A Big Breeder Story - Page 1

who is Andrew Hunte  associated with the Petland stores??????

The Hunte Corporation is currently the largest puppy broker in the U.S. It is based in Goodman, Missouri. It buys puppies from puppy mills in several Midwestern states and then sells them to pet stores all over the country, including many Petlands. Breeders either drop the puppies off at the Hunte building or a Hunte truck goes out to pick them up. The puppies are checked over by Hunte employees. The breeders expect to receive a certain price from Hunte depending on the breed of dog, but if Hunte decides the puppies are not very healthy, they may offer the breeder less money. The breeders usually accept the lower price, as they have no use for the puppies. Hunte's "Grade A" puppies, the supposedly healthier ones, are sent to pet stores. The "Grade B" puppies, the sicklier ones, are sold in other ways. We understand that some are sold to people who sell dogs over the Internet or through newspaper ads. Others were formerly sold at Missouri flea markets and in Canada, but now they are apparently often ending up at the huge Canton Flea Market in Texas, which sells dogs, cats and other animals by the hundreds. The Canton Animal Shelter describes its situation as "urgent" (see www.petfinder.org/shelters/TX256.html.) Puppies that are rejected by pet stores and sent back to Hunte also fall into this "Grade B" category and are disposed of in the same way.

February 2007:
We are told that the Board of Directors of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA) recently voted (9 for, 8 against) to allow puppy mill broker, Andrew Hunte of the Hunte Corporation in as a member of the National Breed (Parent) club. This was after written objections from a good percentage of the membership.

We understand that Mr. Hunte was provided with copies of all the written objections and was then invited to present rebuttal to the Board which met in secret session behind closed doors. Mr. Hunte also brought gifts (handouts carrying the Hunte Corporation logo), for each of the Board Members. He then proceeded to speak about his new incinerator, apparently to be used to destroy the puppies that don't make it out of the Hunte facility. We are told that one of the Directors was so sickened by the incinerator dialog and the pride with which the announcement was made that he was unable to sit through Mr. Hunte's presentation.

Rhea Aker of Destiny's Rescue of GSDs encourages people to sign the Petition "Revoke Membership of International Puppy Mill Broker, Andrew Hunte, from the German Shepherd Dog Club of America":
 

This is becoming one sick world when you read stuff like this, it is beyond belief Nothing else to say its inhuman, and the ones in it are Not fit to be called Humans

The broker (middleman between breeders and pet stores) for many Petland stores is the Hunte Corporation. The Hunte Corp. is based in Missouri, often considered the puppy mill capital of the country due to its large concentration of puppy mills. Other states with many puppy mills include Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania (especially Lancaster County).

After collecting puppies from many Midwestern breeding facilities, the Hunte Corp. weeds out the sickliest ones, classifying them as "Grade B." We have been told that the Grade B puppies are sold for low prices at flea markets or to people selling animals over the Internet. Hunte Corp. reportedly used to sell its sickest puppies in Rutledge, Missouri, but now does so at a flea market in Texas. The rest of the puppies are packed into its trucks and driven to Petlands and other pet stores all over the country, usually a stressful trip of several hundred miles. Neighbors near the Fairfax Petland have seen the huge Hunte truck that arrives with its weekly delivery and heard the cries of the puppies as they are unloaded. At the store, having spent their whole life of 8 weeks in cages, the puppies again spend most of their time in small cages.
 

there are breeders all over this country buying these pups and have they sold one to you.....how do you know......? did you do your research and ask to see original breeders name and address and phone number and talk to them before you buy...Did you ask for xrays and certificate and matching id by tatooe or chipping?

This is about as horrible as it can get....and  these three paragraphs are just mere speck of the pages of abuse and horrible cruelty to animals committed by this mans corporation and employees of this store chain..

http://www.petstorecruelty.org/boycottpetland.htm

Here is the link of just one of the sites to read about  worst puppy mill in our history of the United states of America

this is old news... i believe the GSDCA may have revoked his membership based on all the dissention from the membership.. that's if I recall correctly... was sometime ago though

Yes, that is correct. See here: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/95139.html  Not only is he no longer a board member, but his GSDCA membership was terminated!

If the AKC provides registration for litters produced and sold this way, the pet stores will continue to exist. These pet stores are a huge revenue for AKC, and this is only possible because the AKC does not put any minimum standard on breeding criteria. The difference in Europe is that the umbrella organizations have delegated the record keeping and registration to most of the breed clubs (i.e. SV, ADRK, DV in Germany etc.). I can only speak for Germany, but in Germany the shelters are not full of animals. Harldy any get euthanized, because most of them are adopted (I have visited them too). Only very sick animals are put to sleep. Yes, there are still problems with illegal truck loads of puppies and dogs from Eastern Europe (the customs officers and police can tell you sickening stories), but overall things like that just don't happen in Europe. Most pet owners do not spay or neuter their pets and still, there are hardly any unwanted litters. Here, we have people like Andrew Hunte, mass breeders and pet stores which buy these puppies. This in turn fuels the fires of animal rights activists, who infiltrate county animal shelters. We then are presented with terrible animal legislature which affects us all. Soon, we all have to fight to keep our best dogs intact, because of local ordinances. This in turn will put us in the center of animal rights activists. They will then have identified individual targets they can go after, especially our bigger breeders and make their lifes miserable. At the end, our breeding programs will not evolve and people (police, SAR etc.) will continue to look for good dogs in Europe. And what makes us so different from Europe? Simple: Personal egos ("I am not going to let anybody dictate me what I can breed and what not"), money, lack of support (I have never heard of any police unit or the rescuse organizations like the red cross rallyeing behind our breed organizations). Then, we have breeders here (just look at the various threats here on this board) who feel that they have to cheat for personal gain. Everybody has pet quality puppies in their litters. Do not make them into something they are not.  This all seems to be far-fetched, but I truly believe that all these little pieces fit into the overall sad picture (like a puzzle) of the state of dog breeding and ownerships in our country. We all need to wake up! Okay, I am going to have my morning coffee now!

Chris

I think this goes on in Europe as well as America.    Other countries too.

I can see a new 20/20 special in the making..

SSDD