2 Min. Dog Trainer, local store closing

I heard through the grapevine yesterday that our local Petland suddenly closed.

I’ve not stepped foot in this store since it opened, primarily because they sold puppies from puppy-mills.

I’ve passed it countless times, leaving Lowe’s, and seen a recent Petland customer carrying their bulldog puppy, or yorkie puppy, etc. to their car. I always hope the person doesn’t have a horrible experience, and that the puppy lives to a happy, healthy old age, but I know in my heart that neither are likely.

I’ve taken phone calls for obedience training from folks who have housetraining issues, temperament issues, health issues, and — when I ask where they got their dog — a fair share of them say Petland.

My pet peeve (no pun intended), by the way, is the fact that people will walk into a puppy-mill retail operation, pay hundreds of dollars (at only $39.99 a month for just 4 years!) for a puppy-mill product, but will balk at paying $50 for the dog training that will give them some tools to fix the issues they have with the dog.

I guess if I charged them $2.50 a month for 4 years they’d be happier with the price. What they really want is a free phone consultation. Afterall, we both love dogs, right? 

I’ll often help them longer than some folks would but still, the real point I want to educate them on is that a healthy, well-bred puppy from a reputable breeder, who has the parents on site, who has invested hundreds of dollars in pre-natal care, and who investigates her buyers, costs hundreds of dollars LESS than the Petland puppy.

The start-up costs (the cost of the puppy, transportation, bedding, crates, bowls, etc.) may seem higher unless you do the math, but thousands of dollars will probably be saved in health care over the next 15 years.

Oh well, enough of that. I’ve been reading stories on the internet about why Petlands in Ohio are being shut down. It’s a little disheartening, in case you attempt it, because it’s difficult to know that people behave so badly towards little animals — dogs, cats, rabbits, included.

Thank God they’re closed, and so sad for the little lives placed in their care by Hunte Corporation or other brokers of puppy-mill pets.

Tags: Bud Houston, puppy mills, puppy training, Shelter dogs