The Anti-Pet Store Generalization

[this_lil_piggy]

Just as a side note, I live in the center most point of B.F.E. (those of you with a potty mouth like mine, know where that is! HA). There are no dedicated guinea pig rescues within hours of me, and no shelters accept pigs. There is, however, a Petco. Guaranteed if there is a Petco or Petsmart within 100 miles of anyone, there ARE adoptable guinea pigs to be found....you just have to LOOK, and be a little creative.
I bought my first two at Petco......and I adopted the next SEVEN through someone I found right here on this website.


I never will understand why it baffles people so badly why anyone would drive 3 or 4 hours to ADOPT a pig. But people will drive to the ends of the earth to purchase a killing machine with a pedigree (pit bulls) if they want one badly enough!

[crazywiggy]

Gemstone

I'm sorry if you feel like people have been bashing you but they really haven't. They care about guinea pigs; their own, yours, ALL guinea pigs. They want people to do what is best for them, and help as many guinea pigs as possible both now and in the future.

So you bought your piggies from a pet store. So did most of us initially. We didn't know about rescue, or the cruelty involved in the breeding scene, and we though pet stores were ok. We were wrong - we have learned to accept that. From what we now know most of us would never buy a piggie from a pet store again. Why not? They are likely to be ill, mis-sexed, pregnant, mite-infested etc. Their parents were almost certainly kept in poor conditions and back bred until they died. And the pet shop almost certainly kept them in sub-standard conditions, gave out wrong information and sold them to anyone with a spare buck. When you buy a pet store piggie you PAY these people to mistreat animals, you actively encourage them to do so. Pet shops work as a business - supply and demand. If people stopped buying pets from them, they would stop selling them so breeders would stop breeding. Less animals would be kept in crap conditions and less piggies would DIE in shelters because no one wants them.

We all make mistakes, but sometimes you have to admit you were wrong and resolve to do better next time.

The reason people here make such a big deal about the issue is because a) they CARE and b) they want to educate you, so that you can help make a difference too.

Please hang around for a while and read all the other information - not just about pet stores and breeding but about piggie care, health, etc. And if you would just try to be a little calmer and more polite people would be more than willing to help you.

[DragonMom25]

Well lets see, you want us to be civil in our responses...

1, you worked at a pet store, you bought your animals from pet stores, and this entire web site is AGAINST pet stores. Yet you expect us to bend over backward because you worked there, to make an exception for you.

2, you bought a pig, a male. Then went out to buy him a "mate" and named it with a female name. Anyone with a 3rd grade education knows that boy plus girl equals babies.

3, you bash rescues yet you wont check for sure if there are any near you. You claim 6 hours and 2 states away so you are in New England. I am in extreem rural Maine and I found a rescue within an hour from me with over 30 pigs, yet I chose to drive 1.5 hours to the Humane Society to get a bonded pair of same sex friendly and healthy year old pigs. Cost $7.50 for the pair.

4, you want help, yet you ask no questions. This post itself is specific to petstores, see number 1 about why people are not patting you on the back.

5, you are new. So new members should lurk for a few days and at least read a few posts in each section before signing up, just to make sure that their values will not be stepped on by the basics of the site!

6, you bash adoptions. Well yes there are many children in need of adoption in this country, yet people go overseas to get infants. So what is wrong with American 5 year old that a Chinese 2 month old can fix? Same thing with what is wrong with an adoptable pig that a pet store pig can fix, they are younger! Younger is not always better. Having your own is a primal need, you have yours and I have mine (you stated a 7 year old daughter). I got fixed when I had my "limit" an amount of children my husband and I agreed on when we were married so that we do not overpopulate the globe (2). Because of my getting a planned c-section I was fixed not him since I was open anyway. People travel by plane to another country and you did not research to see if your local shelter accepts them. Took me 2 minutes on Petfinder.com to find Greg and Murry at the shelter, would have taken me longer to call the pet store to find out if they had any pigs for sale.

