FORMER USDA INSPECTOR APPLAUDS CONVICTION OF PETLAND OWNERS ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES

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MILL VALLEY, Calif. – A former USDA inspector released comments today regarding the recent sentencing of two former Petland owners convicted of animal cruelty. Marshall Smith, a former USDA inspector for nineteen years, applauded the convictions and harshly criticized Petland, Inc., the largest pet store chain aggressively marketing animals bred in mills. Petland is the focus of a national campaign organized by In Defense of Animals (IDA) aimed at eliminating the senseless deaths of millions of healthy adoptable animals who are euthanized in pounds and shelters each year, as well as the miserable conditions breeding animals are forced to endure in "pet mills."

The Cumberland County Court in Pennsylvania recently sentenced Port Dare to no less than 15 days and up to 23 months in jail for animal cruelty. The conviction resulted from an incident at Mr. Dare's Petland pet store in November 2000 during which a sick kitten was wrapped in a plastic bag, placed in a freezer, and subsequently slammed against a dumpster. Mr. Dare must also pay a $1,000 fine and undergo psychological evaluation in conjunction with anger management therapy.

In West Virginia this month, the Kanawha Circuit judge sentenced Mary Ellen Morton to 60 days in jail and ordered her to pay $3,400 for medical and boarding costs for animals seized from her Petland store last year. Humane officers found malnourished puppies, dead animals and no food at the pet store. In the plea agreement, Ms. Morton pled guilty to 4 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty out of the original 43 counts that had been charged.

Smith, who is now the Director of Investigations for IDA, stated, "As long as animals are treated as commodities instead of sentient beings they are bound to suffer cruelty and/or neglect at the hands of their antagonists. These horrible incidents are bound to continue as long as Petland continues to regard animals as disposable pieces of property." Petland and other pet stores selling puppies and kittens acquire their "inventories" from commercial breeders and distributors who rely on factory farming and distribution processes. According to Smith, "These pet stores and their consumers are responsible for the proliferation of 'puppy mills' and other 'pet mills.'"

Two Petland franchises, one in Tyler, Texas and the other in Cheyenne, Wyoming, work with local pounds and shelters to find homes for healthy adoptable animals who are otherwise doomed to die. IDA has praised the operators of those franchises and will continue to lead a national boycott of other Petland locations until they emulate the two model stores.