Completely, totally disgusted!

Getting a guinea pig from a pet store, no matter how deplorable the conditions, isn't rescuing. Buying a guinea pig from a pet store is purchasing merchandise. You may improve the life of the pig you buy, but the pet store will then turn around and order more pigs from their breeder, condemning more pigs to live the same existence as the one you bought.

It would be much better to simply report the conditions of this store to the store manager, the CEO of the pet store, and the SPCA/Humane Society to try to get it rectified and then adopt a guinea pig from a shelter.

I've talked to the manager before and he told me that everything in the store is cleaned and sterilized daily.. yeah, right! Which is why there is bird poop 3 meters away from each cage, caked onto the floors. Flies galore hovering about animals and their waste. I know it has been reported to the ospca before, but I don't think anything has been done.

Infact, I KNOW it has been reported, because there was a young guy in there when I adopted Malaika reporting them to the shelter. I think they are just barely thin-lining the pet store rules or however that works, and therefore just get warnings that are never followed up on. I hate this, I want to shut them down myself. :weepy:

Report it again and again until they do something. Please don't get a pig there. You might think you will be rescuing it or saving it, but you won't be. You will be contributing to the petstore and their nasty conditions if you buy a pig.

It's just so horrible though, I hate the conditions that they are in and it breaks my heart to see such sweet animals like that. They shouldn't have to live like that at all.. They breed their own animals, because there was a male sugar-glider my mom was looking at and would have likely bought, but they said he isn't for sale because they are trying to get a hold of a female and make some babies!

Edit: I've reported it again. This pet store has come a long way though, as in the beginning every animal suffered in some way. Now it is only guinea pigs. I had bought a turtle from them before, as they had too many in an aquarium that just wasn't big enough and he couldn't get up for air or food, as other turtles kept pushing him back down. His name is Boo. I know it wasn't right to buy him but when I see something like that I just can't stand the thought of leaving them there in that situation. They had also gotten a snake from somebody, and I asked them what they were feeding him and they said nothing, they don't know what or how to feed it. :eye-poppi

It breaks all our hearts, but think about this, would you rather be part of the problem or part of the solution? If you want to be part of the solution, you won't buy a pig from there. Even if you take one pig, the rest will be forced to live in the same conditions as the others. So what good will it do to buy one pig? Only that one pig would be given a good home. Even if you bought every pig they have, they will just get more and continue their abusive cycle all over again. Just think on what I have said though, to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem you have to think clearly with your mind and not your heart.

On a side not, print out the care phamplet from guinealynx and take it there and teach them the proper way to house, feed and take care of the pigs. Teaching and educating will get them a lot farther than just buying a single pig and leaving the rest condemned to stay and live the crappy life they are living.

Please report it. It sounds like these are sick pigs, in diplorable conditions. The Ontario SPCA DOES charge petstore owners with cruelty, it happend with some sick kittens in Niagara falls. If it does not get any attention, report it again, and again. Let us know, and we can report it too. If you possibly can, get pictures of it. If the store emplyees want to know why, tell them you need to show your boyfriend which pigs you want him to get!

Do not buy from here. Please please please don't. They may be at your shelter very shortly.

Is it a chain store or a Mom and Pop operation? I find up here PJ's Pets is the worst chain. The piggies are not on wire, but the chinchillas, degus and girbils are. Poor things were sitting in a huddle on top of food dishes and each other.

They also don't gaurantee the sex of the piggies and have them loosely sorted according to "breed".

Thanks for the ideas. Even though I am 18, my mom would freak out if she even knew that I just emailed the shelter to report it, as she is afraid they will put me in court to testify or something silly like that. Is anybody here in the Stratofrd, Ontario area?

Why would it matter if you have to testify? It's not like everything you do in court leads to jail.

If anything one would argue it is you civic duty to report it and be willing to be a witness for any legal action taken against them. You are a citizen, the court and crown should be able to call on you when need be.

I would go to the shelter and put up a fuss. Emails can be ignored easier.