7, you want people to like you. Please re-read your posts, without tears, and realize how critical your posts sound! We are not trying to bash you, but the board is horrified that you would post this pro-pet store post on the section that is for reporting about pet store bad habbits. And this whole Board is Anti-Petstore and after reading the rules you should have realized that and kept your pet store high and mighty to yourself.

8, my suggestions: If you wanted help you should have come in and admitted your "mistake" about getting pet store pigs then gotten over it. The board here is very understanding about "mistakes" when you find it after the pigs not before. Use the brain you were born with and not get different sexes, or take the male to the vet for neutering. Try posting again and try to not bash the whole point of the board in the process and people should help you. You need to understand the board before posting so you know what to expect for responses, hense the suggestion of lurking.

[MilwCavyMom]

Whooo! That was some reading. I did accidently hit Thanks on a post I didn't mean to. (can you change that or no??)
Anyway, I agree with Voodoo to take a breather. People's emotions can get so high on a board where they are not face to face. I'm guessing Gemstone was just trying to start a discussion but it got drama filled pretty quickly which is a shame. There is the old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar. That should be a good adage for reaching and educating people.

[OSUCavies]

Originally Posted by MilwCavyMom

Whooo! That was some reading. I did accidently hit Thanks on a post I didn't mean to. (can you change that or no??)
Anyway, I agree with Voodoo to take a breather. People's emotions can get so high on a board where they are not face to face. I'm guessing Gemstone was just trying to start a discussion but it got drama filled pretty quickly which is a shame. There is the old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar. That should be a good adage for reaching and educating people.

So you're saying it's our fault that things got so dramatic?

[MilwCavyMom]

Not necessarily. What I mean is one person comes in to a forum that obviously Pro-rescue and anti-pet store and tries to start a thread saying that pet stores are fine. It would be obvious that people are going to argue against that point. I'd say she was looking to start the drama and you guys went along with it. Something I learned awhile ago from that, is if someone is trying to egg you on, to just ignore it. Or answer them as sugary-sweet as possible and they'll get fed up. Does that make sense?

Not trying to offend anyone here.

[OSUCavies]

Originally Posted by MilwCavyMom

Not necessarily. What I mean is one person comes in to a forum that obviously Pro-rescue and anti-pet store and tries to start a thread saying that pet stores are fine. It would be obvious that people are going to argue against that point. I'd say she was looking to start the drama and you guys went along with it. Something I learned awhile ago from that, is if someone is trying to egg you on, to just ignore it. Or answer them as sugary-sweet as possible and they'll get fed up. Does that make sense?

Not trying to offend anyone here.

I definitely think she started this thread with the intention to get flamed. While we DID feed into it, it's hard not to get frustrated and angry with someone that obviously started this thread with the intention of arguing with us. Because like you said, she knew this site was full of people that would get upset about a "I love petstores" thread. Her intro post was already getting defensive because we ask that things are capitalized and said she was already "afraid" to post. I think she just gave up too quickly.

Some people have different personalites than others. Some can grin and give friendly advice and educate without getting upset with the posters negative comments, others do not have that ability. I am an extremely defensive person and as soon as I feel as if my advice or help is being questioned or thrown out the window, it really ticks me off. I also have a hard time hiding my feelings. Regardless of whether it's online or not. It's just my personality and hard to change after 23 years.

[MilwCavyMom]

Originally Posted by OSUCavies

Some people have different personalites than others. Some can grin and give friendly advice and educate without getting upset with the posters negative comments, others do not have that ability. I am an extremely defensive person and as soon as I feel as if my advice or help is being questioned or thrown out the window, it really ticks me off. I also have a hard time hiding my feelings. Regardless of whether it's online or not. It's just my personality and hard to change after 23 years.

