Campaign to End PetSmart's Cruelty In Selling Small Animals
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
January 24, 2008 9:57pm CST
Okay I just know I'm going to have some jump down on my throat about this. But here me out...fair??
Sometime ago, I did a discussion revealing the realities and cruelties of the puppy mill business...I had gotten this info as an alert from both Best Friends and The Humane Society of the United States. I have even done an article about this "business" over at Associated Content.
All dogs (and kittens) that are found and sold in pet shops usually come from the puppy/kitten mill industry...the conditions that they are kept in are horrendous, and many are sickly to begin with
Now I just got an alert from PETA --and here's where some might jump down my throat as I know the feelings many of you have about PETA...but please listen up okay..just give me that benefit.
In this alert it relates how one of the biggest Pet chains, PetSmart, that sells birds, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and even ferrets are supplied by Rainbow World Exotics in Hamilton, Texas-you can read the alert here to me:
(email alert)
..."Video footage from a new PETA undercover investigation reveals horrific conditions for small animals and birds who are bred and brokered by a major supplier to PetSmart.
At Rainbow World Exotics in Hamilton, Texas—a massive breeding mill and one of PetSmart's main animal suppliers—PETA's investigator documented that live animals were thrown into the trash, were deprived of desperately needed veterinary care, were suffering and dying alone in their cages, and were cannibalizing each other. The investigator also found that rabbit neuter surgeries were crudely performed by a layperson in a filthy, dark room using Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to wipe blood off of the rabbits' fresh, raw incisions...."
One can click here for a video by the Today Show about this very issue
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22796930#22796930
And here is the webpage about the PetSmart cruelty itself
http://www.petsmartcruelty.com/
And here's the petition if you're interested in signing to protest against PetSmart from selling live animals especially from breeding places such as Rainbow World Exotics
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/petsmart_investigation
Isn't it bad enough that such things as puppy and kittens mills exist, without this as well for smaller animals?
7 people like this
13 responses
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
25 Jan 08
I will never buy pets from pet store. I never do. I always think that rather than buying animals there we could just adopt abandoned animals from the shelter.
What they did to small animals incision is a nightmare. I won't be surprised if the animals die or they cut the wrong organs. I pray that justice is done about this. I am sorry I can't sign the petition as it asks for personal information, but I will mention this is all of my blogs and sites. This abuse has to end.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Jan 08
Yes there are so many animals in shelters that need to be adopted, but then most people don't know the real story of what is going on and where pets come from that are sold in stores
3 people like this
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
25 Jan 08
Once again, Petco and Petsmart are not my store of choice and I am hoping people stop buying there...
They have long history of pure profit, not animal loving company....shame...
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
25 Jan 08
I only buy pet food in Traders Joe, they have holistic food that my pets love....or wellness formula online...
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Jan 08
I'm wondering if Petland is any better....that's the large pet type store in my neck of the woods...don't know if it's in your area.
2 people like this
@Carrie26 (1587)
• United States
25 Jan 08
THis is sad and it is very sick.I feel so sorry for the animals.I am a animal lover and I cant stand to see people treat them this way.I wonder how the people that were cruel to them animals would like us to do to them what they do to the poor animals.We bought hamsters along time back(male and female)) and they never had any babies.I wonder why?Well we bought a female hamster from Petco about 2years ago and bought a male hamster from a different pet store that gets animals from thier own breeders and go figure the female got pregnant.Has to be something they do to the males at Petco.Well I will have to boycott Petco and other pet stores that do this and I will tell other people as well.THis stuff needs to stop.!!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
26 Jan 08
I hate to think that the hamsters you got were neutered/spayed the same way as that rabbit they show in that video. And yes it is sad and sick...seems places like PetSmart/Petco are just in it for the money and don't think about the animals at all
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
26 Jan 08
This is horrible - we don't have a pet smart in our town but if we did I wouldn't spend a penny there. It breaks my heart watching these videos and sick to my stomach at the same time.
