Pet Leasing Pernicious?
Earlier this month the Courthouse News Service reported that an Oregon couple is suing the pet leasing company Hannah the Pet Society for leasing animals to avoid the state’s licensing laws. They filed the suit on December 4 in Multnomah County Court.
Specifically, the suit charges that Hannah’s engages in a “pernicious form of pet leasing.” This allows the company to avoid state and local regulations “governing veterinary practices and boarding facilities.”
If you’re not familiar with Hannah’s pet leasing model, here’s how it works:
1. Hannah uses its pet matching service to find a pet for you based on the information you give. Sandee and Walter Strunk, the people who filed the lawsuit, said Hannah charged them $340 for the service.
2. Once you select your pet, you sign a contract saying you will pay Hannah a monthly fee for the duration of the animal’s life. The suit said the fee is “generally more than $100,” but it could be more depending on the type, size, and breed of the pet. The contact specifically states the customer is leasing the pet, and that Hannah retains ownership of it.
3. In exchange for the fee, Hannah provides all veterinary care, delivers food and supplies to your door, and training/ongoing support. People who rent pets from Hannah must take it to the company’s veterinary offices for treatment.
In their lawsuit, the Strunk’s said they leased a husky puppy from Hannah for $125 per month. When the puppy became sick, they tried to schedule an appointment for the puppy.
The suit notes Hannah “failed to communicate with them” and “refused to accept the dog for an emergency illness.”
They were also “frustrated with Hannah’s inability to supply them with the promised food, training services and medical treatment.”
I Don’t Like Concept of Leasing Pets
I should say here that I don’t like the idea of renting pets. It reinforces the concept that pets are expendable. That’s a big reason why so many dogs end up in shelters.
You dog peed on your carpet or barks too much? Just return it to the shelter. Getting a new puppy? Make room for it by turning your older dog over to a shelter. Moving to a new city and can’t take your dog? Just leave it in your yard for someone else to deal with. Another reason I don’t like the rent-a-pet model is that it is focused on making as much money as possible. Hannah is the legal owner of the pets it leases. Its bottom line could influence decisions about a pet’s health instead of what’s in the best interest of the pet.
Finally, several people have accused Hannah of getting most of its puppies from backyard breeders. Hannah insists it gets most of its dogs from shelters, but I’ve only heard of one, the Columbia Humane Society in St. Helens, that sends them dogs.
Buying Dogs From Breeders
I asked a Hannah rep today where they got their dogs. She said “local non-profit welfare organizations and families.” The term “families” is a sanitized way to say backyard breeders.
She didn’t answer when I asked which non-profits provide the dogs. Instead, she gave me an 800 number to call.
When I asked a different rep where Hannah got its dogs, he didn’t mention “families” at all. He said “non profit welfare organizations.” When I asked which ones, he said “I don’t have access to the information as to where exactly we get each pet from.”
Hannah’s modus operandi appears to be getting people to sign a pet leasing contract and then charging them a bunch of fees. For instance, when the Strunks tried to cancel their contact, Hannah’s said they would have to pay a $740 fee or return their dog to the store.
Their lawsuit states that, “As defendant had hoped, plaintiffs were presented with an impossible choice – pay the cancellation fee, continue to pay monthly fees to defendant for deficient and often nonexistent services which they had been required to pay for elsewhere, or give up their family pet.”
In a 2012 article in the Willamette Weekly, Laura McNamary said that although she signed a contract with Hannah charging $69 a month to provide care for her 2 rescue dogs, but when she brought one of them to Hannah’s vet a few days later , she said the doctor told her “the dog’s health posed too big a risk” and said she would have to pay $300 or more for it.
“It really is just sell, sell, sell,” McNamara said. “The salespeople, they were like, ‘Yeah, we’ll give you anything you want. Yeah, it’s covered.’”
Hannah’s placement director at the time told Willamette Weekly that “Hannah salespeople have backgrounds in used cars and gym memberships.”
The most damning evidence against Hannah’s is the number of complaints against it. The Better Business Bureau has registered 28 complaints against the company since it opened in 2010, and the company has several complaints and only a 2 star rating out of 5 on Yelp.
The Strunk’s lawsuit is just the latest in dozens of complaints against Hannah. I think they show why leasing a dog isn’t a good idea for potential customers or the dogs.
A former Hannah veterinarian told Willamette Weekly “that animals weren’t getting proper care in the company’s clinics.”
“They don’t give good medical care to the pets,” the veterinarian said. “The whole point is (to) make a profit.”
Don’t lease your pets. Profit and dog adoption don’t mix.
The complaint mentioned in this article was the first ever filed against the company since it opened, and the case – a billing issue – was settled very quickly. The factual allegations in the complaint were materially inaccurate.
As this article notes, the United States has a problem with people giving up pets, and Hannah the Pet Society exists specifically to combat this problem. The company does this by supplying all of the necessary medical care for a pet – so the family never has to consider whether they can afford to pay for proper treatment. The company also provides behavioral classes so people can improve their bonds with their pets while making sure the pets have the necessary disciplinary training – as you likely know, behavioral problems are a primary reason people decide to give up dogs.
You can always contact the company if you’d like accurate information. Hannah’s compassionate and talented veterinarians and technicians ensure all Hannah pets receive the highest-quality care, and the company is committed to the health and well-being of all pets.
It may be the first complaint ever filed but you can find dozens of stories online (Better Business Bureau, Yelp) from people that had similar experiences. Since the reps I contacted today couldn’t tell me which shelters supplies Hannah with dogs, maybe you can?
You are not combatting the pet over population problem. You are making a profit by LEASING animals to families. Most rescues would provide support to families for the initial adoption fee. There is no need to make a monthly payment on a family pet. It is NOT a car. If you care about animals and the over population problem, you would not retain ‘ownership’ of the pets. This entire thing stinks. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
And using dogs from “family breeders” makes pet overpopulation worse. There are plenty of dogs in shelters available for adoption. The more people that get dogs from breeders, the more shelter dogs that go unadopted.
FYI Hannah DOES rescue pets from shelters!!
I only know of one. Can you tell me which shelters they get their dogs? No one seems to know.
Show us proof because ive seen none thus far and they have been in operation for some time. Why hide it if they are rescue puppies?
I believe that the Hannah Society has had some rescue dogs, but I don’t believe they have very many and their definition of “rescue” is probably rather flexible. If they did, they’d be advertising that point and naming their partners–as it is, they have zero information for the public on where they get their dogs. When I went in and asked the vet tech, she informed me that they got their dogs from breeders because “there weren’t enough strays/rescues” to meet demand.”
Hannah plays bait and switch with their pricing, bases pet health and welfare on improving their bottom line, skirts liability issues by leasing the pets, and is administratively sloppy as all get out.
Buy pet insurance and avoid these jokers. You and your pet will thank you.
First of all I highly doubt this law suit was a billing issue like you mentioned. It was a Vet Care issue and the lack of No response from Hannah when the pet fell ill. Theirs deception in these contracts. My friend dog won’t eat the food that you send to her home and she has asked for another type of food and you have refused to do so, what kind of animal care is that? I personal switch my dogs food when she tells me she is sick of eating her current one. Hannah also has Vet Techs look at your animals vs a Doctor, which also raises RED FLAGS!!!
I used to work for these guys, and it’s crazy how true all of this is. Leasing pets is not right and you don’t know what’s going on when you aren’t paying attention to the financial. Watching animals come & go in that place is toxic. Me and other workers have had the same thoughts. Many of them fired or found a better job. Whatever the case was we have found better places now and the result is I hope this place realizes that it’s completely unfair to these animals and the people working for them.
