Speaking Out For Dogs in Canton, Georgia

This story comes from a  brave woman who summoned her courage and stood up for dogs being sold in freezing temperatures in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  Read her story about how a single person can take a few minutes out of their day to help stop puppy mills!  Another point of light.

What can you do to stop puppy mills?

I went to my local Canton, GA Walmart to get some things. This Walmart is not in my general direction of day to day errands, so I don't frequent it often. Any who..I digress.

I drove into Wally World with the intent of dash in, and dash out. I drive in and what catches my eye, PUPPIES FOR SALE - AKC BASSET HOUNDS. My blood pressure starts to rise, but I am on a mission, I only have 30 minutes to get what I need and get home. As soon as I pull into the parking spot, I put the car back in reverse and decide that this woman sitting in her nice warm car needs a verbal slapping. Her basset puppies were in a playpen on a grassy medium in the parking lot while her fat keister sat in a warm car !!! It was 38 degrees out and the wind put the chill factor at 29 !!

I approached the woman and her puppies just as she is starting to take money from another woman who is buying one of the puppies. My words...."excuse me ma'am, but don't you think it is rather cruel to have these puppies outside in this cold weather and to be selling them to just anybody in a parking lot? I would think that if they were truly AKC puppies, you would certainly want them to go to good homes? People who sit in parking lots and sell their puppies to strangers are puppy millers and I dont' think you want me and this woman to think you are an irresponsible breeder and uncaring human to treat such an animal inhumanely"

Her response: "Mind your own effing business. I am not a puppy miller and I can do whatever I want with these dogs. They are just dogs for Christ sake"

My response: "No these aren't just dogs. They are sweet loving animals who love you back despite all your faults. Having them out here is animal cruelty and you have to be aware of how cold it is. You sit in your car while these babies huddle together in a playpen trying to find warmth."

I then turn to the woman buying the puppy (who by the way has her two sons with her):" Ma'am, you are purchasing this dog from someone you met in a parking lot. You need to see the parents of these puppies and get shot records. Do you know if they have been seen by a vet? Do you know what their current health is and that of the parents? Your boys have picked out a dog that could be sick and you may be inviting thousands of dollars in veterinary care and then what do you do if the puppy is sick and you have to euthanize it? How will your boys feel then because you didn't take the time to insure the dog is well and it came from a responsible and caring breeder?"

The woman who is buying the puppy responds: "Damn, your a ~ edited ~ and you need to mind your own business"

My response" Well, I can see why you are buying a puppy in a parking lot because you don't care about being a good parent or dog owner. You just cursed at me IN FRONT OF YOUR CHILDREN ! What are you teaching them to be?"

Her response: "My boys know a ~ edited ~ when they see one, so it's not new to them. Right boys?

The boys (who are about 10 and 6): "Yeah Mom, she's a ~ edited ~"

I then am so taken aback, that I don't know what to say. I have never been spoken to like that EVER by a child, nor have I ever witnessed an adult speaking to another adult in front of their children and calling them names.

I am so flustered beyond words, so I call Scrabble's mommy. I tell Rita what just went down...her advice..."tell the Walmart Manager". Good choice !

I then find the Walmart manager, Christina, and tell the whole story again. She asks for a description of the woman selling the puppies and the kind of car. Christina then tells me that woman has been there before and she has run her off, but now that woman has taken it too far. She tells me she has also had to run off some other woman who sells DACHSHUNDS in her lot. Yes, kids, that dachsund seller is Patti !!

Christina, the wonderful Walmart manager, calls the Sheriff and decides she is now going to press charges against her. She said it is against Walmart policy for her to be selling anything on Walmart property and since she has run her off before, she has had enough. Sheriff arrives, takes my statement and then Walmart presses criminal trespassing charges against this woman selling the puppies.

Of course, since Georgia laws against animal STINKS, the did not take the puppies who were still there. The puppy miller woman calls her husband who comes and picks them up.
Guess what this husband does? Takes them to the next parking lot over at a restaurant called Stevie B's Pizza and sets up camp to sell them !!! It is not against Georgia law to sell them in a parking lot if the owner of the lot does not mind. Stevie B's Pizza doesn't care according to Christina, the Walmart manager.

I also asked the Sheriff "why can't you seize the puppies, it is animal cruelty to be out here". He replied "no, it is not and if you look on the Cherokee County website, you can read the ordinances". Well, to keep myself from landing in the pokey, I kept my mouth shut.

Christina tells me they do chase people off like that when customers let them know because it is against Walmart policy to sell in their lots unless you have permission (i.e., Girl Scout cookies). She then tells me from now on when I see it, just come directly to her and she will press criminal trespassing charges.

Later that night, Christina calls me from her house to apologize for what happened. I told her that it is not her fault, but I do appreciate the call. She then tells me her husband is a sergeant on the City police department, and that the Sheriff was wrong on whether it was animal cruelty or not. According to him, it was animal cruelty to have the puppies out in this weather.

Well, I will be frequenting that Walmart just to be on puppy selling alert !

It is also very apparent that Cherokee County is going to keep this an uphill battle.