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issue > pet stores > minnesota pet stores

Minnesota pet stores

There are two types of pet stores in Minnesota:

1) Pet stores who do not buy and sell dogs and cats and have instead chosen to use their facilities to assist local rescue groups with pet adoptions. This type of business markets to responsible pet owners and, ultimately, helps to lower euthanasia rates of unwanted animals within foster homes and local shelters.

2) Pet stores who buy puppies and kittens from animal breeders or brokers and sell directly to unsuspecting consumers.

In Minnesota, the number of pet stores per the U.S. 2002 Economic Census is 157; the Dun & Bradstreet directory indicates about 300 pet stores in Minnesota. 

Animal Folks MN is compiling a list and profile of Minnesota pet stores and will post the list here soon. Please check back.

Who sells to pet stores

Pet stores typically buy from high-volume commercial breeders and dealers. Because these breeders/dealers are selling wholesale and often ship animals across state lines, they must be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

A recent audit of USDA inspections by the Office of Inspector General offers a scathing assessment of USDA inspection and enforcement practices, indicating animal cruelty and suffering at USDA-licensed breeding kennels.

No reputable breeder sells puppies or kittens through pet stores.

Reputable breeders and rescue groups interview the buyer first to make sure the animal and buyer are the "right fit," and the buyer can properly care for the dog or cat.

Reputable breeders allow people into their facility so as to see the breeding conditions and meet the dam (mother) and sire (father); they also own and breed fewer animals so as to have enough time to properly care and socialize each dog or cat.

Consumers are misled

Some pet stores employees mislead consumers about where and how the animal is bred. In some cases, the store employees may claim the puppies or kittens are bred by smaller, local breeders or within homes — rather than through large-volume breeders and dealers who may house over 300, 600 or 900 dogs.

Even if the name of a breeder or dealer is given, often it is difficult for the consumer to trace down this breeder/dealer and gain access to their facility to evaluate conditions.

Health guarantees may be offered by the store but often consumers do not want to treat their new companion as a faulty product to be exchanged. These guarantees also do not reflect the stressful "sales journey" of the animal — i.e. from breeding kennel to transport (i.e. in truck or plane) to dealer facility to transport again to weeks or months caged at pet store prior to being sold.

To view an example of irresponsible store behavior, click on link below. This is undercover video of Elite Animals taken by Companion Animal Protection Society. NOTE: Puppies supplied to this store and breeding photos shown in video are from a Minnesota breeder.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Duped into Buying Puppy Mill Dog from Elite Animals

To read a list of common claims by pet stores (compiled by HSUS), go to:

Pet Store Doublespeak: What pet store staff might tell you and what it really means

Buy wisely

Pet stores that choose to sell dogs and cats contribute to the "cycle of abuse" described above, as do the consumers who buy from these pet stores.

Pet stores that have chosen not to sell dogs and cats and to instead support local rescue groups through pet adoptions deserve our consumer dollars.

Photo courtesy of Frank Schemberger