Only good thing I saw was the video on the Today Show that followed 'Helping Hands' where monkeys are being trained to help people who don't have the use of their own hands.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
1 Feb 08
I'm lucky I don't have a petsmart or petco near me either...wouldn't spend money there now if I did knowing this cruelty that goes on with small animals
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Jan 08
I never even realized that such "breeding" places existed for the smaller animals..and to have a major pet chain be in effect advocating such a practice is sickening...I just bet round Easter time PetSmart sells a lot of rabbits..and just think they all come from such a place as Rainbow Exotics
1 person likes this
@phillygirl606 (1112)
• United States
25 Jan 08
I would defiently have to agree with you. Pet stores are defiently fronts for the mills. I brought a parrot from petsmart a few years back. He cost me 300 to buy. Within a week that poor bird was sick. I took him back to the pet store and they wanted to give me store credit for him. I was like now why would I want store credit when you already sold me a sick bird. And the puppies in the pets store around here always look so unhappy. Such little space, no room to run around with. I learned my lesson when I brought the bird from the pet store. I for now on will go to a reputable breeder from now on. Also I would just like to add if a person is searching for a dog, all they have to do it go to the A.K.C. website. put in the breed of dog that they are searching for and a list of breeders will apprear.There is also a rating system for the breeders in there which i think is a good thing.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Jan 08
I'm beginning to wonder if other larger pet store chains are just as bad, like Petland near me. I was lucky though..years and years ago I did get a bird from them and she was my feathered companion for sixteen years--but that was then...so wouldn't be surprised if Petland also gets from breeders like the ones PetSmart relies on.
1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
25 Jan 08
I don't know about their small animals, but all birds sold at Petsmart are purchased from a company call Kaytee (I think that is how you spell it) in Florida. What Kaytee does is take in birds from small breeders, they separate the birds, then ship them to various Petsmart and other pet store. The only reason I know this is because we purchased 2 lovebirds from Petsmart roughly a year ago before they stopped carrying lovebirds. We did a ton of research before purchasing our birds there (my husband even talked to management at Kaytee birds). Even Kaytee is very flawed. They have had at least 2 major outbreaks of one of the highly contagious and deadly bird viruses which is why all of their birds are currently quarantined and have been since Thanksgiving.
I am all for PETA. I think the are extreme sometimes but they also do a lot of good. I think people should be informed about where their small animals may be coming from, but they still need to do their own research. Where do people really think these animals are coming from?
In my opinion, most people should not be owning small animals like hamsters, gerbils, etc just because they are nocturnal animals. I have hear so many people complain about how their gerbil is mean. Of course they are, you are bothering them during their sleep time, wouldn't you be mean? I also feel that many people are not properly trained to own the animals that they have.
Petsmart is not the only company with flaws. Petco and other pet stores have the same problems. They all use the same suppliers.
Doesn't anybody ever wonder where and how these place get tropical and salt water fish (which BTW and not all farmed)?
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
25 Jan 08
I would also like to add, that I did go to the last website listed on your discussion. The vast majority of the things listed that Petsmart does, I have not seen at either of our two local Petsmarts. For example - over crowded cages with bird feces in the food and or water. Their birds cages are cleaner than any other places I have been with birds. The food dishes are not under perches and they have extremely clean bedding, even for the finches. I have also seen the bird people at petsmart work heavily with their birds. At one location, one of the workers had taken the time to train almost all of their Cockatiels.
What Petsmart store sells rabbits? I have never seen a rabbit in any of our local stores or in the stores when I live in Texas.I have never seen a spayed or neutered animal (other than the adoption cats) in a Petsmart.
There war one picture that confused me. There was one with a bird that had its nails clipped for gendering. This is a common practice for bird to collect blood for genetic testing. The other option (which I think is more painful) is to rip 2-3 feathers off of the bird.
I can't even imagining working at a place like Rainbow or another place. I would be broke from taking all the animals to the Vet.
1 person likes this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
25 Jan 08
The birds at Petsmart and Petco here - they both get birds from Kaytee - have been quarantined. Apparently the birds infected are the cockatiels, which I have noticed have been taken off of display. That makes me really happy because just one speck of dander from an infected bird can infect the birds we own.
