Setting the Record Straight on Petland and Animal Welfare

By Elizabeth Kunzelman, Vice President of Legislative and Public Affairs, Petland, Inc.

For nearly 60 years, Petland has helped families find healthy, well-socialized puppies from
responsible, professional breeders. Our mission has always been clear: to connect people
with pets through education, transparency, and the highest standards of animal care.
A recent Washington Times opinion piece by freelance rent-a-spokesperson Erin Maguire
makes a series of false and misleading claims about our company. (“Petland’s inhumane
puppy practices thrive because bureaucrats stopped doing their jobs,” Oct. 21, 2025) Ms.
Maguire recycles old talking points straight from animal-rights fundraising groups like PETA
and Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the U.S.). These activist
organizations are well known for using scare tactics to push anti-pet ownership laws that
close small family businesses and make it harder for Americans to safely bring pets into their
homes.

Notably, Ms. Maguire never indicates that she’s visited a single Petland breeder to make her
assessment. Her piece substitutes activist propaganda for facts.

Let’s be clear: Petland collaborates with responsible local hobby breeders and federally
licensed breeders who adhere to state and federal regulations. With the exception of hobby
breeders, any breeder working with Petland must be licensed and inspected by the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is required to maintain a record of zero direct
USDA citations within the past two years. Additionally, Petland representatives conduct
regular breeder visits, attend multiple state breeder conferences, and sponsor an annual
breeder education symposium.

We agree that dogs should never live in cramped or unsanitary conditions, and we work
every day to ensure they never do. The breeders who supply Petland provide clean, climatecontrolled, spacious kennels with outdoor access, human interaction and socialization.

Every Petland puppy receives thorough veterinary care and health checks before and after
arriving in our stores – where this exceptional care continues. Each puppy goes home with full
breeder documentation, veterinary records, a microchip, and Petland’s New Puppy Health
Warranty, backed by ongoing customer support.

False attacks are deeply unfair to our dedicated animal care teams and responsible breeders
who take pride in their work.

Petland does not fear oversight; we invite it. Petland has publicly supported stronger federal
regulations, and we regularly collaborate with lawmakers, veterinarians, universities, and
animal welfare experts across the nation in efforts to improve standards for animal housing,
veterinary care, and socialization.

Activist groups like Humane World for Animals have spent years trying to legislate pet stores
out of existence to end puppy mills. Their puppy mill campaign has generated hundreds of
millions of dollars in donations from late night TV ads, yet according to its own IRS records,
less than 1% of its revenue goes to shelters for the direct care of pets. Humane World’s
campaign to restrict access to pets in the U.S. has driven American families to unregulated,
unsafe sources. For example, when California passed its pet sale ban, it was a disaster.
Regulated pet stores were put out of business and still today, residents continue to be
subjected to online pet sale scams.

An LA Times investigation found the California law resulted in “a network of resellers –
including ex-cons and schemers – replac[ing] pet stores as middlemen.” Meanwhile, “pet
owners were left heartbroken or facing thousands of dollars in veterinary bills when their new
puppies got sick or died.”

Ms. Maguire’s commentary advances failed California-style politics and a radical animal
rights agenda that is clearly not in the best interest of animal welfare, small business, or
American families.

For six decades, Petland has stood for integrity, compassion, and care – and we’ll continue to
do so, for pets, for people, and for the truth.

Petland staff and veterinarians engage with mother dogs and puppies during a routine visit to an Ohio kennel that represents a typical, modern-day operation. ( April 2024)

Mother dachshund, with her litter, greets visitors to the interior kennel area of a modern-day dog breeding operation in Ohio. (July 2025)

Adult dachshunds engaging in outdoor play and socialization. (July 2025)