Nothing but money and drama. No professionalism behind closed doors, and lazy new comers that don’t fully do their job. It needs to be shut down or demolished in some way with how unfair this place is.
Kara Hansen, i am pretty sure that you work for Hannah, because i don’t think that anyone else actually believes that Hannah is a company with morals.
I don’t know if this is one of their posts or not but their PR firm had people post comments when I first posted this.
Animals are not furniture you rent they have feelings too. This just goes to show that its all about the money.
This company tried to make me pay an extra 800$ for my dog to stop the insurance. Which is a bunch of bull. I took my dog there cause she was in pain and I thought they would help. They said they would do all this testing and they apparently did but gave me very little feed back I’m sorry but I know how vets work and they give you info and they show you the xrays. But they wouldn’t show me and I demanded to talk to the vet. She had no idea about anything so I left. I got s second opinion from a vet I knew and trust and my dog had badly bruised ribs. And now lets go to the food they give you its horrible for your dogs and they couldn’t even tell me what was in the food. And my dog had to be on a different kind and they kept se.ding me the wrong food so.my dog was going hungry cause they couldn’t do anything right. So again I had to go find something else that they are suppose to be providing me on my own. After I paid 110$ for a year then paid 80$ for another few years for a dog who was supposed to be a medium- large size dog and weigh over 30lbs. Sorry wrong she is a little chunky but healthy and she maybe ways 20lbs and that’s over weight for her breed. I’m not sorry to say that this company shouldn’t be around leasing your pet is not OK under any means. To us animal people they are apart of our family they are like our child.
Simply put, there needs to be far more transparency coming from Hannah. Period. If Hannah wants to gain the trust of the public and really reach its objective of finding pets good homes and providing a high quality of care and support than Hannah needs to revisit its contract(s) to ensure it is candid. In addition, Hannah should be transparent on where the pets are coming from. When we are provided wishy washy information it leads immediately to suspicion then concern. While I will never be able to fully support the idea that you lease a family member, I try to have objective thinking and try to see the positive and value in things. So, on that note, Hannah may have value if they are more honest.
Ha, stop and think for a moment … wonder if you take this model and replace pets for children… maybe if you do that you will think differently. Would you want someone else to own your child? Would you want someone else to make all the health decisions and provide what they think your child needs as opposed to you?
If you need proof of their brokers purchasing dogs, I was contacted by one of their brokers that offered $1000 for a 9 litter puppy of English Bulldogs. She also tried to buy 3 more for CA for a total of $600. I was offended and appaulled that someone is out there just trying to pick up dogs to resell them for 10 times the purchase price.
I have a little dog I got from Hannah as a pup, within a month he was pretty sick. He would not eat the food, I have had on going issues with him. He has had 2 knee surgeries, he has severe allergies. Hannah has changed his food 9 times in 2 1/2 years. He get a allergy every week, anti-fungal, and steroids as he needs them. He itches all the time. Finally, they put him on New Balance, LID Fish and sweet potato. That is when they changed his food and did not notify me and I march in there and ask them what was up again with the food. 4 weeks ago they called me the night before the food was to be delivered to tell me they were changing the food again. I stated I did not want to have it changed. I met with Tygh Campbell (founder’s son). I was basically told I had to at least try the food, Purina HA Soy diet. I have it to him all most 3 weeks, and most of the food was the HA mixed with a little of the New Balance. He starting not being able to keep the food down, his skin flared up again. So I made an appointment to be seen, and they told me I had to see Dr. Ron. I showed him my dogs paw’s that were black, around his eyes were black, runny eyes. He told me I had to keep giving it him, I told him that I was not going to that, and I was going to ease him back on the New Balance. I voice pretty loud my frustration that they were not doing something more to treat this little dog, all I have been given promise after promise, nothing but empty words. He said “no one wants to deal with me because I am difficult.” Well if advocating to get proper care for my little dog, then you can call it difficult. I got pretty angry, and said I am done. I began to walk out, and remember my dog needed his nails trim. He said we are going to trim his nails, we are done. I walked back in and shut the door, and said so you are refusing to treat my dog, I have made for these services. It was at that point he said he would authorize allergy test, and would call me Monday or Tues. Wednesday I called TYgh, and ask for the remaining 3 pounds of the New Balance food, he said no problem you can get it tomorrow. When I went to get the food it was 10 pounds of the food that made the dog sick. I told her this is not what Tygh said I could pick up. After waiting about a half hour Tammy the Food Manager came out with the original bag of food. She stated she talked to Tygh and he told her to call Dr. Ron. Dr. Ron told her to tell me that the food I was to get was the Soy food. I walked out stating I was not feeding him that food, and I would by his food, and would be in touch with a lawyer that could help me solve this issue. Friday I left a message on the complaint hotlilne, and that evening Heather phoned me to say that she had talked to Tygh and Dr. Ron and they had decided to release me from the contract. I had just paid for service for the month, they sent medical records which are in-complete and full of in-accuracies. The sent me the transfer of ownership which requires my signature, which I am not signing. I paid for service, so I am still entitled to services through the 23rd of February. They well know that this dog is going to cost them more, that what my $71.00 a month will cover, so why would they not want me to have that responsibility. Makes a lot of sense to me. Certainly, money is what they are most concern about, and certainly do not give our pets there best care. The best vet they had, apparently is on leave in Florida, and the reality is that he is not coming back. Yet another lie leading members to believe that he will return. I am now at a lost of what to do, but I do know my dog will get the best of care now.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Unfortunately many others had similar ones. This is the reason that profiting from renting pets is a bad business model.
Pet insurance is a model that already covers medical care. As for the rest of this, I rejected Hannah because the salesperson was not upfront about the contract. They made it sound like I could simply sign my dog up and have everything covered. Simply not true and misleading.
It is my understanding that in order to sign your dog up that you have to relinquish your ownership of the pet to Hannah? That right there told me that this is not a place that I wanted anything to do with it.
Yes, that’s right. I don’t understand why anyone would do it.
Dogs are not things that can be leased… This is sick
I have been a Hannah member since the beginning of Hannah Society. I am so over all the comments about Hannah Society being a money maker. Show me the numbers people!!! I have 2 small dogs enrolled in Hannah’s TLC program for one low monthly payment, which covers all their needs and care, that would cost a lot more at any other vet care clinic (my 13 yo pup needs lots of care). I have had nothing but positive experience, met new pet parents and made many friends by being a part of Hannah society. The Hannah Society has made a big positive impact in our lives. The peace of mind I get with Hannah’s TLC program is priceless. My pets have better health care than most people I know.
I’m glad you had a positive experience with Hannah. I know others have as well. But the number and consistency of complaints against the company reveal that many others have not. And Hannah’s isn’t leasing cars, it’s leasing dogs, and they can’t be treated like a commodity. Regarding the money, Hannah is a private company, so the amount of money they make isn’t available. But since it is a private company, its first priority is making money. The priority for nonprofit rescues is the dogs.
This just shows how much you don’t know. If you can’t see the numbers, then you don’t know….I however have seen the numbers. Call it what you will, leasing, renting, whatever. Hannah Society’s first priority is to make sure pets have the care that’s needed at an affordable price. I don’t just sign up because things sound like a good deal. I do my homework, I investigate, I ask questions and go from there…I have no regrets with Hannah Society. I would sign over my first born to have the same care my pets have. All you people with your opinions over hearsay…do yourself a favor and get educated. Hannah Society is a start up company…like any other start up companies, they don’t start up perfect and they work out the ‘glitches’ as they go, and Hannah does this with the pets best interest. If you are not a member nor have you not had any personal experience with the Hannah Society, you have not right to bash or hate. That is all. Have a Merry Christmas and love your pets!
