Our new store, Waggles Raleigh, was vandalized before it was even open.
What’s our business? We’re not an adult store. We don’t sell tobacco or firearms. We simply sell puppies.
To most people, that’s a good thing. Who doesn’t love puppies? But we’ve been targeted by a local group of animal liberation extremists who are morally opposed to our store — as well as other area businesses. The state needs to draw a clear line of distinction between peaceful protest and illegal activity, while also empowering police officers to enforce the laws which would help ensure that the rights of local business owners and staff are protected.
Why are we being targeted? We’ve done nothing wrong. After all, we hadn’t even opened our store yet, and we were the target of vandalism. But simply by selling ethically and humanely bred pets we are being victimized. Despite our deep care for animals — we are on the ideological hit list of a vigilante fringe group.
What do they want? This group explicitly states on their Facebook page that they “… support animal liberation in its entirety.” What that means is they don’t think anyone should eat a hamburger, visit a zoo, or buy a pet. And they’re not afraid to get in your face about it — or worse.
It’s not just our business facing this group’s ire. They have protested Food Lion, area restaurants, and even a local cookie store.
This activism has harmful effects for our local community. This same group harassed a different pet shop owner into closing her Raleigh store earlier this year. Now, emboldened, they want our store to be their next conquest.
This would not just be bad for our business, but also for local pet owners, consumers and pets.
The protestors demand that if you want a dog, you should go to a local shelter. But some families have specific needs, such as for certain hypoallergenic breeds or certain sizes (often due to housing restrictions). Consumers need more choice than what’s at the local shelter.
And with a local girl and her mother being mauled by a dog at Wake County Animal Control in May, some residents may feel uncomfortable adopting an animal with an unknown history or temperament.
But that’s the rub: Animal liberation activists don’t think you should have the choice to buy from a store. Ironically, this is counterproductive. If there are no pet stores where people can get the dog they want — along with warranties and legal protections for their purchase — they’ll turn to the internet, where scams are rampant and protections for people and animals are limited.
Peaceful protest, of course, is the right of all Americans, even those who think pulled pork should be banned. But members of this group went onto private property and defaced the area outside our store. And according to WUNC, these activists try to “conceal their identities.” That’s a red flag!
Radical animal liberation activists have broken into farms and stolen animals, including in 2018 in Transylvania County. In other states, animal liberation fanatics have protested outside of people’s homes. In Virginia, they even sprayed feces on the front lawn of the Smithfield CEO’s home.
That’s not the kind of activity we should want coming to Raleigh or North Carolina.
The solution is to make sure peaceful protest stays that way. While there are laws against trespassing, disorderly conduct, and vandalism, they apparently aren’t much of a deterrent — especially when the local police won’t enforce them.
At the Waggles Raleigh grand opening on Aug. 16, several unruly activists pushed their way into our store. They created disruptions, swearing loudly and intimidating staff in front of children and customers. Despite this violent behavior, the local police officers would not arrest any of them. If there are no consequences for this conduct, it will surely continue and possibly even escalate. As a taxpayer and advocate, I respectfully request that more be done to protect consumers, businesses, and pets.
The state legislature should step in by increasing the penalties for breaking the law to harass and vandalize businesses. The appropriate city and state entities should investigate why law enforcement refused to utilize the tools they do have to protect our staff and customers. We’ve seen law enforcement take reasonable actions in other states in response to protestors that go too far. In Florida and Iowa, for example, both states passed increased penalties for protestors who block highways and streets following protests that went too far.
It’s not just about our store. Businesses generally have a right to exist without facing criminal mischief — or worse. If someone wants to hold a sign on the street corner that says, “Pet ownership is slavery,” they can. But crossing the line to vandalism or other crimes should be met with the prescribed punishment as outlined by law. Something must be done, or else North Carolina may lose its No. 1 position on CNBC’s Top State for Business’ list.