Protesters target Mishawaka pet store

Despite the cold, about a dozen people gathered outside University Park Mall recently to protest Pat's Pets, which the Indianapolis-based animal welfare group Defend the Dogs accuses of contributing to the inhumane treatment of animals by its alleged association with "puppy mills."

Holding signs with pictures of caged dogs and puppies with bar codes Photoshopped to their foreheads, the group waved at passing motorists on Indiana 23 in an attempt to raise awareness of the "deplorable" conditions under which such dogs live.

The group plans to return this Saturday.

"We're trying to tell people about the real cost of buying puppy mill dogs at pet shops like Pat's Pets," said organizer David Morgan of South Bend, a local member of Defend the Dogs.

"We're not so concerned about the puppies at the pet store," he said, "but the adults back at the puppy mills turning out puppies as fast as they can."

A Pat's Pets employee who would not identify himself said by phone Monday that employees had been instructed not to speak to the media. He declined to provide any information about who owns the store, but the secretary of state lists Gregory J. Smith of North Liberty as the owner on its website.

Smith did not return a message left with a woman who answered the phone at his home Monday morning.

A pejorative among animal welfare groups, the term "puppy mill" refers to a commercial breeding facility that places profit over animal welfare, according to the Humane Society of the United States, with female dogs denied comfort and human companionship and then killed or abandoned at the first sign of infertility.

"When you buy a puppy from a pet store, it's more likely it's from a puppy mill," said protester Betty Gillespie, an Elkhart woman who fosters rescue dogs. "And as long as people keep buying them, they keep breeding them, and the conditions are deplorable where those dogs live."

As an example, Morgan cited his dog Sophie, a West Highland terrier, which he said was rescued from a puppy mill in November 2009 by members of an animal welfare group posing as breeders.

"She had been in a cage for three years -- she had never touched the grass," he said of the dog. "She would not get out of the crate when we first got her."

Violations reported

According to Morgan, two puppy mills in northeast Indiana -- both in LaGrange County -- provide Pat's Pets with dogs, based on information provided to Defend the Dogs by volunteers who entered the store pretending to be customers.

Morgan said Defend the Dogs based its designation of the facilities as puppy mills on inspection reports issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act.

"We have not visited them," he said of the facilities, claiming they do not welcome animal welfare groups. "The only thing we can do is, we use the USDA reports, and of course all of those are public information."

An examination of those reports reveals past violations at both facilities, including unsafe and/or inadequate animal enclosures, expired medications, improper veterinary care, evidence of rodents, and general uncleanliness, including the presence of feces and food waste inside cages.

One report from October states:

"There are three dogs housed in an outside enclosure with only one small dog house. The shelter is too small for any of the dogs individually to turn about freely and is overall too small for all three dogs to be sheltered inside. There have been several recent nights that have included frost warnings from the National Weather Service."

Multiple calls to both breeding facilities were not returned Monday.

Choosing a breeder

Despite the violations, both facilities remain licensed with the USDA, a fact Morgan cites as evidence that the Animal Welfare Act does not adequately provide for the welfare of animals at commercial breeding facilities.

"USDA standards are very minimal," he said.

The USDA more or less admits as much on its website, where it states, "Although federal requirements establish acceptable standards (for breeding facilities), they are not ideal. Regulated businesses are encouraged to exceed the specified minimum standards."

In defense of the agency, however, USDA spokesman David Sacks said that "by enforcing the regulations set forth in the Animal Welfare Act, it establishes federal standards, and we know that when these standards are met ... the animals are receiving humane care."

He added: "It's worthwhile to note that everything we do in the program is based on a strong desire to ensure the welfare of all of the animals we regulate."

Even so, Morgan said it is his opinion that people should only adopt dogs from shelters or "reputable" breeders, which he described as those that not only breed on a small scale but allow people to inspect their facilities and ask questions.

"You should always screen the breeder's facility in person," he said, "and that'll tell you just about everything you need to know."

Staff writer Erin Blasko: eblasko@sbtinfo.com; 574-235-6187