Are you for or against pet shops? Please give reasons. Thank you.?

Answer 1

More specifically, what kind of pet shops? Large chains like Petsmart, PetCo, Petcetera, and all that or small, locally run stores?

FOR - I am for pet shops supplying people with supplies for their pets. It's a great business to get set up to give people what they need to properly care for their pets, and when the pet stores have knowledgeable workers, that's the kind of pet shop I'd love to see everywhere. Some pet shops are wonderful for this - they specialize in knowledge and can give reliable information out to pet owners WITHOUT advocating "buy this crappy product so my store gets money", however in a perfect world, no pet store would carry crappy products!

AGAINST - I am against pet store selling pets. The pets that go into pet stores are almost always from breeding mills, because no self-respecting breeder would give their animals to a pet store. Pet stores are generally known for taking shabby care of their animals, neglecting quarantine and health (including but not limited to proper diets and mental stimulation), dodging vet care, giving poor advice, and selling crappy products just for the profit. Take note that my generalizations are based mainly on large chain stores.

However, small, locally run stores are fine and I think as long as the people who run the store know exactly who they're getting animals from, it should be fine. For example, specialized avian stores that are locally run should have responsible store owners who meet the breeder(s) and the parent birds, receive paper work on birds being up to date on vaccinations, needed medications, and clean bills of health.

When it comes to dogs and cats (relates to my 'against' statement), I find they thrive much better in a home environment. I don't think pet stores should sell puppies or kittens because they're not in an environment similar to one they'll be adopted into. Especially when they're young, they should get all the experience and socialization in a proper home possible - which is why I highly prefer reputable breeders over the supposedly well-bred animals in pet stores who just romp around in paper shreddings.

Answer 2

I work in a pet shop. Have been with them for more than three years. Adopting and buying are really one and the same. I don't know why people can be against buying a puppy from a pet shop, but for going to the shelter and PAYING to "adopt". The puppies that we take in ( and kittens) are from local people, taken in on consignment. We KNOW the people, we will not accept a puppy if we have any reason to believe that the "breeder" may be not on the up and up. The majority of puppies are mixes, with some purebreds with papers. Most of the puppies and kittens that we take in would BE in the shelter if we did not take them and find them homes! So it is ok for the shelter to have them and charge money to get them a home, but not us...hmmm? We give them shots, deworm them, make sure they come with a free vet check...mainly get the people on the right track, headed in the right direction. NO different than what a shelter would do. We get to know these animals, their personalities, etc. We are able to help guide people into finding one that meets their needs, ones that fit their family and lifestyle.. We NEVER sell ANY animal if there is any signs of a person not providing them with proper care. We have the right to refuse, and we stand on that right! I know from experience that shelters have soo many dogs and cats, that they rarely have time to spend with them, to get to know them or their personalities. The dogs at shelters are much more likely to have a disease, due to poor conditions. I adopted a shelter dog almost a year ago. They knew nothing about her...she had demodex...was in very poor condition and was also believed to have distemper! Fortunately, she is healthy now..after A LOT of TLC. My vet said that they see tons of distemper and other illnesses come out of shelters all the time. Our store does NOT have that problem. We go to every extent to be sure that ALL of our animals are healthy and come with a health guarantee.
While I know that there are bad pet stores out there, there are also good ones like ours. I am a TOTAL animals lover and would never stay employed with a store that didn't treat their animals right! I realize we are probably in the MINORITY..but people still should not judge unless they know! This store has been in business for over 30 years, and I am sure it will be open for 30 more, because we are above the rest..our employees are all very knowledgeable and caring and we have wonderful customer loyalty. We earn it!

Answer 3

I think having a pet shop for supplies, birds, fish, and small animals (gerbils, hamsters, etc) is great. I don't like it when they sell dogs, because most of the time they are puppy mill dogs and buying those puppies only supports horrid treatment of animals. Having your pet supplies and food close by is awesome, however.
If you are going to get a cat or a dog as a new pet -- try a shelter or rescue organization first. If you _absolutely_ are set on a particular kind of breed that you can't find (after trying) at shelters, etc, then contact a _reputable_ breeder and purchase from them. Not someone that breeds 10 month old dogs in the backyard and wants to make a quick buck by selling a $900 shih-tzu puppy when they can't even afford to take proper care of the ONE dog they have.

Sorry.. kind of ranted there...... I am FOR pet stores... just not for selling cats or dogs in them.

Answer 4

For pet shops.
If you have to fork out money for the animal then presumably you must have thought about if you really want it and what the cost must entail.
Kittens typically cost £30 or £40 for non pedigree so if you pay that much as opposed to answering a postcard in a shop window offering the kittens free to good home then hopefully you have given some serious consideration as to what is involved in looking after the pet you have just bought.

Answer 5

I am against buying a pet from a pet store. Most of them get their animal through less than par breeders, good breeders allow you to pick your animal up directly through them. So pet shops usually get them through the those horrible "puppy-mills".

Regardless, why buy a pet at all when you can adopt from a shelter for a nominal donation, when 9 million shelter animals are put to sleep each year in the U.S.?

Pet shops are great for supplies though!

Answer 6

only if the animals are well cared for. most shops are run by kids and most of them don't know squat about the animals they are selling.

I visited a shop once and found two canarys in one cage. one canary was on the floor of the cage and the other on the limb just above. the canary on the limb was pecking on the other constantely.

the canary on the floor had no feathers on it's head. I called for an assistant for an explaination. he said that the canary had been sick and they just put him back in a cage with the other bird because they had no room to separate the sick one.

to me this bird would not have made it much longer so I bought him. I noticed an band on his leg which hat a number on it. I asked what this was and the assistant said those are the numbers of the birds in that inventory. okay.

later, after taking it to the vet, I found that the bird was 5 years old the number on the leg was the year it was born, this bird had cataracts in both eyes, and liver damage.

But on the other hand I have visted home kennels that don't look too promising either.

that is what the animal cops are for I guess.

Answer 7

A bit of both - Pet shops are great, but they should be regulated. Some petshops give great advice and offer an excellant pet service.
However I've been to a couple of petshops who sell animals that give no aftercare advice, sell sickly animals that are poorly socialised etc.
Regulation would ensure that people buying pets receive care advice, whilst also offering post purchase care.

Answer 8

First, companion animals like dogs should NOT ever be sold at a pet store because they should not just go home to anyone who can afford it. People make snap decisions on getting a dog in places like this and then realize they made a mistake and the dog generally pays the ultimate price for this stupidity.
For small animals, i'm torn. It's nice to have a place where you can go and get a hampster or mouse for a pet. But i also don't like the message that the animals stacked on the shelves are a commodity just like rice or cereal. To me, this gives the impression that they are disposable. I think for the smaller animals it's fine as long as they work to keep the habitats clean and their animals healthy.

Answer 9

I am for pet shops as you can see loads of products that you can buy for your pets . But am against alot of pet shops that sell animals and do not have trained staff that know anything about the animals that they are selling and so cannot offer good advice how to care for the animal . All staff should be trained to give correct advice for the welfare of animals .

Answer 10

Against. There are so many abandoned puppies at the Humane association or your local pound. Most puppies in shops are specialty or purebreed. Many are left at pounds or associations because they are not the right dog for the family. At a shelter (most places) they evaluate the dog. Are they good with kids? Other pets? - they will only allow the correct dog to go with a good family. I think that is always the best way to go unless you are a show dog person.