As a general rule it is always better not to buy anything from a store that sells live animals. You must understand that these are stores, their goal is to make profit, they do this by exploiting living animals. Pets can be attained from reputable breeders, shelters, and rescues. Many times the animals will be healthier, come with guarantees, and may even be less expensive.
Unfortunately some animals are harder to find from private sellers and shelters, such as fish, reptiles, birds and other exotic animals. However they are out there if one is willing to invest the time. Let us suppose that there are no other options, purely for the sake of determining which pet stores are better than others.
Image via Wikipedia
Occasionally you may find a store that does not actually sell animals. These stores rely on animal shelters to bring animals for adoption. Even still some of these are better than others. Many do this service only to make themselves look good and to avoid any expenses on animals themselves (the shelter provides the food and supplies, and if the animal gets sick the shelter is responsible), some even charge the shelter for having the animals there. The best stores allow shelters to bring pets on special days and have adoption events for them. The shelters are not charged a fee for doing this (Note: sometimes even the store staff will not know that the store charges the shelters for fees, but the shelter staff should know). Of these stores the very best will not sell any other type of pet, even fish.
At the very bottom end is the store that sells fish, reptiles, kittens, and puppies. The stores never admit where the puppies come from, always claiming they come from a reputable breeder. In reality, no reputable breeder would ever sell to a pet store, nor would they need to. Reputable breeders get waiting lists for pups before they even breed their dogs. Pet store pups come from low quality (cheap) breeders and puppy mills. Pet stores could not make a profit selling pups from reputable breeders.
The worst of these stores are filthy, there are dead, or sick, fish in the tanks. Their back rooms are full of cages of birds who have pulled out their feathers due to the stress. They mislead people into getting a sale, either forgetting to tell them an important detail, such as a health problem common to a certain breed of dog, or telling people they are going to kill a pet if it is not sold. Pet stores do not kill their unsold pets, they simply lower the price.
These stores are loud and the pets are neglected as commodities for sale. The stores stay open because foolish, but well-intended, people take pity on the pets and buy them.
Image via Wikipedia
The above picture shows the typical housing for a dog who is bred to make pups for the pet store. The adults will spend their entire lives in these cages, supported by people who buy pups from pet stores.
Most people do not realize that supporting less than ethical sellers, people who buy from puppy mills, actually supports them and keeps them in business, it encourages them to buy more pets, cheap pets, pets they can make the most profit on. Cheap pets are those who are raised by people who take short cuts, breeding over and over, keeping parent animals in tiny cages with no mental stimulation or human interaction for their entire lives.
Warning Signs to Avoid a Store
- Puppies for sale, usually more than one breed
- Kittens for sale, usually more than one breed
- They tell you that they can get you almost any pet you want
- Sick, or dead, fish in tanks
- Crowded cages
- Birds with missing feathers (molting is normal, but does not happen all the time)
- Dirty cages
- Staff that is not knowledgeable
- Rodent cages with many animals in them, not sorted by gender
- Any store that warns you they are going to be killing a pet soon if it does not sell
- Offering the option to buy a pet on Credit, or by making payments
Signs of a Good Store
- No pets are sold
- Only premium pet foods are sold, not the lower quality ones
- They may have adoption days for shelters to display their pets
- They promote people to go to the shelter for pets
- Knowledgeable staff
Liked it
oldster
On July 23, 2009 at 3:38 am
Here. Here. I cringe to see animals caged. I’m afraid I’d go further and make any animal keeper, seller or breeder have to pass stringent testing for a license, and then be treated as drug dealer if they fail in their duty of care.
I also think putting ones name on a waiting list for a certain breed of dog is wrong. Go and get one from a friend or neighbor who’s accidentally produced a litter or a rescue centre. Anyone who has to have a certain dog aint a real dog lover. (Exceptions being size or specific jobs).
Good article, got me going! I hope it inspires others to act.
ken bultman
On July 23, 2009 at 4:20 am
I agree. I’ve had several pets. All have been from shelters, given by a friend or dumped in my lap. All turn out to be joys. I have visited pet stores to acquire fish for an outdoor pond and was appalled at the conditions.
Inna Tysoe
On July 23, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I agree.
fishfry aka Elizabeth Figueroa
On July 23, 2009 at 5:18 pm
As a dog lover I agree, these stores are out there to make a profit, and with so many homeless animals why would someone go to a store to purchase a easy to obtain pet, such as a dog or cat.
Great article these voiceless creature share our world and need to be heard, if not through any effect of their own, through ours.
martie
On July 23, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Great article. I know a woman who owns a pet store where she only sells supplies and food. One day, when I stopped to get some water bottles she had a litter of puppies, I was disappointed until she told me she was bottle feeding them for the local humane society and that they were not for sale through her store.
I was so pleased with her attitude!
Brenda Nelson
On July 23, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Probably 90% of Pet Store support cruelty, although none will admit it.
I try to shop at Livestock feed stores for my pet supplies. Or the kind of shop Martie mentions – where only food and supplies are sold.
PR Mace
On July 26, 2009 at 4:27 am
I agree with you 100%. I like you buy my bird seed and dog food at a local livestock store. I don’t like most pet stories. I have been to Pet Smart and they only have adopations for shelter animals.
DriftingInsomnia
On July 28, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I was at this one animal store and it STUNK. The cages were small and there were at least 3 dogs per cage. It was really saddening that I couldn’t just buy all of them… then people would think I was hoarding or something. Martie, your comment made my day anyways
KeeJay
On August 5, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Oh, yaaay! I stumbled onto a Libs page!! Peta much? Perhaps your Oval Office Messiah could take over that industry too.
Brenda Nelson
On August 6, 2009 at 10:13 am
to KeeJay
I am neither a PETA supporter (they beleive we should not own any pets…) nor am I an American (you reference the Oval office)..
I simply am very aware of where many pet store animals come from – cruel places called puppy mills.
tony
On August 6, 2009 at 11:37 am
I buy nothing from pet stores that selll animals. I support my local pet Supply store,they sell nothing but food, housing etc etc – no animals for sale. But they in turn support the animal shelters in my area! Which I think is a great idea the other week they had an adoption day & numerous fund raising events where all money raised go\’s to the local shelters.
Pet stores in shopping centers and malls should be banned and shut down, it would greatly reduce the number of impulse purchases of animals, and in turn eventually decrease the demand from cruel puppy mills.
VicinSea
On August 9, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Pet supply stores offend me in the deepest way. Pets should be cared for but the recent trend of treating pets better than some children is sickening.