That’s great – how did you get to see them? Hannah is a private company so it’s numbers aren’t available to the public. Do you work for Hannah? Can you tell us how much it makes? And Hannah may be a start up company but it started up 4 years ago, so the “glitches” should have been worked out by now. As I said before, I don’t have to be a member of Hannah to criticize it – there are plenty of complaints from former members who had a bad experience with it.
if you have seen the numbers then show us to confirm it
How much were you paid to say that garbage? Hope you don’t have any children since you’d sing them over for some sub par vet services. As a vet student and former Hannah parent I can say this place needs to be stopped. I paid the outrageous fee with help from friends and other volunteers at Oregon Humane Society so my dog would be getting less care to lien their pockets. She is now on far better food and her health is back to normal after her new vet found the cause of her stomach ulcers. You say love your pets, if you meant it you would be encouraging exploration that is only in the interest of Hannah and their profit margins.
I dont understand. If course is about money. People need money to live. What is wrong with that?
Nothing. The problem I have is they are making money by misleading consumers and supporting backyard breeders.
You’re not just a member, you’re an employee Julie. I’ve seen your comments all over the internet. Where do these dogs really come from? Why can’t a prospective customer see the contract until they sign it? If you spent as much time providing the service you say you do as you spend on trying to dismiss every article written about the company, you might not need to be in defense mode all of the time. You’re posts all look alike!
Stop posting your PR bull**** Julie – you should be ashamed – charging for dogs that you purchase from backyard breeders instead of rescuing them – this company should be shut down.
Hannah Pet Society ripped me off for almost 2k just to gain ownership of my dog.I never liked the idea of not getting the final say in my dogs training and vet care.I have let everyone I know to stay away!!!!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Hopefully it will prevent others from losing their money.
Hanna’s goal is to keep pets in forever homes…they are not out to ‘gain custody’ of pets…they are out to keep them from being bounced around from place to place. They encourage training for the pets own safety, they do not require training. You do have a say in everything that concerns your pet. Two sides to every story, try getting BOTH sides before judging….especially if you are not a member and have had no personal experience.
I don’t have to be a member to criticize them. There are dozens of stories on the internet from people that had bad experiences. The number stories and consistency of their accounts are hard to ignore.
SDogSpot – I am very well acquainted with Hannah’s, for a very long time. Your instincts about this organization are entirely on track, well-founded. Bad people, about the buck. Shelter orgs know what’s up and have pulled out of working with them, fast. Please continue to shine the light on their activities.
“Keep them in forever homes” you say? Then why do they keep possession of the dog with the contract? Sounds like BS and like you work for them, just on here to try and make then look better. How much are they paying you?
I signed my dog up and have saved thousands! Then I worked for them. The vets and the care is excellent! The training was very impressive as well. The person who runs the placement/sales division is only worried about power and money-her name is Lori. They paid so little at the time, any of us who had real experience left. That has been changing and you will see more training and experience, but I can personally attest to those people not having access to individual animal information other than personality test and treatment history. They are not lying to you.
I never saw anything or animals with bad treatment. It really is all about the pet and preventative care. I left the sales team, but happily keep my dog enrolled. I can say the paper trail shows the animals are from shelters and when they say families, they mean people like several of my friends…they lost their living situations and the only places to live wouldn’t allow pets. At least they know they are getting the best care possible and NEVER will face being killed at a shelter. I personally fight puppy mills and breeding as much as possible and think it should be outlawed nationwide.
The price of getting a pet from Hannah is the price for the pet-they actually pay that to the shelter. Yes they have to make money to pay for the pets who need long term, emergency, and expensive treatment. The ONLY time an emergency treatment wasn’t paid for was when they took it upon themselves to take the pet to the emergency room when it wasn’t necessary…just like managed care for people to control costs. It’s managed care for your pets based upon prevention. Huh, novel idea!
Regarding the leasing-they are able to offer all of this affordable care because by “owning” the pet, it’s a loophole with the insurance companies, NOT to avoid state and veterinarian regulations. Please don’t print stories about things you haven’t really researched and understand. It undermines our ability to believe you in the future.
If you are concerned about your pets health get one from a RESPONSIBLE breeder who uses rigorous genetic testing to ensure the health of his/her stock. My collie for example, is normal-eyed, CEA clear and Mdrn1 unaffected because his breeder is committed to never using dogs with those maladies in her breeding program. But the really “responsible” part is the fact that she is willing to take back any dog she sells for any reason for the duration of the dog’s life! Don’t equate people like her with puppy mills….
Can you explain the part about the insurance companies? I am not sure you are well informed or maybe just repeating the missinformation that has been fed to you.
Owning the pet means they are the ultimate decision makers. They are not providing insurance on the pet but renting the pet to a client. This avoids having to deal with state insurance commissions or insurance companies all together thus saving Hannah 10 to 15 cents on each dollar.
If they did sell this as an insurance product there would be no reason to give up ownership of your pet.
I Agree! Thank you for your supportive post. I have a baby boy (3 yrs) and we are very happy with Hannah Pet Society.
They treat baby boy like a family member-lots of Love and tender care..
Ok, i am a hannah member as well and personally i have had a good experience. However i can understand why people are upset, if you do not completely read the contract you think you ate getting stuck with extra fees if you try to cancel, but they explained very thoroughly to me that when you get a dog, you have to stay enrolled for at least a year, And that is to prevent people from returning the pets. As far as treatment goes, i have never had an issue with getting the treatment i felt my pets needed and i have had to take my dog to the emergency vet multiple times because she has epilepsy. If it is not a true emergency then they will tell you and schedule a regular appointment for you. I think most of the problems arise from people not fully understanding how it works and the fact that the company is still fairly new so not everything is perfect.
I’m glad you’ve had a good experience at Hannah. Some people have had no problems. But many have had problems as well and they can’t be ignored.
SDogSpot Author, it seems like you have predetermined (and uninformed) ideas of the company and all you’re doing is re-circulating inaccurate information.
For one, the company is licensed. Two, if you look at the “complaints” with Better Business Bureau, they’re all resolved. Just last month, one person who initially complained later added (see the BBB documentation): “Hannah took the time to resolve my issue and followed up with me very well. They did everything I needed to feel like I was part of the Hannah family, since this was resolved so well I actually signed up my other dog with Hannah and am a happy customer.”
It’s sad that people with preconceived and uninformed opinions continue to rely on old, inaccurate articles, etc.
I never said the company wasn’t licensed. Not all the complaints were resolved:
Consumer’s Final Response
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
“We called in soon after joining Hannah to change our phone number. The bank account information that was given remained the same but they said the payment didn’t go throughout. The only **** we have received was not from Hannah but from a collection company for $1900 dollars not for the 337 that they said was due. We have never received a phone call on my new number until a week ago. I’ve called back since then but Noone returns my calls” – See more at: http://www.bbb.org/oregon/business-reviews/pet-services/hannah-the-pet-society-in-portland-or-22692861/complaints#sthash.7giRO0Ih.dpuf”
I’m sure you can find more people who love Hannah or had their complaints resolved to their satisfaction. But I can find people who have problems with Hannah and didn’t have their claims resolved. The point of my post is that the large number and similarity of the complaints can’t be dismissed. They indicate a disturbing pattern. And regardless of whether or not they resolved complaints to the BBB, it still gives Hannah a low grade – B minus. This statement is also on the BBB website:
“On November 7, 2013, BBB recognized a pattern of complaints from consumers regarding sales practice issues. Consumers allege Hannah the Pet Society misrepresents the quality of its adoptable animals. Consumers also allege the company misrepresents its policies before consumers sign a contract with them. Consumers claim they are told the animals can be returned to Hannah the pet Society if they are not a good fit for the family, but the company does not adhere to this promise.”
