Heartwrenching

[Aludarie]

Has anyone else had a pet store experience that required every ounce of your willpower and self control?

The last time I was at the pet store (unfortunately it's the best place to pick up piggy kibble at the moment) my bf and I got snagged by some bunnies hanging out in an open cage in the store. I usually try to grab my items and run out of these stores as fast as possible, looking at the animals is always so depressing. But this day there were a couple bunnies lounging around, they looked so relaxed and calm we stopped to admire them. One of the buns was hanging out in one of the super big log huts and we saw this strange grey bit of fluff moving around with the bunny, we stopped looked closer and a teeny tine guinea pig clambered out! This little guy was probably the most exuberant guinea pig I've ever seen, he popcorned around the cage and climbed and jumped over the rabbits. It was so cute, and darned depressing... He was just tiny and scruffy with the most interesting grey and tan coloring, I wanted to rescue him sooo badly!

It took all my self control to resist, I knew it was terrible to buy from a pet store, I knew I didn't need another pig, I knew I'd need to take "him" to a vet to be properly sexed. But he was so adorable, and improperly housed with rabbits, and scruffy darnit! Either way, it was heart breaking to leave the store that day. I did stop and mention to an employee that it was very dangerous for such a little pig to be with rabbits and of course they made an excuse about it just being temporary. At the end I think that's really all I could've done, maybe I should've made more of a fuss and asked for a manager? Sadly I'm not sure it would've made a difference, most of the pets there make it pretty clear management doesn't care about the animals.

Any one else suffer heart pangs at the hands of a pet store? Tell me your stories!

[Morningstar_S]

My mom resuced a Puppy in TX to bring home to MN. We didn't know where to buy food and toys down there, so my mom stopped at a local pet store. They were aweful!! There was 3 cages full of rats and each had at least one dead rat in them!! Worse, the staff didn't seem to care! It was so sad. Thankfully, we have a great local, no animal selling supply store up here, Chuck&Don's!!

[Froggirl009]

I have allways wanted an abby guinea pig. We went to this petstore to look for a crate for my dog. In the back there were 3 abbys in a really small cage. I mean they couldn't even move. I wanted them so badly but I couldn't take them.

[Cogni]

It takes all one's self control doesn't it? The individual animal is right there in front of you, reaching your senses, but the general principle of "don't support breeders and the pet stores who support them" is floating up there more amorphously. You have to think of the animals who will be bred to replace the ones you buy.

I don't know if I could resist in all and every circumstances, but I would try. The case of the 'piggies in the drawer' in the back of a pet store that we discussed on here would have taxed me to my utmost. They were being given away as "defective merchandise" because they didn't sell. (fume)

[Sirene]

I don't know if I could resist in all and every circumstances, but I would try. The case of the 'piggies in the drawer' in the back of a pet store that we discussed on here would have taxed me to my utmost. They were being given away as "defective merchandise" because they didn't sell. (fume)

Dear lord... I would have taken them all, and reported the pet store to anyone who would listen. "Defective merchandise"