Need another reason to adopt a pet and not shop for one? Thirty-nine people living in Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Kansas, and Pennsylvania have been infected with Campylobacter, a bacterial infection.
The CDC is investigating the outbreak that seems to be stemming from puppies purchased at Petland stores. So far, twelve of the people affected were Petland employees, and nine people have been hospitalized. The connection between them all is that they either bought a puppy or interacted with one from a Petland store. There have been no deaths.
Some of the symptoms of the Campylobacter infection are nausea, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, and abdominal pain. Both humans and animals will begin to experience the symptoms two to five days after being exposed. Petland stores do knowingly sell puppies from puppy mills. In 2009, the Humane Society of the United States investigated the chain and found that most of the stores got their puppies from a puppy mill, not from responsible breeders.
Since that time, little has changed. So, there are two things we all can do about this. One STOP shopping at Petland completely. Two spread the word. Puppies should not be born in a puppy mill – they are sad, cruel, and filthy places. If you want a dog, go to your local shelter.
You can even go to a store like Petsmart that offer both dogs and cats. They are up for adoption and come from local rescues. We don’t need more puppies, there are millions of pets living in shelters that need a good home.
Feature Image Source: Pixabay