The transparent nature of Facebook, the rapidity of internet social action, and the magic of petitions have worked to close down an animal torture house in Akron, Ohio called 'Petland.' Here is the story in the Examiner. Basically, animals are not fed or cleaned at all, so they resort to cannibalism to live, and then they are drowned, frozen or beaten to death. In this case, a wonderful young lady named Elizabeth Carlisle gleefully drowned two rabbits, who were already dying from malnutrition and fighting, before urging her colleague to take a picture, which she then posted on Facebook. Petland employees themselves have been sickened by this evil, selfish, inhuman and depraved corporate policy. Read about their experiences here as this is not an isolated incident by any means.
If you know Elizabeth Carlisle, seen above, be sure to give her a piece of your mind! I hope her parents are so proud, they did a wonderful job raising her.
Now Petland officials claim that this is in outright opposition to their policy: "Petland will in no way, shape or form tolerate any abuse of animals in its care. We are outraged of this gross violation of Petland's animal care standards," according a written statement issued by the company. "Petland policy demands that medical treatment and protocol is to be provided and determined by the store's consulting veterinarian and not be undertaken by an employee. Petland policy also dictates that no animal be euthanized in ANY manner by any staff member."
But that is only policy on paper. If employees are being threatened with termination for merely CLEANING CAGES then clearly Petland itself is guilty of gross abuse. And even if the company has the best intentions, they clearly cannot control their employees and should still be banned from selling live animals.
Please click here to sign a petition to get Petland to stop selling rabbits in all their stores. When this story broke, the public outcry was so strong and immediate that the Akron location was permanently closed down! Petland has been in hot water the past year for buying dogs from puppy mills, but of course their policy of greed and cruelty continues unabated. PETA and Care2.com have spearheaded the petition movement.
So what can you do? Sign the petition. Write to the county judicial system in Akron and demand that Elizabeth Carlisle be prosecuted to the very fullest extent of the law -- she was indeed brought up on charges of animal cruelty, and will appear in Akron Municipal Court on August 17th. But most important, DO NOT EVER BUY ANIMALS FROM PET STORES. Ever! There are millions and millions of healthy and lovely dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, birds etc etc in the SPCA, shelters and farms across the country. If you do shop at stores like Petland, you are personally responsible for things like this happening. Those lovely animals are then euthanized because they cannot find owners, when you guys buy pets instead from stores that in effect are gulags or prison camps. Does that make sense?!? Once again, err on the side of compassion.
