NOVI, Mich. — An undercover investigation by the Human Society has revealed operators of a Michigan pet store have been selling sick puppies and are getting them from puppy mills.
An investigator working undercover as a kennel attendant for the Humane Society of the United States worked 40 shifts at the "Petland" store in Novi.
During their time working at Petland, they documented improper care, sick puppies and dangerous conditions using a hidden camera.
The worker said they witnessed puppies being delivered in crates stacked in unmarked vans from out of state. The puppies often fell out of the stacked cages getting hurt and arrived with obvious abdominal wounds.
Puppies with bloody feces were then made available for people to adopt. Some puppies suffered from wounds, congenital defects, vomiting and other health issues.
According to the research, transportation documents showed the Petland store had gotten puppies from "problematic puppy mills."
Five of the mills they sourced puppies from were included in the Humane Society United States' 'Horrible Hundred' report due to state and federal inspection records documenting "egregious or repeated animal care violations."
Blake Goodman, the Michigan state director for the Humane Society of the United States, said Petland has been investigated on a number of occasions, including investigations at the location in Novi.
He said the location is supposedly under new management and new ownership so they were hoping to find better conditions, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"What we found was ultimately quite distressing in terms of animal welfare, protection and care," Goodman said.
The Human Society's research has linked 11 other pet stores in Michigan to known puppy mills through the same transportation documents.
Researchers found that pet stores in Michigan were sourcing puppies from over 160 different out-of-state commercial breeders, which are also known as puppy mills.
Blake Goodman, the Michigan state director for the Humane Society of the United States, said this information only furthers the point that puppies should not be sold in retail pet stores.
He encourages everyone not to buy a puppy from a pet store this holiday season, but instead to visit a local shelter or a responsible breeder.
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