– See more at: http://www.bbb.org/oregon/business-reviews/pet-services/hannah-the-pet-society-in-portland-or-22692861/complaints#sthash.7giRO0Ih.dpuf
I just checked the BBB site and Hannah Pet Society’s rating is D+.
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/genetic
Thanks for sharing these sites. They’re so…….logical.
As of today the BBB rating was D plus.
What is the license for?
When hallmark of a company that knows it’s doing something creepy is an army of astroturf commenters ready to jump in to defend whenever a critical article pops up online. In fact, all of these “people’ are probably one person sitting in a cubicle somewhere, based on the similarity of tone and writing style across all of the positive comments.
Hannah has a lot of employes that care for your pets well being. If you have never experienced Hannah then you shouldn’t comment. Just saying. Yes a company has to make profit some how and as long as member are happy is all that matters. Other companies have a lot of complains all the time.
Journalists can’t report on something they haven’t experienced first hand? Do you treat the newspaper with the same dismissiveness? If you don’t have experience as a journalist, you shouldn’t comment. Just saying.
Thanks for pointing that out.
i had a horrible experience with this company! My pet was ill with cancer. They kept telling me that the pills would work. So I kept treating her. A few months later she died. Then they wanted me to rent a pet pet again! NEVER!
would pills help you cure cancer? Just saying. Common sense.
Um, yeah, some pills can cure cancer. Case in point: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/guidetocancerdrugs/imatinib (Gleevec, a tablet taken by mouth and used primarily to treat certain types of leukemia). There are many more examples, but I’ll limit myself to one.
Knowing nothing first-hand about Hannah, I’m generally skeptical of the concept of a for-profit organization getting to decide on the treatment of a sick pet. What’s to keep Hannah from withholding or skimping on care when the vet bills become more expensive than the pet’s rental payments?
To answer your question: nothing. Thanks for your comment!
I went into a Hannah Pet Society once at the Clackamas mall in Portland about a year ago. I saw they had some adorable kittens so my girlfriend and I went to get some kitty pets in. I picked up the smallest one and noticed its eyes were completely crusted over and it was limp. This kitten had been sick for awhile and needed help NOW. My girlfriend noticed all the kittens looked like that so we doused ourselves in sanitizer and went to talk to the sales girl. When we told her the kittens were sick and needed help she rolled her eyes and asked “so do you want to take one home or not?” Of course out response was so if we don’t take a kitten home are you going to let them die in that room? She rolled her eyes again and said “our animals get the best care in the country, the kittens are fine”
I would not be surprised if those kittens died a few days later. This company needs to be brought up on animal cruelty charges ASAP. If that is how they treat their bait animals in the window why would they treat your beloved pet any different?
My god… the astroturfing on this article is unbelievable.
Astroturfers – your lies are completely transparent, nobody is buying your nonsense. Hannah is an awful company and you should feel awful for what you are doing.
I myself have worked with this company. When they first started they used a vet clinic here in Vancouver for their pets. Some of those pets came from homes but the vast majority came from back yard breeders. During that time I was a Veterinarian technician working at the clinic. I have never seen so many puppies in my life with parvo at one time. One after another died because of the lack of proper treatment. The care the allowed was minimal most of the time. We had to call as ask the Hannah group before we could give treatment to these animals. It did not matter if the pet needed a certain treatment or x rays it was based on what the person on the other end of the phone said was okay. Many times this led to less than optimal care for the pets. I had seen people in tears over whether or not they could keep up payments and keep their pets. I cried many times seeing these pets come in, often a whole litter at a time getting spayed or neutered and these pets were sickly. As far as the “matching” goes often it is determined by what they could find from these breeders. Very sad………
Amber-
I completely feel what you’re saying. I just got a Japanese Chin from Hannah on December 13th 2014 when he was 11 months old. My caregiver and I are keeping our little Johnny, who turned a year old in January, but we’re buying him out. The cancellation people helped some with the buying him out part but we honestly prefer to not pay at all. We can tell he may have been through trauma and fear of some sort since and probably before his intake into Hannah at 6 weeks of age. I wish we can do something about his past puppyhood and how we can help him recover/feel accepted/loved and not spend money there that can easily go to a vet we take him to that’s much better and cheaper and more loving.
I’d really like to keep in touch with you if it’s possible, someone who truly understands and cares about animals and the better quality of life they deserve.
adriannarichardson@gmail.com
Adrianna
Thanks for sharing your story and adopting your dog.
The fact they’re selling pups at 6 weeks of age speaks volumes. Pups should NEVER leave their dam before minimum 9 weeks of age. And no reputable breeder would EVER sell their puppies through a company like this.
Ambers post is the one to focus on. Thank you Amber for sharing.
There is a massive conflict of interest money vs care. They have a limited revenue stream and care that exceeds this puts them in the red. As a owner you would often make a decision and then beg borrow or steal to save your pet. With a corporation it is just numbers…
the really sinister thing is Hannah represent themselves as a shelter. They are a for profit organization who purchases most of their puppies from backyard breeders. While the initial intent I’m sure was to provide care and a good home for dogs it is become a money-making organization, that takes away from dogs that really need homes in nonprofit shelters and rescue organizations. Ifirst became aware of them when I was working with a breed specific non-profit rescue. they were nasty and aggressive. Very obvious to us at that time which was almost 10 years ago… That they were interested in selling,you will notice that they have no special need dogs.
I would also question the qualification and expertise of their “behavioral support” because as far as I know no reputable trainer is working with them.
a glorified pet store is all they are
I signed my cat up with Hannah, but I refuse to sign up my dog.
I used to just visit to pet the dogs, and they continually insisted I adopt one. There are different salespeople in the little mall stores every time I go in, so they rarely recognized me. One time, my husband and I went on to meet a Boston terrier. To see if the dog is good with cats, the salesman just dropped a cat into the room – without knowing what would happen. He sat down and was not even ready to grab the cat should the dog decide to go after it. The cat was terrified. Besides that, the Boston was likely from a backyard breeder. And if we decided to get the dog and it didn’t work out, we would have to pay hannah a fee of $600 to return the dog. That’s just to return the dog. They have a “honeymoon” period of 5 months, but if you decide the animal isnt for you, you have to pay the monthly fee — for all 5 months. If you return the dog in a week, you’re responsible for the monthly fee for 5 months. That added up to being something like $400. So $1000 to return a dog? I don’t think so.
The thing is, I don’t think people ask the same questions I do when I go In. I need all the facts and answers before I commit to something as big as a dog. So I asked all the questions I could think of about returning the dog, should she choose to decide our cat was a chew toy.
A cat story: cat attempted to jump into a windowsill and fell. She was limping. I tried to call the hannah vet center, but you can’t call them directly. NO, YOU CANNOT CALL THEM DIRECTLY. You call a call center and they relay your message to the clinic. So I make an appointment, get there, and they say, “so your cat fell out of a second story window?” And I’m like, what, no, she jumped into a windowsill, but didn’t make it. No one communicated what actually happened to the vet herself, so she came in thinking the same thing. Oy. After much explaining, the vet took the cat for x-rays, found nothing, and gave us some medicine. She told us nothing about it or what it was and nothing about side effects other than drowsiness. We gave it to the cat and she fell asleep immediately. After a day of giving this to the cat, I decided to look it up. It was a drug 30 times more powerful than morphine and addictive. So we stopped giving it to the cat and she got better on her own.
I’m waiting until May when our yearlong contract is up with hannah to cancel. It’s not worth the worry that if something really bad happened, we wouldn’t have any help.