Argh, I just tried to reply but my computer messed up and now I don't remember all of what I said. This is what I do remember:

I'll do that when the shelter opens again. I was thinking though.. and I am currently trying to find a career choice so I can go to college. What do you think it would take to become a pet-store inspector in ontario? I have a hard time trying to locate information like this. I might go to the animal shelter and ask their "run-around guy" as I call him. He's also the one who bonded most with Malaika while she was there so he should have no problem talking to me

I'll do that when the shelter opens again. I was thinking though.. and I am currently trying to find a career choice so I can go to college. What do you think it would take to become a pet-store inspector in ontario? I have a hard time trying to locate information like this. I might go to the animal shelter and ask their "run-around guy" as I call him. He's also the one who bonded most with Malaika while she was there so he should have no problem talking to me

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I am pretty sure there is no position in Ontario as a "petstore inspector". Generally these sorts of things are lumped under a city/towns Animal Control Services. That is why we are urging you so much to go to the shelter and make a fuss about what you saw. I would mention the pigs being bred before they are sold, but I am not sure that is really a violation. More importantly are the obvious housing inequities (filth and size)and most importanlty, what sounds like horrific mite infestations causing mange. These two issues, especially what sounds like mange I am certain can be classified as animal cruelty.

If you want to work with animals, I strongly suggest you look into volenteering at the local SPCA, and look into a Vet Tech Program. Georgian College offers a really good one. I know you said before that you did not think you could work with sick animals, but that goes with really just about any job that deals so directly with animals. On the flip side of it, think how many animals you could help? Vet techs don't just work in vet clinics, they also work on race tracks, animal shelters, lots of places.

However, you are going to have a hard time getting anyone to take you to seriously at 18 without a solid postsecondary education and a ton of animal related experiance.

I don't mean this to sound harsh, I think it is just the reality.

I thought this article might be of interest:
(broken link removed)

It is about the kittens in Niagara Falls. The penalty was not very high, Ontario Sucks for that, but I believe it is on a scale where with each offense, it escalates.

I just want to quote a couple paragraphs from the article, If I can't do this, feel free to remove them mods:

[font=Verdana,Trebucet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif;]

[font=Verdana,Trebucet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif;]“The kittens had very poor body conditions when taken to the veterinarian and should have received medical attention as soon as they showed signs of poor health in the pet store,” says Ontario SPCA Inspector Don Horvath. “Just because they were no longer considered ‘sellable’ by the store doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have received all the necessary care. Pet stores in possession of an animal have a responsibility under the law to provide suitable and adequate veterinary care for them.” [/font]

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And for your thoughts on career development:
[font=Verdana,Trebucet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif;]

[font=Verdana,Trebucet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif;]A word about the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Ontario SPCA):
Protecting animals since 1873, the Ontario SPCA is a registered charity comprised of 27 branches and 31affiliated humane societies and SPCAs. Under the OSPCA Act, Ontario SPCA investigators have the same powers as police officers when enforcing animal cruelty laws. The Society’s concern is ensuring the welfare of all animals – large and small, wild and domesticated – through cruelty investigations, animal care and rehabilitation, government and industry advocacy, and public education. [/font][font=Verdana,Trebucet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif;]
Charitable Business Number 88969-1044-RR0002[/font]

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[/font]

I just wanted to add that testifying is really no big deal, however I would think that the Animal control officers would not need you, if it gets to court, they will have done a full investigation.[/font]

Thank you for the great link and quotes! I think an investigator of animal cruelty might be the right path for me. Last year in my grade 12 philosophy class my friends and I did a hgue project on animal abuse and cruelty, and many of us cried during the presentation lol I guess if it wasn't effective on the class, at least it was effective on us! I enjoyed doing it and felt great sympathy for the animals. My boyfriend tells me almost every day "you cant save them all," but what if we all said "then I will try to save just one more" every time we helped an animal? Imagine how many we could help? Anyway, I'm off to bed. Night everybody.

If you buy a guinea pig from a petshop to save it from horrible conditions, is that bad?

The Magic Taco said:

If you buy a guinea pig from a petshop to save it from horrible conditions, is that bad?

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You have to remember (and every now and them I need a kick to remind myself of this) stores do not care to whom or where the animals go - all they care is that anotehr spot is opened up for another animsl to be brought in for sale. Even if you tell them why you are taking the critter out, they don't care - profit driven only. They have your money.

It took me a long time to realize this harsh truth and I worked in a shelter for about five years and have been associated with various rescues for many more.

