Animal Planet and Petland: A HumaneWatch Recap

Last night the Animal Planet network premiered an investigative report targeting the Petland chain of pet stores. More than half of the documentary consisted of footage provided by the Humane Society of the United States.

While Petland's corporate leaders apparently didn't want to be interviewed on camera (wouldn't you?), we saw no evidence that the filmmakers made a serious effort to present a balanced report. (HSUS's position had about a ten-to-one advantage in terms of how many people were interviewed on camera.) As a result, what aired was an over-sensationalized attempt to link a pet store brand with puppy mills.

Here's how our television's program guide described the show:

An in-depth look is taken at the widespread practice of dog breeding and a lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States against the nation's largest puppy-selling retail establishment amid claims of inhumane treatment against animals.

Talk about this lawsuit kept popping up during the broadcast. But as with the rest of this documentary, we were left with more questions than answers. More on that lawsuit later.