(For the record, we adopted a dog from the oregon humane society, and signed him up with Banfield pet hospital. I know some people have issues with Banfield, but they have provided the best care of any vet I’ve seen, and were INCREDIBLY kind last year when our last dog died from a rare disease. Plus they are an affordable option without signing over your pet)
Dont you know, Banfield was started by the guy who started Hannah, he sold Banfield to start Hannah. This guy is a pretty great designer of businesses. There were some articles about him a while back, he was a mediocre vet assistant and thought we could streamline vet care, do things in bulk kinda deal and save money and started Banfield with a bunch of success. To me it sounds like the found out it was not enough to have pet contracts for vet care but if he Owned all of the pets then he would have a monopoly on the pets life and made the animal loaning business Hannah. I would be very weary of Banfield, it is designed with the same intent, money first.
Yes, seems like they want to control everything in the process, including ownership of the dogs.
Actually Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in 1955 by Warren J. Wegert then in 1987 Scott Campbell purchased Banfield who then started expanded Banfield and placed locations in PetSmart’s and are across America and now even overseas. It is pathetic what Campbell has done to Banfield, it is so far from what it started out as, I think that Campbell might still be the chairman of Banfield but not totally sure about that.
I fostered 53 puppies/kittens for the Oregon Humane Society as a foster parent and I have adopted 2 dogs one from OHS and one from Southern Oregon Humane Society. I too used Banfeild’s programs and found a doctor I liked, respected and trusted. He always told me honestly what test was best even if it was the cheaper one. He would tell the reasons to do a more expensive test but again if he felt it wasn’t necessary, he said so and then let me choose.I’m glad it all worked out for you and you always have a right to know what your pet is on. I have considered Hannah, met their people and I can’t find one thing I would want from them. There is a reason shelters like Oregon Humane Society won’t work with them. I still get updates from most of my foster babies.
I only know of one shelter that provides them rescue dogs, and its in southwest WA.
I’d be very interested in that information.
Haven’t you heard of , don’t believe everything you hear in the news” I have no faith in journalist especially if they just want a story. Which is all they want. There are plenty of journalist that expiriance things first hands before writing an article. Now a days they just sit on their lazy butts and type up whatever they find on the internet. Anyways there really is no way to tell anyways. Real news fake news. Good company bad company. All is just for profit this is just howour world runs sadly. You just have to do your own research and trust yourself to make a good decistion.
BBB will help you determine if a company is good or bad. This company has a D plus rating.
BBB often has a business with a high number of complaints rated A. They seem to go pretty easy with their rating system; if Hannah is rated D, they’re most likely a total FAIL.
The BBB doesn’t lie!!! Beware!!!
BBB has no teeth ,if you believe they do then you are asleep at the wheel. BBB. Is funded by companies who pay to be a part of their harem. They call my business and ask if I want to sign up on a yearly basis. The last time I told the solicitor that was a rep for them that they have no power and why would I pay to join some group that really does not protect consumers or businesses. He said he understood and was looking for another job because he realized it was a sham. Kinda funny, we had a little laugh together. Good luck with your BBB .
Whether or not the BBB has “teeth” or not is irrelevant in this case. I just pointed out that 28 people went to the BBB website to file a complaint about Hannah the Pet Society.
I’m a bit bewildered by the knowledge that there are people out there so willing to buy into a scheme such as the one outlined here. Leasing an animal? Outrageous monthly payments? Vets who apparently are unable to base their treatment plan on the animals needs, but upon the whims of workers/owner of the leasing company? A vet operation who must receive permission to give medication for animals suffering from Parvo?
This company admits that the majority of the animals come by way of “rescue organizations”; however, they seem reluctant to name those organizations. Why aren’t intelligent people simply dealing with local pounds and/or rescue organizations directly for their companion animals–that they can actually pay for and keep without the “benefit” of a monthly fee and compromised vet care for that animal? Medical/surgical insurance for pets is widely available for a fee much less that what these people are apparently willing to pay on a monthly basis to a questionable operation.
Animals are not property. The concept of leasing an individual to another is appalling; it’s called slavery. If these dogs were humans people would be opposed to it on moral grounds, but because they are non-humans it is somehow ok!? Again, animals are not property!
You should be embarrassed. To call this journalism is completely ridiculous. As a journalist you are expected to report objective information that has been researched. Instead, you wrote a libelous article defaming an organization who is helping pets find homes with people who actually have the time and finances to do so. Here are some examples of your poor research.
1. The service/adoption fee is $95-$245 depending on the type of pet you are adopting. This price range is comparable to any shelter in the area.
2. The contract terms for adoption is only two years… say it with me… TWO YEARS. After that, you are more than welcome to cancel.
3. You pay the monthly fee for services provided, not for the pet. It is essentially adopting a pet with insurance. Hannah wants to provide the pets with the best start in life providing all of the vaccinations, training, and their spay or neuter, as well as covering any emergency.
4. I am a Hannah member with two pets on the program, one in which I adopted from Hannah. Because I am a member I am aware, first hand, of their contract terms. In the contract it states that Hannah will never take the pet from you. They will re-home a pet if you ask them to to prevent having them go to shelters.
I have had nothing but positive experiences with this organization. You’re not renting a pet, you’re ensuring a long and healthy life for your pet in the most cost-efficient way possible. Before you subjectively express your feelings, you should do your research.
I’m not embarrassed. I’m not a journalist, I’m a blogger, so when I write about something I usually include my point of view. I’ve made no secret out of the fact that I don’t like the idea of leasing dogs, regardless of the adoption fee, monthly fees, or contract terms. When a for profit company leases dogs for a profit, then making money tends to be the priority, not the best interest of the dogs. That’s why so many rescues have refused to give their dogs to Hannah. And while I won’t deny that some people had a great experience leasing a pet through Hannah, the number and consistency of the complaints about their practices show that this business model as practiced by Hannah has some problems.
With these kinds of fees, a person could buy a carefully bred puppy or kitten from a professional hobby breeder who knows their breed and does all the health and genetic testing required.
Denying immediate access to veterinary care in an emergency should be illegal. If seconds count, no decisions should be made by a person at a remote phone cubicle.
Wake up! If this business is leading pets, where do the puppies come from? No legitimate breeder is going to place carefully raised babies in such a situation. And what happens to the old dog that people return that no one wants to lease again? Is it euthanized? The company has not been around long enough for this scenario to unfold. Eek! This concept is so scary.
I LOVE my animals (dogs, cows, horses, sheep, goats, chooks, guinea fowl and pigs) and give them the best care I can (just ask my husband and check our feed & vet bills 🙂 ) BUT animals ARE property. we own them. Some of us are better owners then others, but we are all pet owners. How we treat our animals demonstrates how good we are, but regardless everyone who has an animal owns his or her property. I do not know the particulars of all this so I can’t pass judgement. However, not all rescues are NFP organizations. I did dog rescue for 20 years on my own. As a breeder, I felt that I owed it to the dogs of my breed who might need a decent home. I had people come look at puppies and fall in love with a suitable rescue, so it worked beautifully. Normally we tried to break even on the rescues, but some you just can’t, so you just have to try and do the best you can. But no one has unlimited resources so we all have to try and recoup our costs as well as we can so that we can do the best job we can. Maybe Hannah’s idea is good and maybe not. But those of us not involved should not pass judgement as we can’t know all of the facts. Personally, I have know rescues that do it for money and ones that do it for love. Some rescues are so full of themselves they are “pet gestapos”. There are all sorts out there…good and bad…and in between.
First off, everyone is entitled to their point of view and personally I am not sure how comfortable I am with potentially signing over my pet (although I am considering it). Since this is something I have considered in the past and am considering again, I have done quite a bit of research on this subject. I also know a bit more about animal health topics than your average bear. I am lucky enough to be able to afford the cost of veterinary care for my pet no matter what happens. So if I have to eat a veterinary bill for over $1K (which happens every 6 seconds) tomorrow, I’ll be able to absorb it. So my consideration of joining Hannah is more about the veterinary care. Something I continue to go back and forth on when paired with the idea of signing over my pet (even if I can buy him back).
