Malibu is more humane today as a result of the months of protests by activists and your article. But Malibu Pet Headquarters is selling cats and turtles right now and the management continues to misinform shoppers about the conditions of where these animals are from. The owner needs to give them up for adoption immediately.
Lambriar, the animal broker used by Kevin Madden, is the second largest broker in America and does business with puppy mills. They act as a one-stop shop for “companion animal suppliers” and ship weak, sick, congenitally defected puppies to stores all over the nation. Had Madden, the owner of Pet Headquarters, done his homework about the conditions in the mills where his pets, not just his dogs, are from, he would have shown some remorse about his business practices. If he didn’t do his homework and still insists he didn’t know, then he is ignorant of the facts. It’s hard to believe someone would be that naive about his own “product.”
The owner of Pet Headquarters is diminishing his role in any wrongdoing by hiding behind the USDA curtain of acceptability. USDA is not a viable stamp of approval. It’s hardly an unimpeachable source of goodness. USDA is the same stamp you see on hamburger meat from abused cows in the supermarket. Remember the meat recall? What is most appalling to us in the Los Angeles animal protection movement is that Last Chance for Animals (LCA) would pay Madden $10,000. This is an inappropriate way to use donor money. Donor money should be spent on helping animals in need.
Malibu is better off without Pet Headquarters. Negotiations and payoffs were unnecessary. The truth is all that matters. Once the public knows the truth behind the ugly store fronts, they all close down. And to people who have not been skeptical enough and who have bought puppies from pet shops? Please think about where your dog’s mother is. She is imprisoned in a canine concentration camp.
Get active, help get those breeding dogs out of the more than 5000 legal, USDA licensed dog factories. A good way to do that is to express your outrage to our Governor and to our new President. Another way to help is to stop buying animals from now on.
Carole Raphaelle Davis