Pet stores

[Nanda & Nelson]

Today I was at a mall (yes, I know - why on earth did I go here?) and I walked by this pet store. I need to buy a few balls for Nelson, so I figured I'd walk in and get them there. When I walked in, I noticed this horrible smell, as well as the sound of barking. I thought it were some toys that made bark noises (yes, dumb), until I noticed the crowd of people in the back of the shop. I walked towards them and saw this wall of glass boxes... full of puppies, with pricetags of thousands of dollars on them.

 

I knew this stuff was happening, I just hadn't walked into it like this before. The puppies were either laying down, looking incredibly sad and hopeless or were absolutely crazy. These 2 pugs in a box that couldnt have been bigger then 50cm long and 30 cm wide, were just jumping in their own shit and smashing their faces into the walls, scratching the walls and the glass to get out, while a bunch of people were laughing out loud. They thought it was 'so cute'. I had tears in my eyes and I stood there for a second before I started telling those people, that these puppies weren't 'cute'. They were desperate for air, for a walk, for a pis somewhere else then their own 'bed'. Desperate to move freely like any living being should.

 

These moments make me wonder what on earth I can do to educate people about animal abuse like this. They seem so clueless - sometimes I wonder if they even care. It makes me mad and upset. I want to buy a farm and all the puppies in the store and let them live freely and find good homes for them, but I know that supporting pet stores, buying puppies, will only makes this worse. I don't understand how this is legal. I won't go back to that mall every again, as I do not wish to support anything related to places like this.

 

I reported it to the local SPCA, I messaged their facebook and researched them - they have been charged with animal abuse before in 2005.

 

Sorry for the rant, I guess what I am trying to get out of posting this, is thoughts on what you guys do when you run into a situation like this?

 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

[waffles]

A group in my area tried to get a county law passed banning the sale of dogs in pet stores. We have only one local store that sells pups (they do come from the big broker Hunte I think is the name) but the law did not pass. I know somewhere in California they were or maybe did pass a law banning dog sales in pet stores. If people don't want the education though, it can be hard to educate them (in regards to the clueless people at the store). I don't even try to educate customers at my work that the dog thy bought is from our local huge (and very legal and licensed mill) or that my uncle in laws dog came from that pet store that inspired the proposed county law. They don't want to understand or hear it. I mean, there are commercials now about where pet store puppies come from yet they still don't want to know about it or will find a way to argue with the facts. No one wants to here that their beleoved fluffy came from a horrific place and that they overpaid for a sick dog. Those are the only times people seem to get it - when their vet explains to them that their dogs health issues are related to where and how they bought their dog. I have had several customers with sick dogs who finally realized that a pet store or huge kennel selling 20+ breeds/mixes is not a responsible breeder but only after their dogs started getting sick.

[Liz P]

One of the biggest problems is that so many people don't seem to care. I have these conversations with clients all the time. They KNOW they bought a dog from those conditions and they would do it again. For many of them the convenience of pets stores outweighs all the bad things about them. They take credit cards and offer payment plans, no breeder research is required, they can get you any breed you want, you can make an impulse buy, no driving to the breeder or shipping a pup required and you don't have to go through any sort of screening process.

[G. Festerling]

I think it is not that a lot of people don't want to be educated but that often they feel like they are being attacked personally. Always allowing for the ones that are just ignorant. People are so darn impulsive and don't take the time to research. Then the deed is done when they buy the cute pup at the store and now they are being lectured. Many take it personal. Especially the ones that then try to do the very best for the pup that has issues. I would love to believe that those folks don't go back and see many actively engaged in trying to hold stores and breeders accountable.

It is mind-blowing for me to sometimes see, how little people are exposed to animals and ethics anymore. Which why to me, the whole raise your children with exposure to reality.

[G. Festerling]

Ps: let me add, not doing research before adding any animal is fairly ignorant in my book. ;

[waffles]

That is exactly why I don't try to educate people unless they ask because I have yet to figure out how to give someone the information without coming across as preachy or like I am personally attacking their dog. It isn't about the specific dog but the larger picture of what they have supported. I do love my customers who become passionate about educating others after they bought a dog that later became sick. I think that is very admirable. I agree with the impulse topic and the ease of purchase these places offer as contributing to the problem.

