Petland

Petland, Inc. is a privately held corporation founded in 1967 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Initially, the company owned and operated retail pet stores in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.

Overview

Petland has franchised its stores and sold pet merchandise since the early 1970's. In the late 1980's, the company began opening stores in Canada and overseas. Petland currently has 131 stores in the United States and 62 in international markets; including Japan, South Africa, China, Canada and Mexico. 15 new domestic stores are scheduled to open in 2010. The company sells kittens, puppies, birds, rodents, tropical fish and reptiles; as well as the food, grooming supplies, and pet care accessories and offer a credit card good for store purchases.

Petland ranked 471 overall in the Entrepreneur® Magazine’s 35th Annual Franchise 500® According to Entrepreneur.com, there are close to 2,000 active franchisors in the United States.

Animal rights groups have increasingly attacked puppy breeding operations they have labeled as “puppy mills.” While the label of “puppy mill” is not subject to uniform definition, Petland is strongly opposed to any puppy breeding operation that disregards the health and well-being of breeding dogs or their puppies. Brian Winslow, Director of Animal Welfare Education for Petland, explains that “Petland has a policy that limits Petland stores to the sale of puppies that come from one of the following sources: (1) breeders that are licensed with the United States Department of Agriculture and that have not had any direct violations on their most recent inspection report; (2) small hobby breeders; and (3) local rescue and adoption puppies.” In addition to requiring United States Department of Agriculture licensure and reviewing USDA inspection reports, one of the tools used by Petland to avoid substandard operations is the maintenance of an internal “Do Not Buy List” that is intended to alert Petland stores to individuals that may seek to sell puppies to a Petland store, but that fall below Petland’s standards. Petland remains committed to working with federal, state, local and other organizations to educate breeders on proper animal care.

The company also franchises a fish and aquatics store called Aquarium Adventure, which has five U.S. locations. Petland was founded by its current Chairman, Ed Kunzelman.

USDA

The USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service/Animal Care (USDA/APHIS/AC) is responsible for inspections, reporting and enforcing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA is the only federal law that regulates animals bred and sold by dealers, animals in entertainment, zoo animals and laboratory animals.

Community service & charities

Community service programs include Adopt-A-Pet; Pets for a Lifetime; Spay/Neuter Your Pet and Pet Therapy.

Petland's Adopt-A-PetSM program has been a tremendous success with Petland store operators collectively placing nearly 327,000 homeless pets in since 1998. Petland Adopt-A-Pet Program

Petland has been "fulfilling pet-related wishes since 1994 for children with life-threatening medical conditions" through the "Make A Wish Foundation." Petland stores also collect funds and makes annual company donations to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Other examples of community service efforts include :

June 3, 2013: Petland donated three computers to the Animal Resource Center (ARC) to be utilized by the Center and the AKC Companion Animal Recovery (CAR) in on-the-ground efforts in Moore, Oklahoma to rescue, treat and track the hundreds of displaced pets. “Without the laptops, we could never have gotten so many pets checked in, taken care of and identified as well as photos posted, animals reunited and keeping track of everything,” said ARC Board President Barbara Lewis. The computers were used at their intake and volunteer desk, the vet check area and the reclaiming and search for pet stations.

April 3, 2012: The Petland store in Chillicothe raises funds to outfit the Chillicothe police K9 unit with much-needed training gear. A new bite suit and headgear will cost more than $1,400.

February 13, 2012: Petland of Plano is honored to help grant the wish of 8-year-old Ella Jade Dreamer from Rockwall, Texas. Ella has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer called Adrenalcorticolcarcinoma. She has been receiving treatments at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and the family recently moved to Texas. Brian and Lisa Abair, owners of Petland Plano will be presenting Ella with a Rottweiler puppy, all of the supplies needed to care for the puppy, and a year’s worth of dog food. Two years worth of veterinary service will also be provided.

June 1, 2011: Petland stores are organizing local relief efforts with vendors to provide necessary supplies to families with pets affected by the storms in Alabama and Missouri.

May 25, 2011: Petland worldwide is coordinating relief efforts with vendors to provide necessary supplies to families with pets affected by the earthquakes and hurricanes in Japan. Shipments of collars, leads, bowls, food, carriers and other necessities are being coordinated from Coastal Pet Products, Hagen, and All for Paws.Petland China, South Africa, and Canada all contributed to the effort.

Personnel

• Ed Kunzelman - Founder & Chairman
• Joe Watson - President and CEO
• Lisa Johnson, CPA - Vice President of Finance
• Steve Huggins - Vice President of Operations
• Elizabeth Kunzelman - Director of Communication
• Brian Winslow - Director of Animal Welfare Education
• James Brown - Director of Marketing
• Andy Nelson - Director of Training
• Tony Neff - Director of Merchandising Services

Contact

Petland, Inc.
250 Riverside St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
United States

Phone: 740-775-2464

Toll Free: 800-221-5935

Web address: http://www.petland.com/