This past Saturday my fiance, our twin girls and I decided to go to a pet shop after one of our daughters asked if we could go. We ended up at one in Burnside.
What an eye-opener—those poor dogs held in those small, dirty glass boxes with no food and no water, rolling around in their own filth. I noticed on one of the kennels that the date of birth of two of these dogs was October 6, so that means these “puppies” have been held in these glass kennels for at the very least three months. That is sickening.
We also noticed that a puggle puppy was bleeding as he attempted to excrement, so sad. I chose to push my feelings of the conditions aside until after we left the store (as to not cause a scene) until the icing on the proverbial cake happened: One of the employees looked to be in a rotten mood but how he treated my 10-year-old daughter was uncalled for.
This “man” was in behind the kennels finally giving the dogs water after another customer complained. My daughter was watching the puppies reaction to getting water and to the human contact (I was on just down the aisle looking at other dogs at the time). While she was watching the “man” yelled at her through the glass and said, “If you don’t fucking stop watching and following me I am going to stop fucking giving them water.”
Imagine that? To say the least I went up one side and down the other of this fellow and made sure this did not happen again. I am told he was rude only moments before to another customer, and shortly before we arrived he was also rude to someone else. I am told this “man” has been fired.
Now I would like to see a change in the conditions that these animals have to live in. Have these poor dogs ever seen the light of day? Do they know what it is like to run around and play? Do they know what real human interaction is? I am afraid the answer to all of these questions is probably no. —Heather Mercer
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2010.
Roof roof roof, woof woof, roof roof, bark bark bark.
That is all.
Go to a breeder. Healthier dog, better price.
That big pet store is the worst. The treatment the animals receive is consistently shitty!
No person should ever buy animals there. There are plenty of unwanted animals in the shelters that need homes…
Excrement is not a verb.
call the humane place and have them taken away, and jerkwad charged with cruelty.
and yes everyone, i usually am up this early. got 3 new installs to do today. i’ll soon be watching you all.
The worst of this is that those poor pups probably come from overcrowded, filthy puppy mills because no responsible breeder would ever leave their animals in such filthy conditions. This practice of keeping these poor creatures encased in glass day in and day out is nothing but sheer cruelty and should be outlawed. Kudos for you, OP, for tearing buddy a new one.
Those dogs didn’t “probably” come from a puppy mill, they DEFINITELY came from a puppy mill. I wish more people would realize that and STOP going to pet stores that sell live animals. There are plenty of pet stores that sell pet supplies, there is no need at all to give your money to those disgusting assholes who profit off the misery of other living things. Go to Global Pet Foods, a Maritime owned company with good food, good staff, and they actually care about the animals.
I agree no one should support this store. They charge a lot for their dogs. Dogs they purchase for next to nothing or are given for free. These dogs are often not healthy. Behavorial problems arise because of how they have been cared for.
Do not support this store! Go somewhere else. SPCA!
If people wouldn’t support these places they wouldn’t be in business. Get your puppies from a CKC registered breeder (Ie, not someone you meet in a parking lot). It really is that simple.
How horrible!
Any hints as to what store this is so I can be sure to never shop there for any reason?
As long as idiots keep forking out the huge bucks for these cats and dogs then this will never change. In the meantime go down to the Bide Awhile and the SPCA and you will see a ton of healthy and loving animals just begging for a home. The cost? $100.00 which includes the spay or neauter and all their shots. Yep. Makes sense to fork out a grand for something in a small cage in a pet store.
most of these dogs have parvo, distemper…you name it. i know people who are flush that buy these dogs just to save them. the answer to your questions is no, heather.
but they’re are lots of good people in animal rescue and you can adopt a great pet…where is rescue ink when ya need em
Pet stores make me sick. As far as going to a breeder, as stated above, you should be careful about that as well and check up on which breeder you go to. I have an airedale terrier, which I got from a breeder and who I love, but after volunteering at an animal shelter I can honestly say I will NEVER do that again and will either adopt or find an airedale rescue center.
Pet stores are horrible and the puppies come from puppy mills. It’s so sad. If you want a dog or puppy, go to a breeder or the SPCA, not a pet store.
The dogs at pet shops do come from puppy mills. My Mom bought a dog from the pet store in Bayers lake to “save it”. I tried to convince her not to but she did. When she asked about the breeder, they told her that information was classified. She paid $1400 for a malnutioned Silky terrier. He didnt know how to walk on leash or outside. He was terrified of grass because he had never seen or felt it before. He 2 or so years old now and surprisingly doing great. He had no lasting health problems, but he does have behavior problems.
