Petland is outraged that HSUS would intentionally use video footage of unrelated kennels in the report to try to mislead the general public into believing these facilities have a connection to Petland.

Petland produced screen images of many of the duplicated video clips, showing both the Petland video and videos of where many of the clips actually originated. The following are two examples:

Example 1

Example 2

Here are a few facts, taken from HSUS’ 2006 tax returns available on the HSUS web site (www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/hsus-2006-form-990.pdf):

2006 Tax Return: Return of organization exempt from income tax

• $91.5 million     Amount HSUS received from direct public support
• $85.8 million     Amount HSUS spent in Functional Expenses
  such as:
• $28 million spent on HSUS Salaries and Benefits
• $17.8 million spent on mailing costs
• $8.9 million spent on publications and campaigns
• $3.7 million spent on travel costs
• $127 million     Amount HSUS has in stocks, and publicly traded securities. None allocated to any support programs.

Petland urges consumers to donate to their local shelters, where their donations will directly impact the lives of the animals in their communities.

Petland intends to request and review ALL of the documentation. Petland will assist the USDA in any investigation of these facilities and will conduct their own unannounced inspections. And, if necessary, will take immediate action.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the HSUS, recently told Newsweek, "I don't require that my audience be in complete agreement with me...that's the point of having dialogue – you sit down with people who have different emphasis."

Petland asks where is our dialogue?

Petland has not been asked to sit down and have a conversation with HSUS. That is, until Petland called Shain and asked for documentation, only then was a discussion requested.

Petland has a strong commitment to our pets and our communities and has been an industry leader in pushing for better animal care. Petland has volunteered its help in recovery and rescue efforts and has rallied their communities for homeless animals and animal-related charities. Through our Adopt A Pet program, Petland nationwide has adopted out more than 270,000 homeless puppies and kittens by working with local shelters, hobbyists and rescue groups.

Petland is part of the solution.

If the HSUS wants to do some real good, they need to become part of the solution. They need to report the results of their investigations promptly to the proper authorities and actively work to shut down substandard facilities.

HSUS should be spending their considerable dollars ($91 million), not on salaries and fundraising propaganda ($85.8 million), but on No Kill Shelter efforts and direct donations to local humane societies who are in dire need of support.

Sincerely,
Petland, Inc.

• Adopt-A-Pet^SM — Petland opens some of its highly visible kennel windows to homeless pets from local animal shelters, pet rescue groups and others in the community, who may have unplanned litters. The goal is for Petland Pet Counselors to work with pet welfare groups and members of the community to find suitable families for homeless pets. During the last ten years, Petland has placed more than 270,000 homeless pets – 212,534 homeless kittens and 59,945 homeless puppies.
• Our Commitment To Healthy Pets — Our puppies and kittens are the finest available – happy and healthy family pets. Our pets come from professional and hobby breeders who have years of experience in raising quality family pets. Petland puppies are checked by two and in many cases three veterinarians before being offered to our customers. Trained Animal Care Technicians monitor the health of our pets at Petland. Our puppies and kittens also come with extensive health warranties.
• Spay/Neuter —Petland Pet Counselors educate new puppy and kitten owners about responsible pet care and participate in cooperative programs with local veterinarians to offer customers discount incentives to spay or neuter their pet. More and more Petland stores are making already altered pets available or offering a free or discount spay-neuter certificate to pet owners who purchase a puppy or kitten.
• Pets for a Lifetime^SM — With this store policy, Petland’s goal is to see that no Petland pets end up homeless or in an animal shelter. Occasionally, circumstances arise making it difficult for pet owners to keep their lifetime promises to Petland pets. In these cases, Petland Pet Counselors encourage customers to let Petland help find a new home for their Petland pet. Assistance takes many forms, including adopting the pet back into the Petland store if possible; posting flyers in the store and at associated veterinary clinics; making pet placement calls and/or informing Petland staff, who in turn will spread the word to friends and family about a pet’s availability. New owners of Petland puppies receive Puppy Resource Kits. Each kit includes a listing of local canine resources, a dog training DVD and unlimited, lifetime consultation with a certified canine behavior specialist. Resource kits also are offered to those who adopt our birds, kittens and small animals. These resource kits are made available by Petland to help assure a successful transition for our pets and their new families.
• Pet Therapy at Petland — Pet therapy is a natural extension of Petland’s retail environment. By definition, pet therapy is the use of animals in the therapeutic treatment of humans. At Petland, we commonly take our pets to visit school children and nursing home residents as studies of the human-animal bond show that pets are good for people, enhancing verbal and social skills in children, reducing stress in adults and providing companionship and lowering blood pressure in seniors.
• Safari Stan’s Children’s Charities^SM — Safari Stan’s Children’s Charities by Petland was formalized in 1994. Petland has two children's charities – Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Petland collects funds year-round for St. Jude, and, since 1998 has fulfilled 68 pet-related wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.