My main concern with this post is that both sides of the argument are not covered… At all. Don’t readers deserve to have a comprehensive view of the issue? Shouldn’t it actually be: these are the negative things people have to say, these are the positive things people have to say and this is where I fall on the issue… Where do you fall?
This really seems driven by promoting an agenda rather than providing information. Here is why I say that:
1. You keep mentioning the negative experiences – how many there are and how consistent they are. Why aren’t you bringing up the positive experiences people have with Hannah the Pet Society? My guess is, there are more positive experiences than negative ones. Why aren’t we getting that side of the story in the post? You say the negative ones can’t be ignored, so why ignore the positive ones? Isn’t that hypocritical?
2. I’m a little confused on how much research you actually did on this subject. Your reply from 12.23 (the same day you made this post) said, “the reps I contacted today couldn’t tell me which shelters supplies…” How much research did you actually do on Hannah and humane organizations like Oregon Humane, etc.? Any idea what the annual budget is for Oregon Humane? If not, you should check it out because it is in the 10’s of millions of dollars. Not exactly small business we’re talking about.
3. You mention that Hannah retaining ownership of the pet contributes to the overpopulation problem of pets in one of your replies. But do you realize that there isn’t actually an overpopulation issue? The fact is, we as a nation are trending to a shortage of shelter dogs for people wanting to adopt. Specifically, New England and parts of the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and Pacific Northwest already have shortages of shelter dogs. A fact that humane societies keep hidden from the public to continue to solicit donations for their annual budgets. Let’s be real here, people are much less likely to donate if there isn’t actually a cause to donate to and this is no exception.
4. I think we can all agree that puppy mills suck and backyard breeders are not ideal unless they follow Responsible Breeding guidelines as outlined by ASPCA. You said the sales person you spoke with couldn’t give you an exact answer on where their pets are sourced from, but did you try to speak with someone else who might have more authority or knowledge to give you those insights? Why don’t you bring into question where other shelters and humane organizations get their pets from? Do you honestly think none of them have pets from breeders or puppy mills? When shelters and humane organizations “rescue” (and I use this term very loosely) these pets, they still turn them around and adopt them out and charge large adoptions fees (sometimes in excess of $250+). How come they aren’t called into question for charging adoption fees for those pets?
5. You say in your article, “since Hannah is the legal owner of the pets it leases, it may make decisions about a pet’s health based on its bottom line instead of what’s in the best interest of the pet.” It is certainly a thought that bottom line comes into play but is that actually a negative? Are you aware that veterinarians on average, charge their clients 3x more than what the cost to the clinic is? Why aren’t you questioning veterinarians everywhere for providing unnecessary care in order to increase their bottom lines? It’s certainly possible. Likewise, isn’t it possible that Hannah is providing the recommended standard of care for their patients but not unnecessary care? Making decisions on what’s best for the pet rather than trying to increase their bottom line or worse, not offering up recommended care because their client cannot afford it (cost is a major barrier in veterinary medicine). Just looking at it from a business perspective, if I rely on repeat payments every month to stay afloat, wouldn’t it be in my best interest to provide the recommended standard of care so that patients are kept healthy and clients happy for as long as possible so they are turned into repeat customers? Additionally, have you ever been to one of the Hannah veterinary hospitals to see firsthand the level of care provided or the facilities themselves? Have you spoken to any of the veterinarians on staff?
All I’m saying is, even though this is a blog entry and typically bloggers don’t hold themselves to the same journalistic standards as real journalists, readers deserve to hear both sides of the argument in addition to your opinion. Not just what makes your point sound good. Give the reader all the facts so they can make an informed opinion regardless of what side they end up being on.
It’s great that you can afford to pay $1000 “eat” a veterinary bill, but most people can’t afford the hidden fees and extra billing that Hannah charges, and regardless of whether or not you can pay for these charges, Hannah should be more transparent about them instead of locking you into a contract before it starts piling them on your bill.
Hannah is a private company so unless it chooses to share information regarding the number of negative complaints it receives. If you look through some of the comments about my posts about Hannah or check out their reviews on various websites you’ll see the complaints have a common thread – hidden charges refusal to provide treatment are two of the most common ones. Some people have had positive experiences with Hannah, and when they send me their stories I post them – you can see one or two in the comments section of this post. But the number of positive experiences people send me are few and far between. But the number of complaints about the company appears to dwarf the number of positive comments.
Some of comments supporting Hannah are orchestrated from pr firms that Hannah hired to deal with the number of complaints about its practices. And if a company has to hire a pr firm to help its image and deal with public criticism, it indicates that the company has systemic problems with how it conducts its business and treats its customers.
You apparently have a beef with the Oregon Humane Society but whatever it does or doesn’t do has no bearing on what Hannah does.
You’re the first person I’ve ever heard say that there is a shortage of shelter dogs available for adoption. I’d like to see the documentation that backs up that theory. While the number of dogs killed in shelters has decreased significantly over the last couple of decades, 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year. Some areas of the country may have shortages of shelter dogs, but I’ve yet to hear that there is any shortage of shelter dogs. Oh, and please send the documentation showing that “humane societies” are keeping dogs hidden from the public. You apparently have access to information that no one has seen. You know that all the local humane societies are independent from the Humane Society for the US, right?
Most shelters have some dogs from irresponsible breeders or puppy mills because the people who bought them dump them there, but no responsible shelters take dogs directly from them. The ones that do are dog brokers, not dog rescuers. Hannah has consistently refused to disclose where they get their puppies, and virtually no local rescues provide them with dogs. If they truly get most of their dogs from shelters they should disclose it.
And a $250 adoption fee is not expensive. It doesn’t even cover the cost of vaccines, medical treatment, spay/neuter, and microchips that shelters provide with all the dogs they adopt. If you lease a dog from Hannah you’ll end up paying them thousands for a dog you don’t even own. You think that’s more reasonable than a $250 adoption fees? You bias against shelters/rescues is showing again.
People who want to hear Hannah’s side of the story can click on the links in my post or do a quick google search. My blog represents my opinions. It’s no different than an op-ed in a newspaper. If you don’t like my opinions, don’t read my blog.
Point 5 is horrible. Did you know most veterinary hospitals are not a massive profit center. That the average veterinarian spends more time worried about the clients budget then being able to practice best medicine and advocating for the pet? Your point is a poor excuse for not advocating for the animal and looking out for the corporation.
I got a dog from Hannah and added my existing healthy dog to their program. My dogs were always sick from the food to the point that we had to pay to have new carpet put in our apartment . We had to drive to Washington to take our dogs to an emergency vet because they had blood in their stool and we’re puking and had diarrhea all over. They insisted it was because our dogs had sensitive stomachs. Because we had to pay for new carpets we couldn’t afford to pay for the plan any more. Had they done a good job explaining the termination fees we would have never joined or put our other dog on their program. They felt no responsibility for our carpets that had to be replaced and still expect us to pay $1124 after we have made several payments. After leaving our dogs have not got sick on any brand of food we have tried not once. Now several months later I have found many other Hannah pet people with pets getting very sick just like ours were. We suggested switching off their food and their pets got better also. The cold hard facts is their food makes you pets very ill. The charge huge cancellation fees that they do a slight of hand sign here while they distract your attention away from the cancellation costs. They said that if I don’t pay I have to bring back a dog that was mine to begin with. Our little dog had signs of being in an abusive environment when we got him always super scared and flinching like he was going to get hit when we first got him. So I would like to sue Hannah in a class action law suit for damages inflicted. Anyone else with similar problems. I have a small list of people assembled. Please contact me my address is
John Callaghan
5455 Sw 164th court#1
Beaverton, Oregon 97007.