Yep, I've always been the peacekeeper. I used to have this problem in grade school with this boy who was always trying to pick fights and he was so mean. But I would just ignore him or just be really nice to him and it irritated him to no end but he'd leave me alone eventually bc I wouldn't fight back. And OSU no one expects you to change, you're quite "fun and feisty". :optimist:

[OSUCavies]

Originally Posted by MilwCavyMom

Yep, I've always been the peacekeeper. I used to have this problem in grade school with this boy who was always trying to pick fights and he was so mean. But I would just ignore him or just be really nice to him and it irritated him to no end but he'd leave me alone eventually bc I wouldn't fight back. And OSU no one expects you to change, you're quite "fun and feisty". :optimist:

Ha, I've always had a bit of fiestiness in me, but when I was in my teens, I was rather easy to walk over.

I had a boyfriend that emotionally and mentally abused me throughout the 2 year relationship and I took it over and over again. After that relationship was over, my life changed and I realized that I was a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for. Ever since that relationship ended (about 2001-2002), I've had a lot more of a fight in me and I tend to get more defensive than I used to because I'm always on the edge and trying to make sure that I'm sticking up for myself, even when it's not really necessary.

Things like that can really make a person change their attittude and personality. Sorry for the sob story, but it's definitely one of the reasons of why I'm so 'fiesty' and tend to come across as abrasive. I guess I'm still trying to prove to myself and others (who don't even know me usually) that I won't take crap from people, since I did it for so long.

[MilwCavyMom]

HUGS to you OSU and congrats on getting out. Its no sob story its a good story and courageous. Not all women (or men for that matter) can get out. Most of us have some point in our lives that can change us and test our "metal" and when we come through it we're tougher and usually much smarter.
I've just always been the quiet one who hates conflict. My boyfriend says I'm just too nice. I'm alright with that though. I'm not about to let people walk over me but I'd rather find a compromise.

[OSUCavies]

Originally Posted by MilwCavyMom

HUGS to you OSU and congrats on getting out. Its no sob story its a good story and courageous. Not all women (or men for that matter) can get out. Most of us have some point in our lives that can change us and test our "metal" and when we come through it we're tougher and usually much smarter.
I've just always been the quiet one who hates conflict. My boyfriend says I'm just too nice. I'm alright with that though. I'm not about to let people walk over me but I'd rather find a compromise.

My boyfriend is the "too nice" one, as well. I think maybe that's how we compliment each other. I'm the more bossy, fiesty, dramatic one in the relationship, while he's the patient, nice guy that puts up with my craziness. Hah. I wish I could find a happy medium. I've been told I can come across as a very abrasive person (to friends and others in person), but I think it's more because of my intent to be a leader. I think I find it difficult to be a leader and still be the "nice" girl. I feel like I need to set my boundaries and have people abide by them. Hah. Thanks to my bad relationship, I am now like this.

[MilwCavyMom]

That's funny bc my boyfriend can be the dramatic one too. I swear sometimes he tries to pick fights with me, but I can pick fights too. I'm not a leader but at the same time I can be really controling. I get that from my mom, we're both people who want things done our way, so we might as well do them ourselves. That's why I do all the cleaning. Plus I love cleaning (yeah I'm crazy).
I had a bad relationship too and it taught me 3 things, That which did not kill me made me stronger, problems show you who your true friends are, The sweet is never as sweet without the sour. I can now enjoy and appreciate a truly wonderful boyfriend because I know what the bad ones are like.

[TX_2_Pigs]

Originally Posted by MilwCavyMom

Plus I love cleaning (yeah I'm crazy).

Then you need to come to my house. I have way more than I can handle and wouldn't mind "sharing". LOL I actually like cleaning too, but I get frustrated because I am somewhat of a perfectionist and I just don't have enough time to do it the way I really want it done.

[MilwCavyMom]

I get like that sometimes too especially when my boyfriend's sons are there. But I make them clean up after themselves at least. I don't care what their room looks like bc I can close the door, so I usually just toss everything in there. :) THe only point we argue about is dishes. I H.A.T.E. doing dishes. He's not a fan of it either, so those usually pile up. My kingdom for a dishwasher!