Petland Fined Over Sale of Sick Puppies
Petland Inc. pleaded no contest Tuesday to 20 charges of neglecting animals at its Topanga Plaza store, which prosecutors said sold sick puppies to unsuspecting customers, and was ordered to pay $52,000 in fines, penalties and donations.
Attorneys for the Ohio-based company, the nation’s second-largest pet store chain, entered pleas in Van Nuys Municipal Court to 10 counts of negligently operating a pet store and 10 of having a sick animal in a pet store.
Commissioner John Ladner fined Petland $10,000 plus $13,500 in penalty assessments. He ordered the company to pay $5,000 in investigative costs to the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and make $23,500 in charitable contributions.
Ladner also ordered Petland to reimburse veterinarians’ fees paid by customers who purchased sick puppies at the store in the Canoga Park mall and establish an animal-care hot line.
In October, the store’s franchising agreement with Petland expired. Since then, the store has a clean record for animal treatment, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said.
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