I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. Other people have had a similar experience with Hannah. Please let me know if you file a lawsuit.
What was the brand of the dog food that made your dog sick? Does Hannah have it’s own brand?
They claim to have their own brand but it is just repackaged food. Iams plain ol food if you drive by check out the garbage bins…full of empty iams bags.
I am a former Hannah client. I enrolled my own puppy in their TLC program in 2012 and terminated my contract in 2013 for the primary reason of negligent care that my canine pet received from their employed vets. I am also very interested in whether or not there is a class action suit being filed and/ or considered against Hannah, as I have evidence of negligent/ malpractice care.
I haven’t heard about a class action suit. Maybe other people who responded to the article will know.
Being a former worker from Hannah I know how expensive things are, how sick the puppies really are when they come to them. No deaths but the puppy mill pups can come from disgusting families who are really just breeders, its sickening and saddening to see what goes on. Many people are just there until they find a better job. Signing all the papers about not saying this and that to the media. Fuck that and people need to know why they are so terrible. Their façade is pathetic. Don’t get me wrong, every staff member isn’t corrupt, they really love the animals.
Tierre Price was the head of the facility on 103rd and Washington
The blonde in the picture above is Heather Draper, Tierre’s right hand. and manager of front desk of that facility would be Christina, there is only one.
Many of the higher up’s don’t have any cares, they are more worried about customers and money then their own staff. Being over worked like a slave with 2 days off a month, others with different privlidges.
Unfair all together
Being a former worker from Hannah I know how expensive things are, how sick the puppies really are when they come to them. No deaths but the puppy mill pups can come from disgusting families who are really just breeders, its sickening and saddening to see what goes on. Many people are just there until they find a better job. Signing all the papers about not saying this and that to the media. Fuck that and people need to know why they are so terrible. Their façade is pathetic. Don’t get me wrong, every staff member isn’t corrupt, they really love the animals.
Tierre Price was the head of the facility on 103rd and Washington
The blonde in the picture above is Heather Draper, Tierre’s right hand. and manager of front desk of that facility would be Christina, there is only one.
Many of the higher up’s don’t have any cares, they are more worried about customers and money then their own staff. Being over worked like a slave with 2 days off a month, others with different privileges.
Unfair all together
Sounds awful. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’ve had a positive experience with Hannah. I have a dog that was brought back to Hannah in the past. She is the most dog I’ve ever had/known. She had a serious medical crisis/afterhours emergency, and Hannah was amazing, providing great care that would have bankrupted me if I had to pay for it. Their behavioral classes are solid, and food service is reliable and easy. It was spelled out for me when I signed the contract, and it is a reasonable expense to buy a pet out of a contract since you don’t pay for costs you’d normally have to pay for up front.
It does sometimes take a bit to get an appointment, or a few calls. But this is what it is like at Kaiser Permanente…they provide great care, but people often criticize them.
When people attack Hannah like this and file frivolous suits, that is an expense for Hannah and a burden on their staff and resources, which could negatively impact other Hannah members and their pets as the business will have to adjust and make up this expense. It also discourages people from joining Hannah, which is good for members like myself and our pets.
I’m sure folks have had unfortunate experiences, but this unfairly discredits Hannah. It even sounds like they let these folks out of their contract without charging them in the end, which sounds reasonable enough of a resolution.
I have had my cat enrolled in the Hannah program for close to 4 years. I adopted my cat from the Oregon Humane Society about 10 years ago. He’s a pretty old guy at this point and that was the main reason I began looking at Hannah for pet care. I was living on a very fixed income and pet care can be insanely expensive. My cat had an abscessed tooth and the cat Veterinarian I took him to said it would cost over $3000.00 dollars to pay for and they did not accept payments. There was no way I could afford that. So I started looking at other Vets in the area and came upon Hannah. I did a lot of research on their program before signing up. It concerned me that they would “own” my pet that I already owned for the last 10 years. I talked to a couple different Hannah reps and carefully read through the contract they provide you with. I also had a friend look it over to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. They will not take your pet from you as long as you are providing that pet with a happy, loving and safe home. I know I provide all of that for my pet so I am not concerned with that. They also had me take my cat into the clinic to be evaluated by one of the Vets so that they could determine his level of health. He’s an old cat and since I had gotten him from a shelter to begin with I was more than ok with this. He had honestly required very little care, other than basic shots, over the 10 years that I had cared for him. But with him getting older I wanted to make sure we covered all the bases. They did all kinds of tests on him and determined that while he is an older cat, he was mostly healthy. I pay $44.00 a month for the care of my cat. That provides all the medical care he could possibly need and his food. They removed his abscessed tooth and it didn’t cost me anything more than what I am already paying. In the last year his health as started to decline, due to his age, I have had to take him into Hannah probably a dozen times over the last 12 months. I tend to be a worrier when it comes to him, and not once has Hannah made me feel like I was overreacting. In fact just the opposite! They have almost always been able to get me same day appointments! They have always thoroughly examined him and treated him with the utmost care and compassion. They have never nickle and dimed me on my bill. It’s always been only the $44.00 a month. If I had to take him to a regular Vet clinic this last year would have cost me an arm and a leg and I am not sure I could have managed to pay for his care. I love my kitty and I want him to be around for a very long time. I don’t know that I could have been able to still have him if it weren’t for the care of Hannah. When I expressed once that they must be getting tired of me bringing him in they responded with, “Not at all! This is why we are here. You pay us every month to give your pet the best care. If your worried about him, we are worried about him”. When he has needed medications, I have never been charged and having them refilled has been very easy. My cat loves the food and I love not having to worry about it! They deliver a big bag of it that generally lasts about 5-6 weeks. I personally love Hannah and all they do for my pets and the pets of my friends and family. No one I have spoken with has had a bad experience with Hannah. I’m sure there are many that have had not so wonderful experiences, all companies have customers that end up not thrilled with the service that is provided for many reasons. I hope that they have found the right place for the care of their pet, but for me I am sticking with the wonderful people at Hannah.
I’m glad you had a good experience with Hannah. However, the number of people who have had problems with them is big enough to indicate there is a significant problem within the organization.
I was a Hannah member and thought it to be a great program until they terminated my membership due to my monthly payment declining on a computerized glitch. They then sent me a bill “selling” me back my cat. I was so offended that I did not go back to Hannah right away. When my cat got very sick and learned that it would cost thousands of dollars for any procedures that might have to be done, I called Hannah to see if there was anything that I could do. The first person that I talked to was amazing and sympathetic to my situation. She showed that my account was still open and all I had to do was offer to pay the bill when I called the emergency line. I immediately called the emergency line and was told no, my account was not still open, no I could not pay my bill with them, and that I should have paid my bill if I wanted my pet seen. I was told that I could take my cat to emergency care and maybe they would pay and maybe they wouldn’t. I sadly did not have an extra couple thousand dollars to spare for surgery that the vet couldn’t guarantee would work and as a result had to put my fur baby down.
As a result, I would NEVER recommend the Hannah Society. When I first signed up it seemed too good to be true and when it came down to it, it was. I attempted to resolve the issue multiple times but when it came down to my cat needing services, they couldn’t help me and lectured me on something that wasn’t entirely my fault. When I got my kitten, I switched to a wellcare plan with Banfield and I have never been happier. They get me in whenever I need and all of the vets have been amazing.
I’m so sorry… I can’t begin to imagine that predicament. Your story just proves the point made here, it’s all about the dollars.
