Pet Stores What do you think of this petstore? good or bad plus your dream pet store

[trekkerpig]

Hi
In New Zealand we have a chain pet store called Animates. It's pretty standard sells pet food, hutches etc (has a GREAT range) the usual petstore animals....but they also house SPCA animals to adopt which i think is GREAT. It makes rescue animals more accessible and they often have more SPCA cats and dogs than others.

Now while I totally support this, they do have *some* small cages (i am impressed that they mostly sell large cages/hutches) and the majority or the rabbits and guinea pigs arent rescue pets. The people who work there are very experienced and look after their animals well.

So my verdict is not good but not bad, more getting there.

This got me thinking of my 'dream pet store'. A place that got their profits on selling GOOD pet products we correct sized hutches and cages quality bedding and pet food and pet toys. Maybe some books that are approved for giving good advice and then having space for rescues to have their animals so that they are more accessible. Therefore the pets would not be their business but the products for pets. I would love to see a pet store that didnt just sell a huge range of junk with only a small ammount being appropriate but with a select variety of things that are suitable! I can imagine the prices would be more expensive as it is more 'specialised' but that is really the only con i can see.

Animates are making a start but i doubt they will ever go fully rescue friendly i'm just glad they DO have this service as it means a lot more SPCA animals are being adopted!

 

[Jesseehopper]

i dont think its half bad, are the cages big and clean?? I mean the ones they house the animals in

 

[Paula]

I think a lot of folks are going to be inclined to say that as long as they are selling animals from (presumably) a breeder, despite the fact that they are also adopting out animals, that they are still actively contributing to the problem ... I think that given the reality of pet stores and what they are, they're making much more positive steps than many others.

 

[CavyMama]

I think you said it perfectly,@Paula. A petstore that sells live animals, regardless of how well they treat the animals or if they offer adoption space to the humane society, is still part of the problem, rather than the solution. And while it's great that they are making strides, it could definitely be better.

 

[trekkerpig]

they are clean and spacious much better than you'd expect from a petstore....but what the others are saying strikes a cord with me, while they are helping prevent the problem they are also still actively PART of the problem... hmm

 

[MochaAndMoo]

So they have rescue pigs and breeder pigs? That makes no sense to me, just as you said, they are helping prevent the problem but are still apart of the problem.
If you are trying to help find homeless pigs a home, but still creating more by supporting breeders, in the end they cancel each other out.

 

[mufasa]

That's pretty much the conundrum at the local Petco where I adopted Quinn. They take in small animals for adoption, yet sell breeding mill animals too. For dogs and cats, they have humane society adoptions. I like them better than the Petsmarts around here, which don't take unwanted small animals, even though they also do humane society adoptions of dogs and cats, but "like" is a relative term. I'd like it a heck of a lot more if they totally embraced their "adoption first" policy and ditched the breeding mills. I made my opinion clear (in a nice way) when I adopted Quinn, but I'm sure it has to change at the corporate level.

 

[oldnewie]

What happens though to the poor pigs which result from breeders?

 

[RodentCuddles]

Honestly, I have never and will never buy an animal from Animates.

If anyone in NZ wants a guinea pig..they can adopt one from my rescue, the SPCA or find ones needing homes on Trademe (NOT from a breeder).

Animates gets their rats, rabbits, mice, cats, dogs, birds and lizards from breeders (I've seen one of the rat breeders house..it was horrible..I would never support that and neither should animates if they care about the rats)..while yes they do also help out the SPCA with taking in some dogs, cats and rabbits they still sell animals who they get from breeders.....they care more about selling animals so people come back to get foods and toys for the animals then if the animals go to good homes.

They are an okay pet shop (Much better then Pet Shop! They're horrible.) But I would never buy an animal from them..The only thing we buy from them is Aspen and Carefresh...we get hay from a farmer, guinea pig pellets from the Chinchilla rescue, rat and mouse food from the rat rescue...we try to avoid going to the pet shop at all cost.

I would love to see Animates adopt out rats for the rat rescue (one lady I know in wellington has 50 + rats in her house she is looking after for the rescue), help out the turtle rescue lady and help her adopt out the turtles and just plain stop selling animals and just out of the good of their heart help the rescues..

I had to chuckle when on Trademe a breeder must of read my add (Saying :Auckland Cavy Care is a rescue not a pet shop or breeder. Every guinea pig that comes here is technically homeless hence why we use the term 'adopt' not 'buy' as we do not breed nor do we sell guinea pigs for profit.)

and they then wrote at the top of theres..
Even though I use the term 'buy' not 'adopt' I do not breed for profit, it is impossible to profit in breeding Guinea Pigs. I am a registered Breeder with the New Zealand Cavy Council.
And a member of the Auckland Cavy Club.
I do on occasion have pedigree , showable Guinea Pigs for sale.

(I wonder why the breed then??? To risk a sows life? To add more to the homeless guinea pigs?? Why? What for?)

 

[CavyMama]

(I wonder why the breed then??? To risk a sows life? To add more to the homeless guinea pigs?? Why? What for?)

I run into this a lot when dealing with cat & dog breeders. It seems like they don't see themselves as part of the problem. They see overpopulation as a "shelter animal" problem. They only view what they do as "bettering the breed" but don't think about how for every animal that is bought from a breeder, a shelter animal misses out on a home and may be euthanized because of it.

 

[CandyApple]

Honestly? As long as the pet store is selling animals, I wouldn't go there. If you think about it this way: A litter of guinea pigs is born. All of them are brought to the pet store. All of them are sold. Someone can't take care of one of the guinea pigs any more. They surrender it to a rescue. Pig ends back up in store, up for adoption.
Most come from mills and back yard breeders, so the pet shop won't be getting there in my eyes until all animals apart from the adoption animals are gone.