The Pet Blood Bank in Lago Vista, Texas
June 10, 2009
Letter from David Wolf to the Texas Office of the Attorney General:
To whom it may concern:
I am filing this complaint as the Director and Manager of National Greyhound Adoption Program. Through independent research, NGAP discovered that greyhounds, left by their owners with the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (‘GALT’), specifically to be adopted into homes as pets, were instead placed with The Pet Blood Bank for use as blood donors. These greyhounds were used as blood donors without the express consent of their respective owners. The Pet Blood Bank benefited from this misrepresentation and failed to contact the owners for permission to use the dogs as blood donors. Attached hereto are affidavits from greyhound owners which state that they specifically requested that their greyhound be placed in a private home only, had no knowledge that their greyhound would be used as a blood donor and did not give permission for their greyhound to be transferred to The Pet Blood Bank or any other blood bank for use as a donor.
In addition we feel these greyhounds may not be provided with adequate socialization and exercise programs as is appropriate for former racing greyhounds.
The Pet Blood Bank is located at 3610 Lohmans Ford Road, Lago Vista, TX 78645. The phone number: (512) 267-8860, email: [email protected] .
It is our mission to have the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas and The Pet Blood Bank stop misrepresenting unsuspecting owners and having them believe that their dogs are being placed into private homes when in fact they are being used as blood donors for long periods of time, or in some cases, indefinitely.
EXHIBIT A
COMMENTS:
I am filing this complaint as the Director and Manager of National Greyhound Adoption Program (www.ngap.org). Through independent research, NGAP discovered that greyhounds, left by their owners with Greyhound Adoption League of Texas, Inc. (GALT, PO Box 680, Addison, TX 75001-0680, 972.503.4258, [email protected]) specifically to be adopted into homes as pets, were instead placed with The Pet Blood Bank for use as blood donors. These greyhounds were used as blood donors without the express consent of their respective owners. The Pet Blood Bank benefited from this misrepresentation and failed to contact the owners for permission to use the dogs as blood donors. Attached hereto are affidavits from greyhound owners which state that they specifically requested that their greyhound be placed in a private home only, had no knowledge that their greyhound would be used as a blood donor and did not give permission for their greyhound to be transferred to The Pet Blood Bank or any other blood bank for use as a donor.
It is our belief that The Pet Blood Bank acquired their blood donor greyhounds through misrepresentation and has no legal right to keep them. We ask that the state aid us in acquiring all information regarding each greyhound including color, sex, racing name and ear tattoo numbers so that we can contact their owners and find out if the greyhounds were legally acquired at the time The Pet Blood Bank originally obtained the dogs. We would also like the state to aid us in obtaining each greyhound’s health records to assure us that their health needs are being met timely and appropriately. We have specific evidence of a 7 1/2 -year-old greyhound recently released from The Pet Blood Bank. That particular dog visited our clinic soon after his release and needed twenty-two extractions. The dog’s mouth was not properly maintained and it, subsequently, was in a constant state of pain for a long period of time. Other greyhounds were also released in poor condition. Please see Exhibit B. The information speaks for itself.
We ask that the state inspect, or permit us along with a state official to inspect, The Pet Blood Bank facility and observe the daily activities. We have been operating a greyhound holding facility for over 15 years and would be better qualified to identify inadequacies than others may be. Specifically, we would like to know how many times each day the greyhounds are allowed out of their cages to socialize, exercise and relieve themselves.
If it is proven that the greyhounds being used at The Pet Blood Bank were illegally acquired, it is our hope that they would be released to us and we could then proceed to find adoptive homes for them, as was originally intended.
Moving forward, we request that the state require The Pet Blood Bank to notify any existing blood donor or potential blood donor’s owners to get appropriate permission for the dog to be used as a blood donor, outlining a maximum period of time that the dog will be a captive donor and to keep these dogs under excellent housing conditions while they are being kept, OR to immediately halt the practice of keeping and maintaining greyhounds for use as blood donors as other reasonable alternatives are available.
August 14, 2009
Letter from David Wolf to the Texas Office of the Attorney General:
To Whom It May Concern:
We have yet to receive a response to our formal complaint, dated June 10, 2009, regarding The Pet Blood Bank and their use of misrepresentation in obtaining greyhounds. Before we seek out alternative sources to address our concerns, we wish to hear a response from you office.
Greyhounds are greyt as pets,
David G. Wolf
August 14, 2009
Letter from Brenda Vernon from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas to David Wolf:
Dear Mr. Wolf:
Thank you for your recent letter. Please understand that the Office of the Attorney General is prohibited by law from providing legal advice, legal counsel or interpretations of the law to private individuals.
Your letter dated June 10, 2009 was received by our Consumer Protection Division (CPD) for review and was assigned complaint id number 0307488. CPD monitors business practices and determines priorities for enforcement. When appropriate, CPD takes action to stop violations of Texas consumer protection laws. We appreciate your assistance in this effort. Consumer complaints sometimes form the basis for an investigation or other action against a company by this office. However, any legal action that this office may take against a company would be on behalf of the State of Texas, not an individual or company. Please know that we do not acknowledge or comment on investigations, and you will be notified only if additional information is needed.
You may wish to contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection within the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can contact that office at:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20580
(877) FTC-HELP (382-4357)
In addition, you may wish to file a consumer complaint with the State of Pennsylvania Attorney General at (800) 441-2555.
Again, thank you for writing. Please feel free to contact the Office of the Attorney General if we may be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Brenda Vernon
Public Information & Assistance
Come back soon for more....
