Petland Iowa City — Local services in Iowa City

Yes, the puppies are adorable,and yes, it's hard to resist playing with them. However, when I visited Petland, I was really sad to see puppies crammed into glass display cases together, some of whom barely fit in the cage to begin with. A couple of them were clearly sick with kennel cough, or else defecating everywhere because of a likely parasite- Ive heard parvo is common. The staff is friendly but I was also pretty shocked at how disorganized and free for all the place was- I saw little kids walking around holding tiny 3 pound puppies that they could easily drop and harm- which has also happened at Petland. They asked us to sit as we held our puppy, and we did, because that's safer, but I saw many people ignoring that request, and nobody seemed to care. Puppies are constantly shuttled in and out of their cages on the whims of customers- the popular ones barely get time to rest, while the less popular ones languish in their cages. Seems like a breeding ground for spreading illness, both to puppies and humans. Petland clearly knows all this is bad for the puppies, and does not care- they want to get as many people as possible playing with the puppies, because they're banking on the fact that you'll get so attached that you'll buy a THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR puppy right there on the spot. That's the other thing- their puppies are absurdly expensive, and the package that comes with the puppy, which they say justifies the high price, does not at all. I could buy a registered AKC puppy from a loving home for like, half the price. Also, the store itself is pretty dingy and I didn't get the sense that the hygienic standards are too high. Again, all they seem to care about is getting you with a cute puppy and letting it reel you in. Please, I know it's tempting, but do not buy your pet from petland. Not only could you get a better price elsewhere, you're also supporting a store that absolutely does not have the animals' best interests at heart. I'm not like, a bleeding heart save the animals person- I eat meat, I don't think everyone needs to buy rescue dogs to be morally good. But seeing how the Petland pets were being cared for, and listening to stories of other Petland customers whose dogs have gotten sick or died soon after adoption, it makes me really sad and angry that anyone would...

UPDATE How many more animals have to die unnecessarily before people understand this place gets their animals from brokers who buy from PUPPY MILLS?! They charge exorbitant amounts & the mothers of these puppies are used & neglected all to make a profit. I recently ran into a little yorkie with massive health problems. I asked the owner where she got the little one. The mom said petland and she would never do that again. I asked why & she told me she paid $5,000 for this pup only to find out it will die soon. The pup is only 2. If you are still reading this and I know the owner will come back with a comment to check their website and that they do good work. That is a cover up. Look at the hundreds of people over many years to accuse them of these abhorrent practices & buying albeit indirectly from puppy mills which they deny. Why? Because they don't care where or how they their puppies are bred or how their parents are treated. Ron has has been getting wealthy on the backs of dog moms left in their cages without any chance of happy lives & discarded like trash when they can no longer reproduce. I have the receipts! I have done the research! I have documentation that they knowingly buy from brokers who get puppies from Mills that have been sanctioned & fined over & over for non compliance & neglecting these animals. Ron, have you ever wondered what those mothers lives are like? You can say whatever you like about Petland & your business being above board & really caring about breeder quality. After so many years you probably actually believe it. But I know better! And you do too!

Surprised to see they actually have over a 3.0 rating. BUYER BEWARE!!! These puppies come from a broker who buys them from a puppy mill. Do not "rescue" a dog from any pet store! This only serves to keep these store open & perpetuates the puppy mill problem. Pups that are born in puppy mills can develop very expensive illnesses caused by the poor conditions of the mill. Be patient & ask lots of questions. Look at shelters & rescue sites, adopt a dog, be part of the solution. Most likely Petland pays to have negative reviews removed but if this review reaches one person. . . Petland & their process have been investigated many times. The only way to stop them is to research, spread the facts & take your...

Long time coustomer... Every time I used to come into pet land within the last year and a half to purchase meal worms for my leopard geckos I would be waiting for at least 5-10 minutes before anyone adknowladged I was there, all of the employees are running back and forth between puppy play rooms and the back swapping out puppies other people want to see and play with, meanwhile Im desperately trying to flag someone down to go in the back for the worms. Finally someone makes eye contact with you and they go back and get the meal worms, the majority of the time half of the meal worms were dead, and the other half of the time the employee would come out with wax worms and would go back swap them out and come out with a container of half dead meal worms. Meal worms were in short demand at this time, that is not what upsets me, what upsets me is the employees are trained to be more attentive and spend extra time trying to get people to purchase a puppy (we all know people go to just play with the cute puppies and don't have any intentions of actually providing a forever home for these pups) instead of repeat customers that come in multiple times a month to nurish their pets. No one is paying attention to what else is going on around them, there is never a chashier at the front cash register, in turn you have to pay at the desk right next to the puppy play areas where people are always hanging out to play with puppies where there is no where to set your wallet. Employees don't usually seem to know what you're talking about when you ask them about anything other than a puppy or kitten. I would not recommend going to pet land for any advice regarding a pet, do your research online and pick what you think is best for your pet! I would not recommend going to pet land for anything, other than to play with and feel so sorry for those poor puppies. All around the service has declined within the last 3 or 4 years. Maybe if these pets at pet land were a reasonable price a lot more of them...