NOT THE PUPPY'S FAULT
I am very concerned about the standard of care Petland's puppies receive. I dropped by to see if they had any yellow labs or goldens, they did. They had a yellow lab boy between 10-12 weeks old. I looked at him and thought, okay sweet. I know what puppies this age are like--they are curious, energetic, and TEETHING. For their own safety and comfort they need to have something to chew on at all times. They're a lot to handle at this age but I've done it before. They offered to let me sit with him in one of their visiting stalls.
First red flag was they picked him up and brought him into the stall with nothing. No toy, no leash, nothing to occupy him while he worked through his excitement. First two minutes were rough, he immediately started nipping at my ankles and hands, then backing up and pouncing on my arms. I did my best to calmly redirect him but it was no use. Poor thing was desperate to bite into something. So I called for help, no one answers.
I then crawled up on the bench and decided to grab my keys & cheap little wallet attachment and take all my cards out so I could throw him my empty wallet to chew on till we got a toy for him. I managed to get someone's attention and they brought him a small plastic chew toy. That occupied him for a good 2 minutes.
While he was chewing I looked myself over, there were claw marks all over me and I realized his nails on his paw had not been filed or clipped in a VERY long time. They were sharp as nails and starting to curve back inward toward his foot. He was just playing around with me, but with his nails like that, it was like having a toddler run around with knives strapped to his hands, just inherently dangerous.
I stayed a little while longer because I was still(!) interested in this sweet boy but he got bored of his chew toy pretty quick and remembered how fun it was to pounce and nip at me.
So he went into hardcore play-fighting mode, started chomping at my hands and arms. Clawing at my face--at one point he knocked my glasses off my face and across the room and I couldn't see him well anymore. All the while I was yelling, calling for help from an attendant. I couldn't leave the visiting stall without being let out. I was disoriented, couldn't move because I didn't want to step on my glasses, and at that point bleeding in several places from scratches that drew blood. The more I tried to contain him and hold him down the harder he fought back and the harder he bit down. I loudly called for help 3 times before he bit my wrist so hard he broke straight through the skin and came out the other side. It hurt and shocked me so much I yelled out an explicative and only then did someone come check on us. At that point I was sobbing, hyperventilating, bleeding, with my ponytail pulled out and my glasses gone. I wasn't crying from the pain as much as the frustration and worry I felt about how they'd react to the dog. I kept saying it wasn't his fault as they led me to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Moral of the story: These guys have no idea what they're doing caring for these dogs. This whole situation could've been prevented with some basic preparation: a leash, a puppy-friendly toy, some nail care, ample exercise/play time to regulate his energy, and adequate supervision of the visiting stalls. I still feel bad for the poor pup but it was an awful experience and I won't be coming back. read more