I wont even bring my children into pet shops to look around. Its too heartbreaking. Even though this animals do come from puppy mills, I still dont understand how or why pet shops can get away with how they treat them and the condition that these animals live in. I cant count the number of times that Ive walked into these places and the dogs have been rolling around in theyre own feces or throw up. Barely any food or water and what is there is filthy. All these places should be shut down.
If youre going to get an animal, go to a shelter. You’ll save ALOT of money, and most of the training (if its a dog) is already done for you.
Don’t buy *anything* from stores that sell live dogs, not even toys. If you buy anything, you’re helping to keep teh stores in business. These stores are the MAJOR source of off-loading puppies made in puppy mills. It is really simple. (I know it was already said above, but I’ve met so many dog lovers will good hearts who shop at these stores regularly and even though they didn’t buy their dogs there, they do buy everything else, which is pretty much the same thing.)
there are lots of independent dog/cat supply stores some of them deliver, sometimes i want to go to we torture unlimited pets just to see how bad it is this week…don’t do it, spend your money elsewhere
Your first mistake Fucktard, was going into the ‘Big Chain’ pet store, your second mistake… GOING INTO THE BIG CHAIN PET STORE! When will people learn that animal suffering in pet stores/puppy mills will not end until we stop supporting a place that sells animals. Go to your smaller (sometimes more expensive) pet supply stores and support their cause, ie: selling ONLY pet supplies and not live animals!
I’m sure this is falling on deaf ears since you’re probably the type of person who supports a non-rehabilitation zoo and sea world.
Buy directly from authorized and approved breeders. Pet shops are sweat shops for puppy mills.
Theres only 2 ‘big chain’ pet stores in Burnside, and one of them assists in adoption from the SPCA for cats and dogs, while the other sells them out of glass boxes. When you walk in the door you can tell by the smell which is which. (bad smell = bad animal treatment)
People have already given you the following advice in this thread, but the way you can kickstart a change here is to stop going to pet stores. All of them. Big ones, small ones, neighbourhood ones. Don’t go inside. Go to a breeder, or better yet, the Humane Society. There’s lots of dogs and cats there that would love to live with you.
@ abc123 – Global is great! I just got a free 30$ bag of cat food from them after about a year of buying their food – they also mark down bags that are close to the end of their shelf life!
go to petfinder.com – that is how i found my dog. It compares dogs in shelters across Canada if you put in your postal code. I got her when she was 8 weeks old from a shelter and couldn’t be happier. She is now 2 and the nicest, most loyal dog I have ever had. There are so many dogs out there that need homes and will be loyal to you for giving them a good home! Shelter dogs all the way!
Not defending the practice of pet stores selling dogs and cats, but I have been into the store in question many times, and have never seen the conditions as bad as described above. OVERBLOWN people. They don’t have someone standing there to clean up after them 24 hrs a day and you will see “messes” more often than not as that’s what puppies do……OFTEN.
That being said, these stores shouldn’t be allowed to sell them because they do support puppy mills, and they will sell anything to anyone.
Good example, Bernese Mountain dogs….a breed that shouldn’t be sold to just anyone. But they have them regularly and will sell them if you have the cash.
To the guy who’s daughter was sworn at: Good on you, guys like that should be fired!
This is awful and it’s the same in EVERY pet store :(! I do admit I go in and look around at times and I can spend like an hour jsut wacthing the animals. I feel like i’m the worst person in the world for not holding the place up with a gun and taking all the animals out of there. I was in this same pet store once and I overheard someone asking the staff member if they let the animals out at all and the staff said they walk them around the store twice a day. Even if I believed that’s what they did, that’s nowhere near fucking enough!! DISGUSTING.
I have personally been in a pet store less than a handful of times in my life, this was the first pet store our daughters have ever been and they are ten so it has been more than ten years since I have been in one so please do not make it sound like I am a regular because I am far from it. I have never made a purchase from a pet store in my life so I have not supported them in any fashion. Our intent that night was to visit the store, we were interested in the fish tank setup more than anything to be honest with you. When we do finally decide to bring a pet into our home it will most certainly not come from a pet store and yes we will be very careful what breeder we go to if we do go that route. For those who have offered some options for finding a family pet/member, thank you it is greatly appreciated. OH and sleepdeprived, your assumptions are very wrong so please do not assume that we are a “type”. I have not supported this store or any others as I’ve stated, in fact I am hoping I can at least do my part to help and to possibly make a difference.
well heather your children will probably be better off in the long run…knowledge is power
there is a bridge with your name on it
should i cross or jump off
not even close to funny hugh
live underneath like all trolls do…billy goats gruff