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Official: Accused Puppy Mill Peddler Had No Permit

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Dec 11, 2007 4:21 pm US/Pacific

Official: Accused Puppy Mill Peddler Had No Permit

Reporting
Mark Coogan
BEL AIR (CBS) ― An upscale pet store in Bel Air that claims its pets come from private breeders actually gets many of its animals from Midwest puppy mills, Humane Society officials alleged Tuesday.

"Even the trendiest, most upscale pet stores may sell puppies from puppy mills," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. "No consumer is immune to the lies and deceit. It doesn't matter who you are or where you shop. This investigation shows that a high-price and prestigious address are no assurance of a dog from a reputable breeder."

Pacelle and other Humane Society officials released a report claiming Pets of Bel Air -- a store that has catered to celebrities such as Paris Hilton -- gets many of its pets from puppy mills. The organization also released a video detailing its investigation into the store.

The store's Web site says that "all of our babies come from private breeders, locally and out of state. We do not use puppy mills."

According to the Humane Society report, the store purchased puppies from at least 28 commercial breeders in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Some of the "private breeders" the store claims it works with were actually mass-breeding operations with hundreds of dogs, according to the report.

"There is a trail of misery that precedes that animal getting to the pet store," Pacelle said. "And really there are several elements here -- one is these pet stores, and this one in particular, Pets of Bel Air, is misrepresenting to the public, including to these celebrities, what's going on."

The Humane Society's investigation prompted an inspection by Los Angeles Animal Services, which closed the shop Tuesday after discovering the store was operating without a permit. The store can reopen, however, by paying a $130 fine, according to KCAL9.

The station reported that the city plans to forward the Humane Society's report to the District Attorney's Office to determine if the store had illegally misled customers.



(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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