HSUS sues Petland over alleged sales of unhealthy puppies

Phoenix

-- The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) filed a class-action lawsuit against Petland Inc. and the Hunte Corp. for allegedly selling "unhealthy puppy-mill puppies to unsuspecting customers."

In the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix March 16, HSUS alleges that the two firms "violated federal law and numerous state consumer-protection laws by misleading thousands of customers across the country into believing the puppies sold at Petland stores are healthy and come from high-quality breeders."

The 34-page lawsuit is the culmination of an eight-month HSUS investigation of Petland, the nation's largest chain of stores that sell puppies. The investigation tracked more than 17,000 dogs from 76 of Petland's 140 U.S. stores, and the lawsuit includes accounts of what it said was found at breeding centers, stores and the fates of some of the tracked puppies.

Petland, based in Chillicothe, Ohio, could not be reached for comment.

In the week since the suit was filed, HSUS says it has been "swamped" with phone calls from pet owners who spent thousands on medical bills after purchasing dogs from Petland, or whose dogs died shortly after purchase.