Quote:
|
When does someone who has never owned a guinea pig, and perhaps never owned a pet say to themselves, "Ah yes, I feel like I would like a guinea pig in my life. Let me consult the nearest Cavy rescue center." The answer is never.
|
Actually, quite a few people on this forum have done research first and have ended up adopting guinea pigs rather than purchasing them.
Quote:
|
Having a rescue fuel the demand of your local Petsmart is ideal, because pigs on "death row" are given homes, breeders are made obsolete, and the end consumer is none-the-wiser.
|
This is an excellent idea; unfortunately, while some stores participate in this sort of thing, not all of them do, particularly in the big chain stores. Some of the big chains do adoptions only while others still sell animals. How are you to know which is which? You can't - which is why you have to take the hard line, the "rigid mentality", to boycott them until the policy of selling animals is completely reversed.
What I'm not understandin is what your point is. You don't agree with the rigid mentality, but you see that overpopulation is a problem that pet stores contribute to. So ... what are you advocating here?
Quote:
|
What I am objecting to is this rigid mentality that they are evil, we are good, and no cooperation can exist, because that would be dealing with the devil. This sounds great and makes one feel all warm and fuzzy and righteous inside, but does little to change things, and dooms more and more generations of pigs to the current way of things
|
It actually does a lot to change things. This same rigid mentality brought about the end of the sales of dogs and cats in pet stores. I don't see why the same thing can't happen with guinea pigs, chinchillas, hamsters, etc.
The more people are educated about this, the more people will boycott pet stores that sell animals. And maybe, when stores realize that
selling animals isn't making them any revenue, then and only then will they realize that
adoption is the way to go.
(Edited to add:
Quote:
|
but screaming at them and acting like the morons at PETA is really not a constructive way to instigate change.
|
- you might want to be careful with these kinds of statements. I - and many others on this forum - are very PROUD to be one of "the morons at PETA".)