[Liz P]

I see people buy a pup that is sick or dies young and they KNOW the risks but still go back and buy yet another one. Are they not learning or do they just not care? Many admit to me they know the source of the pups and that the convenience outweighs the potential risks for them.

[bcnewe2]

I think it's the idea that this one NEEDED to be saved. What were they to do...let this one die? Or the other one, "you don't mean my puppy do you, the pet shop lady told me this puppy came from somewhere else and it has papers so this one is OK". Blahhhh....

[Sue R]

There is always an excuse when it's really about instant gratification (and, for the ones who want to "save" that one pup while dooming the next one to the same process, feeling good about themselves).

 

It is a hard choice to do the right thing and many people don't wish to put in the effort that doing the right thing entails.

 

Besides, they love Fluffy (even if they can't housetrain her) and she's the best dog ever (even if she bites the kids and the adults and destroys the house).

[urge to herd]

I have friends who know that, for example, boxers are prone to cancers, and still buy one from a back yard breeder. They simply want one now, to replace their previous boxer, who died of cancer. The important thing for them is that they want it now.

 

I have another friend who knows all the problems with cavalier spaniels, and doesn't care. Her daughter has a cav who is struggling for its life right now. When that dog dies, they'll get another cavalier.

 

People want what they want. Whatever the reason, most of us have to satisfy that itch. Humans tend to not be thoughtful, on the whole. Humans tend to be impulsive, to gratify something or other.

 

I don't talk with most people about purebred dogs anymore, except to urge them to spay/neuter and NOT have puppies. It falls on deaf ears and closed minds that don't care to be opened or educated, thank you very much. I also avoid thinking about it. I prefer to fight battles where I have a snowball's hope in h*** of making a difference.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

[GoodbyeHalcyonDays]

I have friends who know that, for example, boxers are prone to cancers, and still buy one from a back yard breeder. They simply want one now, to replace their previous boxer, who died of cancer. The important thing for them is that they want it now.

 

I have another friend who knows all the problems with cavalier spaniels, and doesn't care. Her daughter has a cav who is struggling for its life right now. When that dog dies, they'll get another cavalier.

 

People want what they want. Whatever the reason, most of us have to satisfy that itch. Humans tend to not be thoughtful, on the whole. Humans tend to be impulsive, to gratify something or other.

 

I don't talk with most people about purebred dogs anymore, except to urge them to spay/neuter and NOT have puppies. It falls on deaf ears and closed minds that don't care to be opened or educated, thank you very much. I also avoid thinking about it. I prefer to fight battles where I have a snowball's hope in h*** of making a difference.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

 

This is pretty much the case where I live. Here in New York, we have an incredibly large amount of backyard breeders. The park Caleb and I frequent pretty much only has intact males and females because their owners think their dog is the best thing in the world and that they want more puppies and blahblahblah, while their dog is lunging at something (or sometimes, nothing) while they are saying this. All the owners here have either bought their dog from another BYB (who encouraged them to breed), or from a puppy store we have down the block.

 

I had this one guy who has a very unstable husky talk to another Pit Bull owner about breeding his husky because (and only because) he had pedigree paperwork to prove it, in which the PB owner replied, "oh, you could charge a thousand for each pup easily!"

 

The only dogs Caleb even bothers to play with are the 2-3 shelter dogs that some other owners have. He refused to play with any of those other dogs because of how what they're like. I feel bad for them, and have tried to help them with training their dogs (what little I know) and to spay/neuter their dogs, but this advice is quickly fallen on deaf ears, right before one of the owners smacks their dog across the face for not listening.

[Tommy Coyote]

One of my customers bought a little dog from a pet store - a very hoity toity pet store. She was so proud of herself for biting the bullet and paying big bucks so that she would have a really nice dog. She has no clue that the puppies at the very expensive hoity toity pet store come from the same place as the puppies at the big pet store out south. Owned and run by veterinarians mind you. It's all such a scam.

 

I think a lot of people simply don't know where to go to get a nice dog. So you go to a very pricy pet store and get one. And they have such a line - their dogs are all from breeders that they are familiar with and they are all checked out by a vet and .....

 

And people don't want to wait to get their dog.

 

Or they go into the store and see the sad looking little puppies (that's the hook) and they can't stand it so they buy it and take it home to save it.

