pet stores should not be allowed to sell chins

[Easterpiggy]

pinkchinchin, we have a petstore near my house that gets all of their puppies from breeders and are very proud of that fact. it is just that their puppies are a little more on the pricey side because of it and they provide the first vet visit and all shots.

 

[caiti]

"I went back and bought her because I had a feeling deep down inside that she was the one that I bred, and I felt like it was my responsibility. Well, I called the person I had sold to and they said that they sold her to the petstore because they were running low on funds. I was SO upset."

Think how lucky you and her are though, that you've gotten her back into a loving home. You could have not been in that store that day and you would've never known!! At least she got her way back to you.

It's impossible to predict how a person will act when they've had a pet and other circumstances come up. I adopted a chin recently and I think about what I would do if I had to adopt out a pet I've had for a while and I can't even imagine not freaking out about who I let care for it. I've been emailing the woman who I adopted my chin from and attaching pics because I know it would make me feel better if I were her. Asking that of someone you're adopting a chin/any animal out to isn't a bad idea.

 

[caiti]

yea I haven't quite got the hang of qouting yet...

 

[Spoof]

I'm with Laurie. I think pet stores need better quality control, but do not think they should be banned from selling animals.

Two of the three here do a very good job of keeping the animals clean and healthy. The third is privately owned and smells/looks terrible inside.

 

[fanofdmb84]

pinkchinchin, we have a petstore near my house that gets all of their puppies from breeders and are very proud of that fact. it is just that their puppies are a little more on the pricey side because of it and they provide the first vet visit and all shots.

Most pet stores will claim their puppies are from "breeders". Breeder is a very loose term...it may mean a BYB (back yard breeder) or a puppy mill. Petland, for example, is notorious for selling puppy-mill dogs, but they will all tell you they are from "breeders". They charge more for puppies because they have to split the profit with the puppy mill/BYB!

NO responsible breeder who breeds for the betterment of a breed and who is involved in showing and putting titles on their dogs would EVER sell puppies to a pet store.

I imagine chin breeders would agree--if you sell an animal to a pet store, you have NO idea where it will end up. Plus the new owners will never know about the parents, the genetics of the animal, nothing.

 

[pinkchinchin]

Yeah no responsible breeder would EVER EVER let their puppies be sold in petstores

 

[Carol~Anne]

I guess I'm okay with the pet shops selling hamsters, gerbils and mice etc. b/c they're pretty low maintenance and do have short life spans, but I just hate to see chinchillas sold there b/c they do require a bit of a special diet and although they look extremely cute and cuddly they're not and don't make good pets for kids for the most part and they can live quite a long time. I think that a lot of people have bought chinchillas and have gotten themselves into owning a pet that they really don't know much about and end up really not being happy with them and either end up returning or rehoming them. They're just too darn cute for their own good unfortunately.

 

[bpayne1217]

Aww that's horrible both stories. But if you are going to buy a chin why on earth would you sell it (or ANYTHING) to a pet store. Pet stores should sell nothing but supplies. I almost got a ferret the other day cuz the poor little thing was alone and whining and drinking from the nastiest possible water...it was horrible. I even feel bad for the fish in some of these places....it's just disgusting. No one knows how to care for these animals. :-/

 

[Chins To Love]

I got my first chin from a pet store, she was so neglected. After that I bought all of my chins from breeders, they are so much healthier and happier. Only one pet store around here sells chins, and most of what they have are chins that someone owned and didn't want any longer. They have an okay cage for them to stay in, but you can tell they just don't get enough attention. I talked to the manager at Pet Extreme here and he said they will not carry chins because they can't give them the attention that they need in a pet store enviroment. Now I buy all my supplies, and fish from them.

 

[harleycowgirl22]

Glad you got her back. British Columbia (Canada) is trying to outlaw the sale of animals in pet stores. I hope it becomes law.

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/...l_animals_100318/20100318?hub=BritishColumbia

that makes me nervous also. there are so many "back yard" breeders out there for all sorts of animals, not just chins. many ranchers and other people that know what they are doing supply these petstores and yes they are not as great as the show animals but having people that do not know what they are doing breeding and selling these animals are a lot scarier.

i would love to see more restictions on the petstores and see them have to take responsibility for poor care of their animals etc but the thought of banning the sale of animals from petstores also scares the heck out of me because people are stupid and always looking for a "get rich quick" market they will not screen owners or ask questions they just want the money in their pockets and there are not enough agencies to catch all the back yard breeders. and chins are relativly easy to have a large quantity of and not get caught with them.

i mean no offense or disrespect to anyone i just wanted to vent a little on this because i deal with a lot of the dog and cat rescue centers out this way and there is a new "bunny house (bunny rescue center) that just moved into my neighborhood and they have almost 2000 bunnies because people think they can breed they and sell them to pet stores and people and it does not work out that way i dont want to see the quality of any more animals go down.

i have no need to buy a chin from a pet store but i cant help but play with them every time i see one and want to "rescue" all of them i see even with all the very knowledgeable and reputable breeders that are out my way. most people are just uneducated with chins i have had them for 20+ years and im still learning new things with them.
my rant is over sorry all

 

[Linda]

I guess I'm okay with the pet shops selling hamsters, gerbils and mice etc. b/c they're pretty low maintenance and do have short life spans, but I just hate to see chinchillas sold there b/c they do require a bit of a special diet and although they look extremely cute and cuddly they're not and don't make good pets for kids for the most part and they can live quite a long time. I think that a lot of people have bought chinchillas and have gotten themselves into owning a pet that they really don't know much about and end up really not being happy with them and either end up returning or rehoming them. They're just too darn cute for their own good unfortunately.

I don't think it's any better for the pet stores to sell the smaller rodents than chins. If they only live half their life spans due to poor breeding, it's really irrelevant how long their life spans are. I think the lower cost makes those animals more of an impulse buy, and the numbers in rescue and shelters is far, far more than people will ever adopt. Many shelters just put them down without even bothering to list them for adoption. And hamsters and mice at least don't make good kids pets (can't speak for gerbils since they're "restricted" and not sold in my state).

Pet stores are equally bad for all of the pets they sell. Most are mass produced and have high rates of health problems. Most employees are not trained well and know very little about most pets they're selling. Food sold in pet stores for all rodents is sub-par and treats are attractively marketed and pushed by workers. Cages tend to be small, escape prone, and sub-optimal overall. It really doesn't matter what animal you speak of, the problems are pretty much the same.

Pet stores are not a great place to get a pet.

i would love to see more restictions on the petstores and see them have to take responsibility for poor care of their animals etc but the thought of banning the sale of animals from petstores also scares the heck out of me because people are stupid and always looking for a "get rich quick" market they will not screen owners or ask questions they just want the money in their pockets and there are not enough agencies to catch all the back yard breeders.

But this is also true. Were the pet stores to quit selling live animals, someone would fill the void. Too many purchasers are more concerned about price and convenience than the actual animal they are buying, and the backyard breeders would be there immediately to fill the void -- and would use the weak mass-produced pet store animals to start their breeding business!

It comes back to the fact that anyone purchasing an animal has to educate themselves first. Rescues and shelters are full not because there are too many pets but because there is a pet retention problem. People don't educate themselves and don't commit to what they buy. They dump a pet because it's convenient and get another one instead. Until the people change, the problems will continue for all live animals.
Linda