Animal activists continue protesting without just cause

There are protests everywhere. The signs, the chants, and the catchy slogans are what get our attention as we drive down the road. Recently, activists have been getting students’ attention at nearby Shaggy Dog, a local pet store that recently celebrated its fifty-year anniversary in the community.

Members of Puppy Mill Awareness Meetup of Southeast Michigan have been taking full advantage of their first amendment rights, holding protests in front of pet stores that they believe are using “puppy mills.” The small crew of approximately five protestors assembled recently, holding signs that read “Don’t support cruelty for profit,” “Boycott Shaggy Dog,” “Google Puppy Mills,” and “Go to Macomb City Shelter.”

“We are protesting the use of puppy mills,” said protestor Olivia Sanchez . “A puppy mill is pretty much mass commercial breeding. The puppies here may look comfortable and well fed - and they probably are. We aren’t protesting the way the store treats the puppies, but at mills the dogs are underfed and kept in tiny cages. Most of the time they get no food or water and they are forced to live in their cages without ever being let out.”

Shaggy Dog owner Donna Corbett, however, has a very different viewpoint on the protesters. “We are completely against puppy mills,” Corbett said. “What these people aren’t telling you is that they’re against all types of dog breeding. That’s why they’re targeting us. It’s unbelievable what they’re doing. We truly care about our puppies; we’re just a small business trying to do good in the community.”

Standing outside the store, Paula Harrington said their main goal is to inform passersby about animal cruelty. “We are pretty much working to eliminate puppy mills,” Harrington said. “We go over to Lansing and we can get the public records of where each pet store gets their puppies. The ones that get their puppies from mills are the ones we protest at. We aren’t targeting any particular business.”

Shaggy Dog, however, said their puppies are not from mills. “I’ve asked them to show me the documentation they say they have, but they conveniently can’t produce it,” Corbett said. “They’ve had about 20 police reports filed against them, but they know the police are overworked and don’t have time to stop them every time they come out.”

Many students have purchased their pets from Shaggy Dog. “I bought my Boston Terrier from Shaggy Dog,” senior Katie Hawkins said. “The employees were really nice and gave us all the information and background about my puppy. He came from a local breeder, and I was able to get a discount when they called the breeder directly for me. I know my dog didn’t come from a puppy mill.”

Corbett said she has tried to talk to members of the group, and has even invited them into her store and volunteered to take them to meet her breeders. Her efforts have been ignored. “I love animals and would never buy from a puppy mill,” Corbett said. “‘Breeding’ is not a puppy mill. I’ve never shipped a puppy in my life, and either myself or my sister visit our breeders to make sure the puppies are coming from a good environment. We only buy from local breeders, and all of our puppies are home-raised.”

According to Harrington, the point of the protests is only to get information out to the people, not to hurt any local businesses. The group has also protested at Family Puppy, Petland, and Paws and Claws. “Most people don’t really know about puppy mills and that sort of thing and that’s why were out here,” Harrington said. “We get a lot of people stopping and asking what our cause is about, because it’s something they’ve never heard of before. There are literally millions of dogs being killed in shelters because of these puppy mills.”

Sanchez said she decided to get involved when a friend told her about puppy mills. “I automatically felt a passion for it,” Sanchez said. “We protest at several places, not just this one. We believe that many stores can sell food and toys and stuff, but they don’t actually have to sell puppies. Because so many puppies are bred in mills, most of them end up being put down in shelters.” And that’s where Corbett said the group’s real problem lies.

“They only want people to get their pets from shelters,” Corbett said. “They’re making it difficult for many breeders by doing these protests. This group has no record to back up their claims. They just don’t think people should buy puppies.”

Harrington said her group feels that when people start abusing the bond with “man’s best friend” for profit, things start to turn negative. “I feel so passionate because I’ve seen so many videos and advertisements,” Harrington said. “They show what really happens to these puppies, and if other people have seen them, I think they would feel the same way. It’s horrible. Many of the dogs have no teeth; they’re malnourished, and pregnant. To these breeders, the dogs are not living or breathing; they’re just a commodity to make puppies.”

Corbett agrees that puppy mills are horrible, and wishes the group would focus its energy on mills, instead of stores that operating in the best interests of its puppies. “We think people should have a choice in where they get their pets. Shelters can be good places,” Corbett said, “but we take in rescue dogs until we find them a home because we don’t want them to be put down at a shelter.” In addition to filing police reports, Corbett has also contacted the FBI for assistance. “Everyone has a right to their opinion,” Corbett said, “but not when they’re telling lies.