[speckle-legged dog]

Sickening!!! People are so willingly dense sometimes. I recently had an older lady telling me about her middle aged son's new puppy that he got at a pet store in town. I calmly tried to tell her if he got it from a pet store then he got it from a puppy mill "Oh no" she said, "this is a NICE pet store". I told her, nope, reputable breeders don't sell their puppies through pet stores. She could not, would not get it.

 

I can't understand, her son didn't have a particular need for a specific breed, he just wanted a small companion, every time I walk by the adoption center at Pet Smart they have any number of those available. And I am certain that our local humane society keeps its dogs in better physical health and a cleaner environment than a puppy mill pup in a pet store! (Our dog came from there as a puppy and we really liked their facility and how healthy and friendly the dogs and puppies were).

 

I hate that these precious pups are born to suffer, it breaks my heart. As far as the people who close their eyes and ears to the realities of where their dog came from, they are making their own problems if they end up paying a fortune trying to keep their new, high priced, pup alive. I don't feel sorry for them at this point, with all the information out there, I just feel so bad for the dogs. I know people who did go to reputable breeders who showed them their facilities and let them meet their puppy's parents and know they did not pay more, and in some cases less, than puppy mill dogs are selling for.

[geonni banner]

I have this conversation with my neighbor all the time.

 

She says, "I'm going to big-box pet supplies X. Do you want to go?"

 

I always answer the same. "No, big-box pet supplies X sells animals. I don't get my supplies from places that sell animals - any animals."

 

Neighbor replies, "Oh, but they are cheaper. And they are the only ones that carry Frou-Frou cat litter."

 

To me, this is no different than buying a dog from a pet store, a BYB, or some glitzy internet site. It's no different that registering a dog with the AKC. It's no different than giving a dog things to eat that are bad for them, or hitting them, tying them out in a yard with inadequate food, shelter and water.

 

One could argue degree of evil. But it's all animal abuse. People do it because they are lazy, or ignorant, or refuse to face the fact that abuse is a reality.

 

If a thing is wrong, one must do one's best to avoid it. Sometimes it's more work. Sometimes thinking is involved. (Dog forbid!) Sometimes it costs a bit more. But to me, if you really can't afford to pay a little bit more to buy a certain food, litter, toy, or whatever, you need to think about making changes in other areas to compensate. It's like not leaving a tip in a restaurant - if you can't afford it you should probably have eaten at home.

 

YMMV

[bcnewe2]

Just saying that around here the big box pet stores don't sell dogs or cats. They do sell birds, mice, hamsters and fish but at least they don't sell dogs and cats.

 

I used to work at Pet Smart in AR. I would sometimes process the rodent type animals that came in. Rarely were there any sick, dying, dead or otherwise unhealthy ones. Wonder if it was only this store's suppliers or what the real deal is with small animals too?

[bcnewe2]

Now I'm thinking....I was at a local farm supply store yesterday. They were having chick days. 3 silver tubs of baby chickens. hmmmm farm animals are different? I Just don't know.

[juliepoudrier]

Re: Farm animals, I was going to add to this discussion by noting that puppies in pet stores are really no different than animals inhumanely treated in factory farms. People like to eat meat, eggs, and dairy, so they just close their minds to the process that brings those things to their tables. It's not surprising that they do the same when they decide they want a cute puppy.....

 

J.

[G. Festerling]

^^ and that is where it gets slippery!

 

Out here the big box pet stores all hold adoptions. No animals other than reptiles, birds and varmin.

[WildFlower]

Re: Farm animals, I was going to add to this discussion by noting that puppies in pet stores are really no different than animals inhumanely treated in factory farms. People like to eat meat, eggs, and dairy, so they just close their minds to the process that brings those things to their tables. It's not surprising that they do the same when they decide they want a cute puppy.....

 

J.

 

Thanks for bringing this up Julie. I couldn't agree more. People are so very removed from how "food" gets from point A to point B on so many levels it makes my head hurt. The same applies for how poor pups get from BYB or mill to the pet store. People who buy puppies from pet stores are the same people that think "chicken" is that "stuff you buy from the grocery store on a styrofoam tray wrapped in plastic".

[geonni banner]

^^ and that is where it gets slippery!

 

Out here the big box pet stores all hold adoptions. No animals other than reptiles, birds and varmin.

