CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has intensified its long-standing battle against Petland, the Chillicothe-headquartered pet chain infamous for sourcing dogs from notorious puppy mills, by filing a consumer protection complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s office. The complaint demands that Petland immediately cease using terms like “adopt” and “adoption” in its marketing, which PETA argues misleads well-intentioned buyers into believing they’re rescuing animals rather than supporting a commercial breeding industry.
This latest action builds on years of community-driven pushback against Petland’s practices across Ohio. In one notable case from 2012, Brad Adams, then Chief Humane Agent for the Fayette Regional Humane Society in Washington Court House, spearheaded a successful protest campaign that forced the closure of a local Petland store just four months after its opening. Drawing on exposés from the Humane Society of the United States highlighting Petland’s links to USDA-violating breeders plagued by overcrowding and untreated illnesses, Adams rallied residents with petitions and flyers emphasizing how pet store sales exacerbate shelter overcrowding. Despite Petland’s official claim of a “strategic realignment,” local reports credited the swift shutdown to Adams’ relentless advocacy and community resistance, a victory that underscored the power of grassroots efforts to challenge the chain’s model.
PETA’s complaint follows cease-and-desist letters sent last month to Petland and Johnstown-based Premier Pups, calling on both to halt the deceptive portrayal of puppy purchases from commercial breeders as “adoptions.” Premier Pups promptly complied by scrubbing all references to “adoption” from its website and social media, but Petland defiantly responded to media inquiries by insisting it would continue the practice, claiming the term “adoption” is “not copyrighted.”
“While Petland cashes in on canines from commercial breeders, kindhearted customers are misled into thinking they’re ‘adopting,’ and wonderful homeless dogs in shelters lose their chance at finding a loving family,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is urging the Ohio attorney general to protect consumers from being duped by Petland’s misleading marketing ploy and urging the public not to fall for their lies and always adopt and never buy.”
The filing highlights Petland’s troubled history, including multiple prior consumer protection complaints for selling sick and dying puppies and pushing predatory loans on buyers. Even as the Ross County animal shelter—near Petland’s headquarters—struggles with a surge of homeless dogs, the chain has bragged about selling an average of 9,000 dogs annually in Ohio since 2016 alone.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.