Puppy store protest

GREEN BAY - Holiday shoppers 'thinking puppies' this Christmas got a rude awakening when driving along Military Avenue in Green Bay. Protesters with signs criticizing puppy mills and urging people to adopt pets made their presence known outside Puppy Prints, a pet store that sells puppies.

"What I'm hoping to do is get people to question things..." said Bill Krouse, who calls himself a concerned dog owner. He's concerned about puppy mills in the state churning out unhealthy animals to pet stores. He wants a state law to crack down on such mills.

"We want to make people aware and hopefully get legislation that'll help correct this," said Krouse.

Puppy Prints owner Colleen Halopka is against puppy mills too...but her biggest problem is the protesters.

"I just wish people couldn't put lies on signs and walk in front of a business to harass them," said Halopka.

Halopka opened up shop in September and since then reports that she has had no complaints from customers. The puppies are up to date on shots and checked out by a local vet. And most of all she says the store doesn't deal with puppy mills.

"We buy from adult family breeders where the adult dogs are part of their family. They are loved and well taken care of," she said.

Pat Borta bought a dog from Puppy Prints.

"Took the dog to the vet, he said nothing wrong, perfectly fine. He's seen 10 to 12 dogs from here and no problems with any of them," said Borta.

And while the protesters carry signs warning people of a "Puppy Mill," they admit they're no definite link to Puppy Prints.

"They do sell puppies and they told officials they do get some of them from Mennonites in Central part of the state. And the Amish and Mennonites in center of state are known to be part of puppy mills," rationalized Krouse.

Both sides tell us the best advice when purchasing a puppy is to make sure it's in good health and from a reputable breeder. You can do this by asking questions and getting documentation about the animal.