Eireann Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 When you see pups for sale in front of pet stores, what can you do? Recently on a trip across country (the trip was to the Teton Range in Wyoming...amazing!) I stopped at a very average pet store to look at the magazine selection. As I walked to the front door I saw a few crates stacked on the sidewalk. To my dismay, inside the crates were two border (maybe aussie but that's neither here nor there) pups. I walked into the store clenching my jaw and began flipping through some magazines but could not get my mind off the pups. I walked out of the store on the way back to the bus trying to stay passive, but spun and started towards the store again with every notion of giving someone a piece of my mind. However, at the front desk was a girl around my age (I'm 15) and I didn't want to take it out on her because she obviously wasn't running the place. So with that, I began mumbling to my friends and headed out to the bus. My question for all of you is, what could I have done? Should I have asked for a manager and demanded to know from whom they got the pups in an attempt to make them feel guilty? Should I have tried to play nice and inform them on the terrors of puppy mills? I'm at a loss....I just felt so bad for the poor pups. Any suggestions would be helpfull, I'm very willing to help fight this if at all possible. But, that particular store is now out of reach because it was somewhere in Wyoming and I'm now back home in Michigan Also, my local pet store (same chain as the one at which the incident happened) always has cats for sale. Next time I go I will be sure to ask where they get their cats from...but do people back yard breed cats, too? One more thing, the local store sells Diomand dog food. Is that still a credible feed? All locations mentioned are 'Pet Supplies Plus' locations. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INU Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 It's a little different in my case but I see backyard breeders selling their pups on my main road every weekend. I was so sick of it and decided to go talk to the 'breeders'. Instead of being confrontational (then they would only get defensive) I decided to pretend like an interested buyer. I ask them questions like paper, hip/eye certificate, type of work the parents have done. Half of these people don't even know what they are doing is wrong. I am hoping that a few people asking these questions would make them think something like 'oh buyers want to know these things these days...' If more people questions these people, we might make a small difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 I don't buy ANYTHING from a store that sells dogs, cats, bunnies - and feel bad about buying from stores that sell hamsters, reptiles and fish! I try to discourage friends from buying at pet stores that sell animals and from buying animals on the roadside. I also report pet stores that have poor conditions to the local SPCA. If the pet stores find it more expensive than profitable, hopefully they will stop selling pets. JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eireann Posted July 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 So the rabbits, ferrits and the like also come from back yard breeders you think? Same with birds? I always assumed the cats at my local one came from the county shelter, but recently they've been going for free, and that thought hit me pretty hard. Does anyone think speaking to a manager would do any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 I've known of people who get rid of their unwanted litters of kittens, ferrits and bunnies by selling them to local pet stores. There are kitten mills/byb for pb such siamese, persians, etc. just like puppy mills. Don't know much about birds but I assume there are byb for them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Our local pet shops have cats. But they are from shelters and are for adoption, not sale. Some of our area vets do the same. They have dogs only once in a while at special adopt-a-thons. But I suspect that's because dogs take more room and attention. Â However, it would look like selling if you didn't go over and read all the information. Â So, if you see pets in a pet store, it might be politic to ask about them before embarassing yourself. If they aren't from shelters, then go ahead and embarass yourself for a good cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Our situation here is the same as Nancy's. Our local PetSmart adopts out cats from our Humane Society, but if you didn't read the little tags on the front of the cage you would probably think they were being sold. Â Local rescues very often (like every weekend) have rescues at the stores for adoption (not on-the-spot adoptions, but more to make a presence and begin the adoption process), in fact our Border Collie Rescue is there once a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eireann Posted July 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I realize pets are often for adoption in pet stores, and assumed this was the case at my local one. However, the cats have been going for free....the local shelter adopts cats out for around $80. Anyway, if I ever see pups for sale at a pet store again, granted I'm not confusing it for an adoption day, is there anything I can do? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Eireann, happy 4th. what do you want to do? Than DO IT! JMO bobh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Petsmart and Petco here do not sell cats or dogs and have adoption days on weekends with pets from local rescues and animal shelters - I do buy litter, treats, etc. from these stores. However, the independent pet stores in our area - such as the ones in the malls - do still SELL pups, kittens, bunnies, etc. These are the stores I was discussing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I can tell you from experience that it is not easy to raise Parrots (hence the price) and even parakeets and cocktiels dont breed easily. So I would not worry that way about mills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I saw on the Animal Cops Houston marathon last night how they broke up a bird mill. But it was love birds or something that looked like them. I don't know much about birds- sorry. They also removed 250 dogs!! Â What compels a person to keep that many dogs and call them pets?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 I saw the episode I thought the bird were either illegal or being kept inhumanely not being bred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 My local pet store claims that they have kittens for "adoption" but they are always purebred and instead of a "fee" they list "Price $$$." It is always WAY more than the local shelter charges for an adoption fee. I mean, like 6 times as much. They always have expected times for the next litters available, too, which makes me very suspicious. And they never ever have anything older than 7-8 weeks. I don't shop there, partly because of that and partly because their prices are roughly twice what the feed store charges. Â Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Eireann, I'm also in MI. The Pet Supplies Plus stores that I shop at (Holland and Grand Rapids area) always have cats, but I know they come from the Humane Society, and you have to go through whatever adoption process that paticular shelter has Maybe the stores sponser the cats? Free does seem a little odd. But it never hurts to ask. Just be polite and tell the manager your concerns, without assuming anything. If they are valid adoptions, the manager shouldn't mind explaining to you how the process works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eireann Posted July 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Thank you everyone for the helpful replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.