letters

[Our January issues got cheers — for our new event marketing research — and jeers — for a story on mall-based pet stores opened by Woof & Co. and supplied by Hunte Corp.]

Event insight

I appreciated PROMO's special report on the event marketing industry in the January 2004 issue. The editorial team offered some great insights into this growing niche, and I especially appreciated your piece on consumer attitudes. My subscription to the publication just started with the new year, and I look forward to many more instructional articles.
Holly Miller
Audi Event Marketing/
MVP Collaborative

From puppy mill to mall

One very good way to ruin one's reputation is to open a pet shop and sell un-health-tested, poorly bred companion animals to the general public. And this is exactly what the Ikea and Gap veterans are doing.

Ninety percent of the dogs I rescue are from pet shops. Each dog costs an average of $200 to rehabilitate, vet and rehome. Multiply that times a few thousand and you will understand why this new little business has a number of us in a tizzy.
Sam Anderson
Pacific NW Basenji Rescue

Hunte Corp is nothing more than a “puppy mill.” Bringing dogs in by truck (even if it is air-conditioned) is inhumane and shows no respect for the dog. A 50% profit margin? Ethical breeders are lucky to “break even” on any litter. We do it for the love and improvement of the breed.

Hunte does not test their animals for genetic defects and the “guarantee” is meaningless when your beloved family pet dies from some malady. I wonder: will Woof & Co be doing “house checks”? Meeting families before placing puppies? Screening for appropriate homes? Requiring a “spay and neuter” contract? I doubt it…not when the 50% comes into play.

You mention the health guarantee. What about a return policy? My home is always welcome to any dog I have bred. And most breeders I know have the same policy.

I can only hope that that voices of all reputable breeders and lovers of the dog world will see to it that “Woof $ CO” sees a swift and well-deserved trip into bankruptcy and is soon a distant memory. I would wish the same for the Hunte Corp.
Jan Dykema
Bestuvall Bull Terriers

Despite the cache [sic] of high-profile executives, Woof & Co. is no better than the sleazy pet stores they are replacing. Harte [sic] is a major puppy broker, and is a huge part of the cruel business of trading in poorly bred, mistreated and mishandled puppies. Pet stores that sell puppies are selling the products of puppy mills, and the fact that there is a market is beside the point. If widgets were the product, no problem. When companion animals are the product, big problem.

Don't be swayed by big names. Cruel is cruel, no matter whose idea it was.
Susan R. Roscoe

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Woof & Co. declined our invitation to respond to the correspondence we received following publication.