In June of 2015, Elise Keller purchased a $1500 Miniature Schnauzer from Harbor Pet Center (formally known as "Petland") on Market Street in Boardman, Ohio. After losing a beloved family dog of 15 years, the family heard news of a couple miniature schnauzer puppies becoming available at the store location and decided to take a look. Despite all the warnings and insinuations that Harbor Pet Center/Petland bought and sold puppy mill dogs, the family was put at ease by management's “health guarantees,” vet checks and AKC registration papers. Within minutes of falling in love, “Sophia” was purchased and immediately became a beloved and vital family member to the Keller household. The Keller family conveniently received her papers in the mail after purchasing Sophia. Her papers stated that Sophia was under “warranty” for three years, and her breeder was listed on the papers along with a USDA number, signifying that they were "approved breeders." The Keller family brought Sophia to Harbor Pet Center’s veterinarian of choice in order to satisfy the contract. The veterinarian performed an exam and said she was in perfect health. They family thought, “What could go wrong?”

Now fast-forward to three months later when what seemed to be a simple GI upset escalated within hours to a full-fledged emergency. Sophia was rushed to an emergency clinic and died en route--in her mom's arms.

Logically, the family knew that Sophia wasn’t poisoned, as she never left their sight. The family were experienced dog owners and were well aware that puppies need close and constant supervision. Considering all that had happened so suddenly and in such a short period of time, the family felt an autopsy was in order. 5-month-old puppies aren’t supposed to drop dead. After contacting the manager, at Harbor Pet Center, the family was informed that it was doubtful they would be given a refund after an autopsy was done and said that the family would more than likely be given the option of a “replacement puppy..." but the family would have to talk to the head of the sore, Gary Winslow, to see exactly what would/could be done. After watching what Sophia went through, another sick puppy was out of the question. At this point, it wasn’t about getting money back or another “replacement puppy”—this was about getting justice for Sophia, and for ALL the other families and puppies who had fallen victim to Harbor Pet Center and Petland.

It was strongly suggested by Harbor Pet Center manager that their contracted veterinarian perform the autopsy on Sophia, but the family was adamant on having an independent veterinarian do the procedure. The family’s comfort in their decision not to allow Harbor Pet Center's contracted veterinarian to perform the autopsy was solidified after discovering that the contracted vet operated in the “grey area” of medicine and had several legal judgments against him. Reluctantly, the Harbor Pet Center manager agreed.

Because each tissue sample in an autopsy has a set price, we went with the medical professional’s recommendation and sampled her liver. Unfortunately, that test came back inconclusive, but the veterinarian believes she died of a congenital heart condition. Attached is a copy of the autopsy report.

The family tried several times to contact the main manager/owner of the store, Mr. Gary Winslow—phone calls, emails, even going into the store and demanding to talk to him. Mr. Winslow was conveniently “out of the office” or “busy” each time, never returning any of their messages. After trying to contact Mr. Winslow for an entire week, his attention was finally grabbed as we protested the store on a corner of a major street. Only now he had the time to return the grieving family’s attempts at communication. Even after being presented with the results and information, Mr. Winslow refused to acknowledge any of the facts. He refused a refund for the dog, refused to pay any of the veterinary bills, and stood by the fact that Sophia was thoroughly medically checked before being sold to the Kellers. He simply stated that the reason of her death was because, “Living things sometimes just die.” 

We then began our own research. We started digging for the information and FACTS that were not given to us by Mr. Winslow. We were horrified to discover that as of August 2015, Sophia’s "breeders" had 123 dogs and 78 puppies on their premises. We were able to see pictures of the deplorable living conditions these dogs were forced to exist in. The pictures were heart wrenching and although they don’t call it a puppy mill, and they are in fact a USDA regulated kennel, it had all the characteristics of a puppy mill. This was done simply by looking up Sophia’s breeder’s USDA number on a the USDA Database main website. 

These USDA regulated kennels are practicing under mandates which are minimal at best. The conditions where these animals are bred and raised are filthy, cramped and neglected.  They are simply sliding under the bar of the regulations that the USDA enforces on them. It’s a money making business with a mass production of puppies and no concern for the animals and in addition, no regard for the people that make these puppies part of their family.

In our campaign to inform the public of this devastating situation, we have encountered many other families who have endured the same sorrow.  Numerous people have contacted us describing similar stories about their pets’ fates. Previous employees have stepped forward about their horrific practices behind closed doors as well.

Please sign and share in order to raise awareness and to request further investigation/revision of USDA Approved Kennel/Breeder Regulations. 

We're requesting that a ban be put on the sale of pet store puppies, but instead, we want pet stores work with local rescue groups to help place dogs in need of homes. Hundreds of cities in the US have this law in place. Why not us?!

We urge everyone and anyone--if you have similar experiences, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share them in the comment section and/or email them to justiceforsophia@outlook.com

Sophia's Autopsy Report

 Justice for Sophia Facebook Group