Why Puppyland will pay nearly $4M after WA alleged illegal sales, advertising practices
A Puyallup-based retail pet store must pay $3.75 million to resolve a lawsuit filed against it by the state Attorney General’s Office, alleging that it failed to honor advertised health guarantees and channeled customers into predatory loans.
Puppyland will be required to pay in installments to the Attorney General’s Office by June 30, 2026, and payments will accrue 12% annual interest until the total is cleared, the state agency said Friday in announcing the consumer-protection case’s resolution.
As part of a consent decree, the pet store must also enact several reforms related to its business practices: It must clearly advertise the price range of its puppies, and it cannot falsely advertise breeding standards, refuse to negotiate costs with customers or advise consumers on loans, according to the agency.
“Puppyland took advantage of people’s love for pets to maneuver them into taking on crushing debt for dogs with serious health issues, and then they tried to silence them,” newly sworn Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement. “This resolution will give pet buyers more transparency and require Puppyland to end its predatory sales tactics.”
Puppyland issued its own news release late Friday to announce the settlement, saying it disagreed with the Attorney General Office’s allegations and stood by its “commitment to ethical business practices, customer satisfaction, and the health and welfare of our puppies.”
“We believe that the settlement allows us to continue focusing on what matters most: the well-being of our puppies and the satisfaction of our customers,” the company said.
The lawsuit against Puppyland was filed in King County Superior Court in April 2023 when Gov. Bob Ferguson was the attorney general.
To resolve the suit, Puppyland entered into a consent decree filed with the court — a copy of which was provided by the Attorney General’s Office. The decree was not an admission “regarding the existence or non-existence of any issue, fact, or violation of any law alleged,” the filing read.
The lawsuit accused the store of misrepresenting the breeding standards of puppies it sold and health guarantees it offered for the animals and claimed that buyers were unfairly maneuvered into signing high-interest loans with interest rates nearing 200%.
Puppyland also was alleged to have illegally restricted truthful online reviews through non-disparagement provisions in its sales agreements, which it can now no longer use, the Attorney General’s Office said. More than 7,000 people were estimated to have signed such provisions with Puppyland’s stores in Washington since the business opened in 2018, according to the agency.
Puppyland currently only operates a store in Puyallup but previously ran one in Renton. Its owners used to own Puppyworld in Olympia, the Attorney General’s Office said.
The case’s resolution comes a month after Puppyland settled a lawsuit filed against it in Pierce County Superior Court for an undisclosed amount. A woman alleged she was pressured into financing a sick, $6,000 Dachshund puppy who died shortly after being taken home.
Puppyland denied those allegations. In a statement in response to that suit in January 2024, owner Kayla Kerr told The News Tribune that Puppyland remained “committed to upholding high standards in our practices.”
In June 2022, the Pierce County Council passed sweeping safeguards for dogs sold in pet stores and their buyers. The bill affected only Puppyland, as the single store selling puppies in the county. The safeguards require, among other things, that shops obtain dogs from a state-licensed organization in compliance with Washington’s more stringent dog-breeding laws.
The state Legislature passed a similar law in 2023, following Pierce County’s lead, after the Attorney General’s Office filed its complaint against Puppyland. The office said Friday that Puppyland must abide by state and local laws as part of the consent decree.
During the past two years of inspections at Puppyland, the Pierce County Auditor’s Office reported no violations of state or county code, according to the latest available reports found online.
The Attorney General’s Office said that Puppyland customers whose puppy became sick within a year of purchase might be able to file a claim for reimbursement of significant veterinarian bills. People who believe they fit that description should send an email to puppyland@atg.wa.gov.
