PETA Files Complaint With Ohio AG, Calls for Chillicothe-Based Petland to End Deceptive ‘Adoption’ Claims

For Immediate Release:
November 10, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Today, PETA filed a consumer protection complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s office against Petland—a Chillicothe-based pet store chain and notorious purveyor of dogs from puppy mills—following its refusal to stop misleading consumers by using “adopt” and “adoption” in marketing materials. PETA’s complaint urges the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to prevent Petland from deceiving customers by forcing the company to immediately remove all references to these terms from its website and materials.

The action follows cease-and-desist letters PETA sent last month to Petland and Premier Pups, based in Johnstown, demanding that they immediately stop duping unsuspecting customers into thinking they’re rescuing dogs with their rampant and deceptive claims referring to the purchase of puppies from commercial breeders as “adoption.” Premier Pups responded to PETA’s letter by immediately removing all references to “adoption” from its website and social media pages, while Petland doubled down in a statement to the media, arguing that it will continue using the term “adoption” as it 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.”

PETA notes that multiple other consumer protection complaints have been filed in recent years against Petland—which has been exposed for neglecting and abusing animals—due to the company selling sick and dying dogs and offering predatory loans to customers. While the animal shelter in Ross County, where Petland is headquartered, has been overwhelmed by an influx of homeless dogs, Petland boasts it has sold an average of 9,000 dogs per year in Ohio alone since 2016.

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. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.