Lexington pet store deals with online criticism after Facebook post

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — A Lexington pet store and animal control are responding to online criticism about the health of some of the store’s animals.

A Facebook post featuring a picture of skinny-looking boxer puppies sparked numerous complaints online and over the phone.

“We have not done anything wrong,” says Most Valuable Pets owner, Melissa Whitton.

The boxer puppies are being sold at MVP located in the Beaumont Centre.

“Boxers by breed are a naturally thin dog barrel-chested, very small waist. And the way they were turning you could see all their ribs,” says Whitton.

She agrees the picture looks bad but says the puppies are healthy.

Whitton says a vet checked the puppies Wednesday and determined for their age they were within a normal weight range, which should be between six to nine pounds.

“We ran blood tests, we ran fecals, we ran every test known to man and they came back with a totally clean bill of health,” says Whitton.

After getting several complaints, Lexington animal control officers came out to the store to do their own investigation.

“We found that they were in compliance with everything under the ordinances that we control,” says Officer Tim Mitchell.

He says the puppies looked healthy and records show they’re up to date on vet care.

“What I saw is you have puppies their muscle tone hasn’t developed and I’m sure the veterinarian would state all that,” says Mitchell.

The post has now caught the attention of some animal rights activists who say they are are planning a protest outside the store.

The activists say the protest is against the sale of puppies in pet stores. They claim most of the puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills and backyard breeders.

The pet store responded to this.

“We do not deal with any commercial breeders of any sort, we deal with local families, people we have actual relationships with. We go to their house, we see how their puppies are,” says Whitton.

She says while she doesn’t know the impact the post will have on business, she says it has hurt the feelings of those who work there because they love their pets.