We are in the market for buying 2 more birds, but are trying to find a local breeder. We don't believe in shipping animals which is why we bought our birds originally from Petsmart. Thankfully, we may have found a local breeder because we need 2 more birds (we think our pair may be related which may lead to mentally challenged babies if they choose to breed).
I haven't seen anyone sell rabbits in quite some time. I guess they are not a popular pet.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
26 Jan 08
I think you may have missed some points from the video...while the pet store itself, like PetSmart, Petco, and so forth might keep the animals in clean cages or whatever..the video is pointing out the place like Rainbow Exotics where the animals are breed and the conditions they are kept in....This is how all those small animals and birds are breed and then shipped to the pet shops.... A place like Rainbow Exotics runs on the same prinicple as the puppy mills, and I did an extensive article for Associated Content about that and the conditions the puppies/dogs are kept in.
As for selling of rabbits...just wait...usually they are sold more during Easter time...Also how can you one-hundred vouch for the conditions of Kaytee? How do you know they are not bred and kept the same way? Have you been there? Just curious
@coffeeshot (3783)
• Australia
26 Jan 08
Thanks for discussing this.
Yes I think that PETA has made a joke of itself now and has kinda made it more difficult to get their point across about serious issues but still, they are the ones investigating and bringing these issues to the forefront.
I was horrified to read what the employees of petsmart had to say. Animals shouldn't be a money making racket but that's what it's like unfortunately. I signed the petiotion and passed it on to some friends and family who would be interested in learning about this. Hopefully through repeated education these things will not be allowed to go on anymore.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
26 Jan 08
Well it's so unfortunate that the pet "industry" is a money making business and most don't care how animals are treated, whether cats and dogs, or smaller animals like birds, rabbits, and hamsters..to them it's just an animal
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
31 Jan 08
It's pretty obvious that if there are puppy mills then there are going to be other small animal mills as well. Just wish they would all be shut down so animals don't have to live such a cruel life.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
1 Feb 08
All around it's horrible that animals are kept and bred just for the almighty dollar, cause that is what it boils down to
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
25 Jan 08
After reading your discussion, with horror and disgust, pyewacket, I could not stand to watch the video. I don't know why these things are allowed to continue in a society that is supposed to be civilized. I guess it's like they say, "Follow the money." Lately, it seems that I spend a third of my time online signing one petition or another, but, if that's what it takes to make the world a better place I am willing to do it. Thank you for staying alert and aware and being such a proponent of animal welfare.
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
26 Jan 08
Oh my god I couldn't belive this. I was so very sad reading this. I had all I could do to watch the video's. I read almost everything. It was very hard. I can't understand why they don't have some type of monitoring system that could keep a better eye on all these places. I signed the protest, and gave them my 10 cents worth as well. I really hope something can be done to stop this horrible horrile nightmare for these sweet little defenseless animals. These companies are just discusting.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
26 Jan 08
Thank you for signing the petition ...I was aware of the autrocities that go behind the puppy/kitten mill business but had no idea this went on with smaller animals as well
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
25 Jan 08
It's for this reason that I prefer getting any pets from people who need to find new homes for them. Since there are always so many I don't know why any bothers going to these pet stores and helping them continue to thrive. Is it me or is PetSmart always doing something like this anyway?
@Perspectives (7131)
• Canada
25 Jan 08
Just did an oops when I double posted a friendship message in your comment section...oh well maybe it happened because it is how I feel...and worth repeating.
I like the changes you have made to your site and I will be back to comment on your gorgeous photos...of the animals you love so much.
Thanks for posting these links...not pleasant...but something that you and others need to shine the light of truth on. I will sign the petition if I can...but sometimes sites like this exclude Canadians from participating. I plan to bookmark this...and assist you in spreading the word about the despicable treatment of animals that continues to be a growing concern in what is supposed to be a 'civilized' society.
I respect that you are the voice for so many animals who do not have one of their own!
Raia