Since stores are profit driven, you have to hit the wallet. If something does not sell, they will no longer carry it. A friend of mine's husband is a district manager for an electrical products company that does residentail and contractor work (they provided materials for the Pentagon rebuild). When he goes in to help turn around a failing store, the first thing he looks for what items are on the floor that are not selling - they go in favor of needed items. All retail basically works the same, demand drives supply. As long as there is a demand, an item will be sold.

So, there are a couple options, you can work with local government (and this takes TIME, serious time but can be done - I am going this route) to ban retail sale from stores of pets. It is AMAZING how many pets in rescues were impulse bought at stores. You can also work with public education (one thing I do with some of my dog lectures is teach potential dog owners to think about not only the commitment but also choosing a better source than a store - I gear a lot towards rescues).

But all buying an animal does regardless of the intent is make it so another can be mill bred and shoved in its place.

Hard to steel ourselves to this but it is tha harsh truth about retail pet sales and profit.

If you buy a guinea pig from a petshop to save it from horrible conditions, is that bad?

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Yes it is. Think about the sow back at the mill or back yard breeder, who is backbred from one litter to the next, eating garbage food, housed in a 1x1 container, no veggies, no love. Her only purpose is to provide babies for the pet trade, and no one cares about her overall health or quality of life. The only thing that releases her from this horrible existance is to finnaly die.

Every time you "rescue" a pig from a petstore, the store orders one to replace it, guarenteeing that this cycle of misery continues for her and her cohorts. Don't buy, don't be part of the problem that has this pig living such a miserable life. You can make a difference.

Also, you rescue the pig from misery, but are you going to rescue the pig that replaces it? Or the next pig? or the next pig? How many are you going to rescue? If the store can't sell them, they will not order them.

Thank you for the great link and quotes! I think an investigator of animal cruelty might be the right path for me. Last year in my grade 12 philosophy class my friends and I did a hgue project on animal abuse and cruelty, and many of us cried during the presentation lol I guess if it wasn't effective on the class, at least it was effective on us! I enjoyed doing it and felt great sympathy for the animals. My boyfriend tells me almost every day "you cant save them all," but what if we all said "then I will try to save just one more" every time we helped an animal? Imagine how many we could help? Anyway, I'm off to bed. Night everybody.

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I am sure it would be a very rewarding career, however you mentioned you have a hard time seeing an animal suffer. Have you watched the Toronto Humane Society infomercials? What you will see in this role is absolutely unbelievable. Much worse then you would ever see in a vet office. It is a wonderful occupation for effecting great change for animal welfare, but it isn't the job for everyone. If you really want to go this route, I highly suggest contacting several SPCA's and humane societies and asking them about qualifications for this role.

Good Luck

Taco, I think you need to re-read this entire thread.

Cavies & Kids:

However, you are going to have a hard time getting anyone to take you to seriously at 18 without a solid postsecondary education and a ton of animal related experiance.

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Sorry, I missed your post before. I'd like to say something, not to argue, just to give some information. I have my grade 12 diploma, volunteered at the humane society when I was 13, and have TONNES of experience with animals. I've been into animals since I was 4 years old or younger. We lived on a "100 acre woods" in the middle of nowhere and I had to take an hour long bus ride to get to school. There was no other kids around to play with so I made friends with animals instead. Here is a short list of pets I have had/do have:

snakes
lizards
salamandars
frogs
toads
cats
hamsters
gerbils
mice
dogs
fish
turtles
newts
rabbits/bunnies

I could go on. Animals have been my life since I was a very little girl. I still remember my very first snake at 11. Just because I am only 18, that does not mean that I am not a mature INDIVIDUAL with a lot of experience. From the age 8-13 I started an animal rescue with my friend. We made crafts and went door to door to raise money for the local animal shelter, and made up business cards and care sheets. Any time somebody we knew found an animal in distress we were called to help it. I hand raised a newborn (as in week old or less) until it gave up fighting. I thought it was going to make it, but unfortunately it was just too young. I even had to take a q-tip to its bum to make it do its business. R.I.P Twitchy :weepy:

Anyway, like I said I don't mean to argue with you at all, or to be rude because I really hope this isn't coming off that way. I just mean that if people take the time to get to know me they will realize that there is more to me than just some 18 year old who JUST got her grade 12 in June, and was an honour student. :sorry: