Pet shops

There are some pet shops out there that make everyone look bad, and there are some that put animal care first. It's really problematic when people lump all pet shops as one entity with the same approach towards selling animals. People also often forget it's not the staff's fault for what they sell or where they get their animals from, it's the higher ups that often control that.

People should take a bigger interest in where an animal is sourced from (whether it's a dog or a hamster), but sadly too many people don't think about this.

If you have an issue with something, vote with your wallet and speak up about it, and by speak up I don't mean have a go, but educate.

I went and visited a large chain pet shop a number of months ago, I was speaking with a staff member and was not happy with the information I was given and I asked to speak with their manager, I wasn't aggressive, but I made it clear that this was simply not acceptable to sell an animal in the condition he was in and the information I was being given was very harmful to that animal's care and makes them look bad. They were trying to sell an animal that was clearly dying to anyone who has any interest in reptiles. I don't know if anything has changed since then, but I just hope I planted a seed in their heads that will make them be more aware of the needs of the animals in their care.

boomerang wrote: »

I never purchase anything from pet shops that sell animals. I've yet to see a situation where the animals were being bred ethically for the purpose. Many times, the animals are not in good health. And the ignorance of some pet shop staff charged with selling these animals is shocking. I had one staff member tell me I was anthropomorphising when I pointed out that one dwarf hamster needed a vet for euthanasia as it had got caught in the wall-mounted, metal holder for the water bottle and had its leg cut off.

Bear in mind also that the point of selling the animals is to get the customer to buy all the accoutrements that go with them. In many pet shops, that means selling cages or enclosures that are way too small or otherwise inappropriate.

There's one dedicated pet shop in Dublin that only sell appropriate habitats for all the animals in their care (no goldfish bowls, hamster cages are strictly a minimum of 80x50, and so on), customers are quizzed before an animal is sold and must provide proof of their setup if they are interested in any animal in the shop. Sale refusals are regular and they will not use rodent mills, this only exists because the owner/management is extremely passionate about animal welfare and will not compromise.

I've come across another petshop down in the countryside that are striving to do the same thing.

There is hope. If only other pet shops would take the baby steps in the right direction.