Slippery indeed. The big box stores have adoptions here too. Some have contracts with Animal Control, some with large all-breed, dog/cat rescues. It makes them look good and the adopters usually purchase a "layette" when they pick up the animal. I have mixed feelings. The impulse factor is high. Usually no waiting period - minimal screening. I often wonder how long the average big-box adoption lasts.

 

As for farm animals... What a tangled mess. I've pretty much quit eating pork and chicken. I get free-range grass-fed beef. "Local" lamb when I can. Cage-free eggs, yadayadayada. But for every Neiman Ranch steer or Rocky chicken there's a zillion other critters that hardly see the light of day. And I'm not entirely convinced that the "free range" animals I eat of really have that much better quality of life. Julie's remark about styrofoam and shrink-wrap brought me up short. I get my meat from a butcher in a small local store. It's wrapped in white paper. It's been years since I bought supermarket food. But oh, my doG what a mess we've made of eating!

[Sue R]

My mother used to say that she loved eating meat but she didn't want to think about where it came from. I feel the same way when I eat something we didn't grow here (which is simply our beef as that's all we produce on our own, other than garden, orchard, and vineyard produce).

 

I love hot dogs, pork, chicken, cheese, butter - so many things that I don't have a local, I-know-where-it-came-from-and-how-it-got-here source.

 

Then again, I can get a truly free-range organic turkey at Christmas - which, in the size I'd buy for our gathering, would cost $150. How could anyone *normal* eat turkey that costs that much?

 

It's a dilemma, and I wind up eating things and enjoying them, as long as I don't think about where they came from and how they got here...

[Oko]

My Aunt has two small dogs presumably from puppy mills, one from a pet store, one bought online. My sister and I kindly explained where the dogs in pet stores come from to her after she got the first one. Then she proceeded to buy the second. She knew what type of situation the 2nd was coming from, but I think she really just doesn't want to believe how bad it is. It was a very strange experience, considering she is a perfectly intelligent person.

 

I do not buy stuff from places that sell cats or dogs. I do buy from place that sells small mammals. I will have to buy dog food online because the food I want to feed is only sold in this area by a pet store that sells puppies.

[stockdogranch]

I think, Sue, when it comes to food, for those of us who are reasonably "aware," we do what we can. I'm very lucky. I raise beef, lamb, chicken (and hens for eggs), turkey, and pork, as well as what veggies I can. I get fruit from friends with trees when I am lucky. I live in the middle of an orange grove. But, I still have to buy a number of things. I would love, love, love to have a dairy cow, but I am doing all I can to take care of what I have here. So I don't have one. I still have to buy flour and sugar, and those sorts of things--what we used to call "staples." I buy as much as I can from the "organic" places, but I really have no idea where those things come from or how they are grown/produced. The bottom line is that I know there is no such thing as perfect, but we all do what we can, given our particular set of circumstances,

A

[Tommy Coyote]

Just a note. The prices at the big box stores are not always cheaper. PetCo is expensive. People just assume that it's cheaper because its a big box store. Now Walmart probably is cheaper but I don't buy stuff for my dogs at the big box stores - except for Milkbones. Milkbones are made in Buffalo and dispensed by DelMonte so I use them as treats and teeth cleaners. Don't touch the rest of the stuff. So much of that stuff comes from China.

 

The canned dog food I buy at my little pet store doesn't cost any more than the better canned food in the grocery store. And its all from good companies that produce human grade products. When I open the cans the meat smells wonderful. And that store sells no live anything. And I really like the people there.

[Kassidy]

I can't believe how ignorant I used to be. Sadly, we got Chloe from a puppy mill, without even knowing it. Looking back now, I am disgusted. It was a huge kennel, with over 20 different breeds of dogs, and when we went there to get Chloe, there had to be at least 70 puppies there. We figured, they must be a great breeder if they are breeding this many dogs! Ha. Yeah, right. We gave Chloe proper training, so she's well behaved, but I hate to think what would have happened if someone else got her and she didn't get proper training. I really hate that we supported this puppy mill by buying a dog from them. We have been doing research for the past 6 months trying to find a responsible breeder, I WILL NOT get another pup from anywhere other than a very responsible breeder, or a shelter, and have been doing my best to educate everyone about pet shop puppies and puppy mills. I can't believe how I could have been so ignorant. If only everyone else who bought a pup from a pet shop or puppy realized what they had done wrong, and never did it again. Or just did their research before buying a pup, and didn't buy a pup from one of those places in the first place, like I wish I would have.