Puppies sold at Petland raised in horrible conditions

[Dangerdoll]

I do not trust any big box store when it comes to animal source and in-store care. Let's face it, they are not there to socialize an animal or to entertain them, they are there for one reason and that is to make a buck. The same can be said for many LFS and you can identify the stores that want to make money and those that take the hobby serious and want to make money at it.

Those of us in the hobby are far more sensitive to improper care than the average person on the street. When we run across what we consider to be inappropriate care we sound off on our forums and should instead be sounding off to the local enforcement agency that handles these claims. If you have not contacted an agency, you shouldn't complain here as you are not a part of the solution. Linking a found news item is not the same thing and I see no harm in it since it is a part of public information.

Don't get me wrong, I am as outraged as you are, yet I find action to speak louder than complaining. Please, take appropriate action and file according paperwork. If you don't want the involvement, then don't complain here either. 99% of the time there needs to be consistent legitimate complaints filed so an investigation can be started.One complaint may not get it done but repeated complaints by several will catch someone's attention. Never, never threaten the store with action, it just makes you look bad. Let investigators handle that.

excellent post!

Thats a terrible rule. I thought we were here to help each other out. If someone has a bad a terrible experience with a LFS and wants to warn others why not allow them to do so? I think it should be allowed as we are here to protect our fellow hobbyists. Not allow them to go out to that same LFS and get taken advantage of.

Just my 2 cents.

The rule is in place because some experiences can often be opinionated and one-sided and without the availability for the LFS in question to explain themselves, AC cannot be accountable for it. As Cheech says though, if the post is a direct link to a reputable news source, then the specific store may be named.

 

[excuzzzeme]

The condition of any store and it's inventory is a direct representation of the store management values. If a store is shoddy then likely even the mgt doesn't care. That is why you need to file with the local agencies. They are the only one to get mgt to change.

 

[stephstar]

Thats a terrible rule. I thought we were here to help each other out. If someone has a bad a terrible experience with a LFS and wants to warn others why not allow them to do so? I think it should be allowed as we are here to protect our fellow hobbyists. Not allow them to go out to that same LFS and get taken advantage of.

Just my 2 cents.

I disagree with you. I think it is an important rule, remember this is a public forum and because of that, slander cases can be built. A more appropriate way to correct bad service/advise/products etc is first get in contact with the owner or manger and let them know of your gripe so they have a chance to correct your concerns. If that does not work and you do want to spread the news, do it vocally and not in writing.

 

[wataugachicken]

Thats a terrible rule. I thought we were here to help each other out. If someone has a bad a terrible experience with a LFS and wants to warn others why not allow them to do so? I think it should be allowed as we are here to protect our fellow hobbyists. Not allow them to go out to that same LFS and get taken advantage of.

Just my 2 cents.

If you are that interested about the name of a certain store someone has had a problem with, you are free to PM them privately and ask what store it was. For the safety of the site itself, it's better to not broadcast the names.

This is the precedent -
http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2002/04/04/aquatic_plants/index.html

 

[Dexmaster]

I have worked for petland and agree all of their procedures are screwed and most of the dogs they get are sick and probably from puppy mills what I hate in particular is that any animal brought into any big store most of the time seems to come in to young and to sick for my liking, reptiles and birds and small mammals it seems everything comes into the store in pretty bad condition so I try just to get my pets from conventions and carefully researched online companies or local people whos animals I can come and inspect before making any purchases. Its sad but most everyday people just see them as a replacable item and not a companion or friend.

 

[BadFishPa]

I only get Dogs and cats from amimal rescues. I really dont buy fish from a LFS that much,theres always someone looking to get rid of a fish..

 

[jackiomy]

I work for PetSmart, and it's a company wide policy that floor space is donated to local humane society/rescue groups for cats and dogs, and those groups provide all the cats and dogs at our stores. We provide the care for the animals, but any potential adopters still have to go to the source of the animal (for our store, it's the local humane society) and go through that groups adoption procedures, pay that group any fees they charge, and bring the reciepts/paperwork back to our store to pick up the animal. We don't charge a dime for this service to the animals/community as well as providing many other charity services (http://www.petsmartcharities.org/about/vision-mission.php). All of our other pets (except fish) come from certified breeders (not wild caught) and go through a veternary assured process regarding the health of the parents, offspring, diet, and care. Granted, socialization is generally minimized to when we feed the animals and clean the cages (unless a customer wants to hold one), but the animals seem to come in well accostomed to handling from our sources. I've handled a lot of rats, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, chinchillas, hamsters, mice, and a large variety of lizards, tortoises, frogs, and birds, the only things that have attempted to bite me are the dwarf hamsters (notoriously viscious) and the parakeets, which aren't socialized at all by the breeders, leaving that pleasure to the new owners. Even the bettas have scheduled water changes a couple times a week. After all the horror stories I've heard about box stores, I can actually say I'm proud to work where I do...even if it's a minimum wage part time job to help me save up for college again. I've been officially brainwashed. The fish all come from the same big outfit somewhere back east, and we don't quarantine new fish...only sick fish, and that's something I'd like to see change, but realistically, we don't have the floor/tank space to quarantine all new fish arrivals.

I am glad to see your post. I shop at Pet***** and am happy with the way animals are kept. Every one of the employees I have talked to has been knowledgable and if they didn't know the answer to a question they found someone who did. My across the street neighbor works there and she is even more sensitive than I am about pets (and that is saying something lol) and she loves working there. There are seldom any dead fish and if there are they are quickly and discretely disposed of. The cages are always clean and I have never seen an empty water dish. I am in there 4 to 5 times a week at different times and they are very consistant. I love the fact that they will let me visit the cats up for adoption and they all know me by sight if not by name.:thm:

 

[severum mama]

This is so terribly sad to me. I have a puppy mill dog that I got from a toy breed rescue that was in pretty terrible shape when I got him- 30% underweight, completely unsocialized and terrified of any human interaction, and most of his fur had to be shaved off due to being completely matted. It was so obvious that he was treated as little more than a commodity. I'd love to see these backyard breeding puppy mill operations shut down!