Peaceful protesters gathered in front of The Exotic Animal House in Okotoks over the weekend. 

On Saturday, a group was asked to come together by Okotokians who have concerns about puppy mills.

Tracy Mahdi, a concerned citizen and member of Albertans Against Puppy Mills, says their goal is to get people to think before they buy.

"These places to get puppies are not necessarily pet stores. The reputable breeders actually refuse to sell to pet stores because they have invested interest in the true bloodline of their dog and where their dog is going to eventually end up in a forever home, so we are just here to answer peoples questions or just get people to do some research before they make impulse purchases from stores like this."

Mahdi says potential customers should look for red flags.

"Main concern factors are none of the animals are actually fixed before leaving the store...there is just the promise that you're going to spay or neuter your animal...they're not properly vaccinated and also the bloodlines and genetics that they inherit from parents that maybe haven't been raised in the best conditions can lead to on going health problems."

The group says the biggest reason for their protesting though is for the parents of the puppies who are bred over and over again simply for the owners profit.

Animal House owner, Ty Marshall, says the accusations against his store are unfounded, and they do not operate a puppy mill. 

"All of the breeders we get puppies from are all clean and healthy operations, they are all small family business, the majority of them may only have one or two breeds... I buy from breeders who are local to the area, they have all been visited by the SPCA and we don't buy from anyone who is not responsible. Every time a protest starts the SPCA is contacted and they visit the store and my farm, they have had no concerns."

The Alberta SPCA doesn't have any current or past charges under the Animal Protection Act against the owner of the Exotic Animal House.

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