What’s the first thing you want to do when you see an adorable puppy? Probably snuggle and cuddle the heck out of it. But federal officials say there’s a multistate outbreak of a nasty bacteria going around, and it’s being spread by puppies sold at a national pet store chain. [More]
puppies
Undercover Investigation: Boutique Pet Store Hid Sick Puppies’ Illnesses From Buyers
By 7.25.17
What was your dog’s life like before you brought him home? If you bought him from a pet store in New York and he was sick, the people selling him are supposed to disclose his full health information. But according to a recent undercover investigation conducted by the Humane Society, one boutique pet shop in Manhattan has been covering up illnesses among its high-priced pooches. [More]
Couple Claims PetSmart Groomers Fatally Injured Their Dog
By 11.23.16
What happened, exactly, when a couple in California brought their 1-year-old dachshund to a grooming appointment that led to his death? They claim that the pup came out of the grooming department with bloody foam coming out of his mouth, and he died from injuries suffered at the groomers’ hands. Now the couple has filed a lawsuit, seeking answers about how their pup — who they refer to as their “son” — could have died from a routine nail clipping. [More]
Here’s Why You Should Meet Your New Puppy In Person First
By 11.17.15
It’s frustrating when you want a specific type of pet, and there aren’t any available near you. However, one family learned the hard way that it’s can be unwise to order a puppy from an unverified breeder on the other side of the country. They found a cute puppy and sent cash, then came to realize that they were sending money after a puppy that wasn’t real. [More]
Nylabone Recalls Puppy Starter Kits For Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 4.27.15
Puppies chew everything: fingers, toes, shoes, furniture…well, anything else within their reach. Nylabone offers a kit with a few different types of durable bone for your puppy to try in order to redirect their chewing urge toward something more that’s cheaper than shoes and healthier for their teeth. That seems like a good idea…unless the bones they’re chewing are contaminated with salmonella bacteria. [More]
Uber Delivering Adoptable Puppies To Offices In 10 Cities Today
By 1.28.15
Because no one can resist the lure of baby animals romping and frolicking in the workplace, Uber is teaming up with Animal Planet and the Puppy Bowl today — and today only — to deliver adoptable puppies to customers’ offices for 15 minutes of playtime. [More]
Will Pet Stores Stop Selling Puppies Entirely?
By 10.22.14
Where do you get puppies? The answer isn’t just about the mechanics of canine pregnancy. In the United States today, when your household wants to acquire a dog, where do you get it from? Most people would probably start at a pet store, but due to changes in stores’ own policies and government intervention, falling in love with a doggie in the window is becoming a thing of the past. [More]
USDA Bans Imports Of Young, Sick Puppies
By 8.15.14
First of all, let’s all look at those puppies there on the left. Don’t they look like they’re from a really adorable puppy version of The Shining? Maybe The Barking? Anyway, those puppies* are unrelated to this story: The United States Department of Agriculture has a new rule banning the importation of puppies that are too young or sickly to be coming into the country. [More]
Pet Store Owner Accused Of Torching Shop With 27 Puppies Inside (Spoiler Alert: They Survived!)
By 2.7.14
If my heart had eyes it would be sobbing loudly over what could have been a fiery fate for 27 puppies in Las Vegas. A pet store owner accused of torching her shop while the puppies were inside has been jailed for arson — and yes, firefighters were able to rescue the puppies. Sigh, there go my heart eyes again. [More]
Cute Puppy Chews Deodorant Can, Causes Explosion
By 1.9.14
We’re not quite sure how this happened, but it’s an important cautionary tale for all pet owners. A British couple says that their puppy’s chewing antics caused an explosion that did about $3,300 in damage to their home. Bad dog. [More]
Woman Steals Three Puppies From Petland, Brings Them Back
By 11.12.13
As much fun as it sounds, you can’t rent puppies from Petland. Authorities and Petland employees remain baffled at a recent two-state canine crime spree that ended when tiny white puppies from three different stores were smuggled back into a Missouri Petland. [More]
Man Steals Puppies By Shoving Them Down His Pants
By 8.12.13
Puppies are small, cuddly, and pricey, so why not stuff some down your pants and shoplift them? That was the logic of a man in Florida, who stuffed a dachsund puppy and a pug puppy down his pants on two separate trips to an Orlando pet store. [More]
L.A. Pet Shops Won’t Be Able To Sell Pets From Puppy Mills
By 10.25.12
Following similar bans by smaller municipalities in the U.S. and Canada, the Los Angeles City Council has tentatively adopted a ban on pet stores’ sales of many animals obtained from commercial breeders. [More]
Puppy Vs. Airline Personnel: How Misinformation Messed Up Our Vacation Plans
By 3.29.12
On its surface, the facts of David’s story are the very definition of a “first world problem.” His family missed part of their tropical vacation because misinformed American Airlines personnel wouldn’t let their puppy on the plane. They incorrectly believed that St. Maartens, their destination, requires incoming animals to be microchipped. It’s true that no one has to vacation with their pet, but sometimes transporting an animal by air internationally is necessary due to a move or a family emergency. And when that happens, hope that you don’t encounter the American Airlines employees who cost David’s family a lot of money by keeping them off their flight. [More]
Accused Puppy-Mailer Wants Dog Back
By 2.4.11
The woman who tried to ship a four-month-old puppy from Minneapolis to Atlanta in an airless box using Priority Mail earlier this week reportedly would like the dog back. Will her request be granted, or will the puppy be made available to the numerous people all over the country who actually know how to keep an animal alive and have inquired about adopting him? [More]
Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty For Mailing Live Puppy
By 2.2.11
“This is for your 11th birthday. It’s what you wanted,” was written on the outside of an Atlanta-bound Priority Mail box in a Minneapolis post office. It caught postal workers’ attention when it started moving on its own and making loud panting sounds. They got permission to open the box and found… a four-month old poodle-schnauzer mix puppy who was very, very happy to be free. The woman who mailed the box was charged with animal cruelty, then went back to the post office to try to get a refund for the $22 in postage she paid. [More]
Seven Puppies Die After American Airlines Flight
By 8.4.10
Chicago’s CBS2 reports that fifteen puppies were loaded on a Chicago-bound American Airlines flight in Tulsa. A few hours later, five of the puppies were dead when they arrived at O’Hare airport. Two more died in the care of a veterinarian. [More]
Schering-Plough Cares That Your Pet Ate Your Claritin
By 3.25.10
Dogs are wonderful creatures to have in your life, but they have a serious vice. They like to eat things that should not be eaten. Like paper wrappers, light bulbs, socks, and human medications. Matt’s puppy somehow got its paws on and ate seven Claritin tablets. When she called up the SPCA’s poison control center for help, Matt’s wife learned something downright heartwarming about Schering-Plough, the maker of Claritin. [More]
