it is able to fall through a grate and someone to see and clean it up. When a puppy gets big, it has more potential to stay on the grate, and yes they may eat some of it, but we try to prevent that. (the intestine is still growing and developing and they still smell a little nutrition, so they try to eat it) Most if not all of time, compare by size, these areas are WAY bigger for little puppies, compared to the ones they give bigger dogs at shelters, and they get more playtime. (at least at our location....) We have people who regularly come in and play with the puppies, and we love it! It gets them socialized and playful until they find a home.

You can ask many petland employees if they have gotten a puppy from there, and i can almost guarantee at least 3-4 at each location has gotten a puppy from there. Why would they get a puppy from there if it was a horrible place as these ignorant people make it. Petland doesn't offer you a machine that is 100% guaranteed to take care of itself and be 100% proof of ANY illness for a lifetime. Its like a kid, take care of it, and it will love you and make you happy.

we bought the snake for our daughter for her birthday, when i had to tell her it died, she was heartbroken, but when etland said they would replace it, there was some comfort in knowing they cared, this was after they told me there is a 48 hour return policy and i had to argue with them to get them to give me a new one.. now, having to tell her again that this one is dead.... she is only 6 years old and does not understand what happened and she wants me to give her answers that i dont have...

the guinea pig was a present for my husband for his birthday and we had him for over a year with no problem, then he just died.. luckily we figured out the problem before it was too late for the other one who in al actuality got pretty sick and almost died as well... apparently unbeknownst to us, this is not the first issue that petland has had with their snakes, i am not sure about the guinea pigs, but i have now found several complaints from customers of petland who have bought sick snakes that laer died as well...

will never shop there again.

We were very pleased with our experience and their customers service.

i feel if there snakes wouldnt have been sick my other snakes wouldnt have died so if you are from this area please do not buy your snakes from petland.

For a mini pen & mini yorkie both puppies after grown would weigh under 10 lbs. But they sold us 2 of their largest & most exspensive crates. We could seriously fit 5 same sized puppies in each crate a peace easy! They sold us anything & everything they could rack up on our new petland credit card that we were approved for. Telling us the reason why the dogs were so exspensive was because these wonderful micro chips they have in them. That if they were ever lossed we would have a great chance at getting them back.

Long story short our Yorkie was stolen right out of our back yard. Then a few months later out mini pen took off & got out of the yard. Now my fiance feels horriable about lossing both puppies & doesn't blame anyone but his own self for not keeping a closer eye on them when in the yard. Now we have done everything we can to get them dogs back. We have offered a 1000 reward & contacted every vet & pound in area. We have put up posters & knocked on doors.

But the most disapointing thing of all are these GREAT micro chips they sold us on & pushed. Oh how great these things are. Come to find out that 90% of the vets don't even bother to check for them. Even if they do they just go off what ever lame exscuss the person whom brought the dog in gives. We have been contacted by many people exspressing how sorry they are for our loss & how there dogs too had micro chips & were never found.

We are now the proud owners of a VERY LARGE Billing statement for two lossed puppies & 2 large empty crates. We have been paying 100 a month to our bill & that is what they sugjested we pay at the pet store. Our bill with the 21.10 annual percentage rate is now over what it started. This is horriable biz they do at this store. NOT only are there puppies over priced we learned over time. But their credit card company is a horriable rip off.

They should also be more honest about this micro chip thing they offr & tell the truth about these micro chips. Something has to be done. We were told there is a law firm somewhere putting a class action together agenst these pet credit card companies. PLEASE if anyone knows or thinks we are being screwed badly by this company. PLEASE contact us with any info on what we can do to get help. We now have a toy poodle we bought & paid for cash. We take very good care of her & we wont let her out of our sight. We keep a name tag on her at all times & will never make the same mistakes again. PLEASE somebody help us with any info on how to help! We need some advice! Thanks

We requested a visit with a Golden Doodle. He was in a small cage (about the size of a small coffee table) and he took up more than half of it! The cages have wire floors that are very uncomfortable for the dogs. They have small plastic trays to sleep on. It is very sad to see a 20+ pound dog trying to squish his whole body on a lunch tray. When he came out of the cage, he was VERY active and bit a lot. We were told that this was his first time out today. It was 2:30 in the afternoon!

When looking closer at the other dogs, my kids noticed that some of them looked sick. One large dog had his ribs and hip bones sticking out. He looked very underfed. One dog was eating his poo that had been in his cage for a while. When I pointed it out, it was yelled I KNOW IT! I'M TAKING CARE OF IT! I have been very disturbed by the visit and I was very disappointed to read all of the complaints against Petland.

If the vet checked the puppies and found a defect, we where not allowed to tell the customer or but it in there file where it would belong! And we sell a warranty with the puppies, however, You may get help, and you may get nothing, depending on how the owner feels. the customer is suppost to follow the warranty, but if it doesn't work for him, then he doesn't have to! And this is not even the half of it, so BE AWARE!!!

The dogs in the paper for less that half the price are more worth it!!!!! They will tell you that less that 1%, of there puppies get sick, but I would tell you that we hear from customers with sick dogs about 1 out of 3 that go home. Also don't allow your family to work for them as well!! They are very rude and hateful to there employees, and threaten your job on a daily basic for no reason. Hatefull email, and horrible statement like I don't pay you to see you family.

I'm going to try and get an inside job. I'm going to try and convince the manager and owner they will make more money if they sell HEALTHY, HAPPY, and REASONABLE priced puppies. That is my goal. Then, maybe, just maybe, other Petlands will follow this Petland when they realize having healthy animals and knowldge about each gets them more money. This will then start putting puppy mills out of buisness because nobody will buy from the brokers that buy from them. ALL wish me luck in myt struggle to give puppies the life they really deserve!

[We were very impressed with the follow-up vet care available ]

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.

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.

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.

After having x-rays and a lot of other procedures done, it turned out, she had Kennel cough, and pneumonia. They immediately treated her with 2 antibiotic shots, fluids and things I couldn't even begin to explain, since they had to call in another doctor, because the fluids in her lungs were so bad. Once we left the vet ($2,300, not including the meds she had to be on for 2 weeks and the RX food she needed to be on and is still on, later) she is a HAPPY, & HEALTHY girl. She has been to the vet every week since; she and I are known by first name there.

I did contact Mary, to let her know what was going on, and all she had to say, (with a attitude) was that it's not their fault the vet was closed and I should have just waited until their vet was open again. That nothing is covered and so sorry, too bad, it's all on you to take care of the dog and you should have expected a puppy to get sick. I am so happy I saved this puppies life, but I would NEVER go there again and am making sure to let it be known to others what horrible people are at PetLand , how cruel they are, and the conditions they allow their puppies to be in. BBB has been contacted as well as many other places. DO NOT BUY FROM PETLAND!!!!

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.

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

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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, ***** 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 **** 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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.