I got my dog through Hannah the Pet Society. There were NO hidden fees or terms. Everything was clearly outlined in the contract, including the monthly fees, cancellation fee, and care coverage – both my obligations and their obligations.
Here were my actual costs:
$135 match service (which helped us considerably in matching with a breed that fit our lifestyle). They provided a crate, bed, toys, leash, and a number of other puppy items to get started – all of which would have cost more than $135 if purchased from a store. During this initial service, we were able to select if we wanted our dog to come from a breeder or a shelter, if we wanted a puppy or an older dog, i.e. YOU have a choice. When we asked, we were told exactly which breeder our puppy came from.
$69/month – which covered (1) food delivered to my door; (2) behavior classes (unlimited); (3) ALL vet expenses, including preventative care, spay/neuter, micro-chip, medications, flea/tick treatment – EVERYTHING. We always saw an actual veterinarian (not just techs) when we brought our dog in for non-routine care. Dr. Tripp returned our call personally when we had questions about our puppy’s behavior (he’s the doctor in all their training videos). When I had concerns outside of business hours, I left a message with the on-call tech who always called me back within a few hours to address my concerns.
The best pet insurance I could find for my dog (rated “most comprehensive”) charges $39/month and only covers illness and injury after meeting a deductible (no preventative care, no flea/tick, no vaccinations).
If I never cancelled my membership – that is ALL I would have paid for my dog. $135 to start, plus $69 month. All of the costs reasonably corresponded to services and products I received or used.
Cancellation: $795 Fee – we moved out of state and could no longer use Hannah’s services. This fee was clearly listed in the contract (the document you read and sign before you get your dog).
The cancellation fee was no more than I would have paid for my dog had I purchased her outright from the breeder.
From my experience, I always received amazing care and service for every dollar I spent. And I knew, as does every other member who signs the contract, that if at any time I wanted to own my dog I had to pay for her by way of the cancellation fee.
I understand that Hannah is a service, and not everyone has a good experience. Their program was perfect for me. I liked knowing that for $69 a month I could take her to the vet for any reason and not have to worry about a large unexpected bill. I think the program is extremely transparent to anyone who bothers to read their contract and ask questions. I don’t think any part of the program demeans pet ownership or pet care. My dog always received amazing care and when I had to cancel the contract I paid for my dog as agreed.
That being said – in MY situation, Hannah didn’t fail to meet their obligations under the contract.
As someone who at one point “worked” for Hannah I need to chip in and mention that the way “employees” are treated is pretty atrocious. The basic philosophy of Hannah is “get as much unpaid volunteer hours out of these people as possible”. The reason worked and employees are in quotes is because although I logged many hours at Hannah, I was never paid a single cent.
Future employees are ushered in with lots of promises, but ultimately told that they must start as volunteers. Even though you’re being asked to Volunteer you have a strict schedule that you must adhere to. There are also training seminars in which are are EXPECTED to attend. I only lasted a few weeks. A few weeks of working 35-40 hours, being promised I’d meet the CEO for an interview, and ultimately becoming fed up with the company, and I was out. I wasn’t willing to give them any more of my valuable time. I got a job that paid me for ALL of the time that I worked.. including training.
I’m simply not a sales person. Someone more sleazy could probably do okay at this job, but it consists of cold calls, sales, and manipulation. Pet care didn’t seem to be a huge factor. The message I received as an employee was VERY conflicting. I was told to make sure the animal would be placed in a fitting home, yet that the possibility of even getting an interview would be completely based on my sales performance. Make the sale was the bottom line.
Thank you for sharing your experience working at Hannah. I haven’t heard that they do cold calls. Do you remember what you told people?
I happen to have a copy of Hannah Society-Shelter Partner Agreement between Hannah and a “certain organization” This agreement clearly outlines the Hannah the Pet Society program payment schedule. So they are basically finding people, rescues, etc to broker animals for them to resale
In the news today Hannah sued for putting 3 dogs to sleep when they shouldn’t have. Dog care and profit are a conflict of interest. I would stay clear of this company!
What a horrible idea this is. The only comment that made me think that this possibly could be for me is the woman who is on a fixed income and who pays 44 a month for vet care. I am on a fixed income and have four cats, all strays that just one day showed up. I am going to give up two cats due to not being able to afford their care. But renting or leasing an animal is appalling. I can’t believe how crazy the idea is. Am I missing something ? The bond between an animal and human is not like a leased piece of property.
I would love to see a class action lawsuit filed. And I would have flipped if I saw those kitties with eye infections like one person described.
Thank you blogger for bringing this subject out . And anyone who uses backyard breeders should be ashamed. With all the animals in shelters we don’t need more animals coming into the world for profit .
Thank you. It seems like more people feel the same way qs you once they learn about what Hannah’s really does.
We boarded a dog at our facility – great dog, sweet and friendly – and the Hannah food she came with was so horrible that she would not touch it. Some dogs don’t eat in a new place for a day or two, but when I gave her a high quality kibble she wolfed it down as though she hadn’t eaten in a week! The food smelled like nothing but grain; I called Hannah but they absolutely would not divulge the ingredients. The person on the phone told me she didn’t know but that they were all organic, which, of course, was not true. I tried the next day and got someone else who said she didn’t have access to that information, their standard reply to any question where the answer would put them in a negative light. The cheap, atrocious food alone should keep anyone from working with this company. It’s no wonder their dogs need vet care. Poor things.
I didn’t really have a good first experience with them. I purchased my pug puppy from Hannah Society. I brought him home and he would not come out of his crate to me. I tried giving him treats wouldn’t come to me, I even tried giving him a hot dog. So I pulled him out of the crate by hand and sat him on the floor in front of me. The poor little guy threw up all over the floor. So I called Hannah Society and explained what had happened and was told he just had his parvo shots he may not be feeling to well keep and eye on him.
I had to work the next morning so I took him over to my parents house that night. They took him back up to Hannah Society the next morning and he was admitted to the Animal Hospital. I tried to call to find out what was going on with my pet at the vet I gave his name the name I had given the pet that was on his ID tags.They had no idea who I was talking about. So I mentioned he is a Hannah Pet they would not release any information to me, I had to call Hannah and Hannah had to call the vet and give the ok for them to talk to me… This is my pet were talking about! So I called back they had my dog listed under the name Hannah gave him. I didn’t like that at all I told them his name is Riku and that is what you will call him! I went straight from work to the animal hospital to see him. I think they were a little surprised to see me. The doctor who was looking after Riku informed me he had Parvo and they are trying to get him re-hydrated.They let me visit with him for awhile. I went back the following day to visit and he came right up to me and started licking me he seemed to be getting better even the nurse thought so. I went back the very next day to visit and the nurse said Weren’t you notified your dog passed away this morning.
Why wasn’t I notified? Did they really have my dog’s best interest at heart? How do I know he wasn’t euthanize d?
Would I go back to Hannah? Not a chance its a rip off! They have nearly doubled the rate since. Your pet is a part of your family do you really want someone else making the decisions for your pet..
Thanks for sharing your story. I’m sorry you had to go through that.
I signed my dog up for Hannah when she started having seizures. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend at the vet find out what was happening. They took on Sadie without hesitation. One night before we figured it out she had 3 seizures in a 3 hour window. We took her to the emergency vet, she spent the night and the next day. The total cost $0. We got the seizures under control right away with medication. After a year they lowered the cost since they had added a $10 fee to figure it out. Plus, they lowered the price because she lost weight and she was in another price range. Food was delivered regularly. I could walk in any time and get help with what I needed. Getting an appointment was so easy. When Sadie started having other health issues they responded immediately. At the end, they were kind and compassionate. The vet who helped us through that awful time actually cried with us when we she passed.
I couldn’t have asked for a better experience using Hannah to help care for my dog!!!