Subject: Petland Agreement Withdrawn by AKC
Agreement with Petland in order to facilitate the registration of dogs that
are already AKC registrable.
AKC's Board of Directors and management believed that this agreement would
have helped to further the mission of the AKC. Promoting responsible dog
ownership to new puppy owners, implementing our care and conditions
policies, and exposing more dog owners to AKC educational programs and
services would have had even greater reach.
In the past few weeks we have received many comments about this agreement,
both positive and negative. We have listened to the concerns and because
this issue has become so divisive, we believe it is in the best interest of
our sport and the American Kennel Club not to go forward with this
initiative.
Ron Menaker, Chairman of the Board
Dennis B. Sprung, President and CEO
Thank goodness for this.
US members will know Petland is one of the huge pet store chains that sell puppies in their stores.They are supplied to them by one of the huge corporations that sells puppies raised in massive puppy mills. Including lots and lots of cavaliers.
How the AKC could ever lend legitimacy to battery-farming dogs, a social animal that will live alongside a family and needs the early socialisation a breeder and family provides, not early life in a small cage, was always beyond me. This is before we even consider that fact that thousands of breeding stock animals will spend a LIFETIME in those same cages and runs with little quality of life, churning out puppies. There are hundreds of ways for the organisation to promote good pet ownership and responsibility without this totally unethical agreement they were going to make. I'd like to see them a lot more active in keeping an eye on breeders they give AKC registration to, for example, rather than giving blanket approval to a select group of puppy millers. :x