Nine Reasons Why You Should Never BUY an Animal Companion from a Pet Store

I grew up always wanting a Golden Retriever. Then one day my parents were looking through the newspaper and the SPCA's "Pet of the Week" caught their eye. Pet of the Week is a classified ad in the paper for a specific animal up for adoption at our local animal shelter. Deacon looked so cute in his picture that I begged my dad that we go by and meet him. About an hour after meeting the overweight Rottweiler mix, we took him home and he's been with us for 8 years now.

The only issue my dog had (and still has) is a love for food. He dropped 30 pounds when we got him and is now down to his ideal weight. He's very low maintenance and just likes to lay around, snack, and bark when people come to the door. He's such an awesome dog.

Rescue a dog from a shelter!

Just become a druid and you automatically get one at first level. Duh.

If you are going to find an animal from a pet store, I would recommend going to a small non-chain store. I have worked as a pet-care employee at a small family pet store, AND at Petsmart, and I can tell you that I would trust the small company over the big chain stores any day.

Animals at small stores get more personal attention every day, and the employees really get to know them. At that store we were careful to match up animals with the people who we thought would fit best with them. At Petsmart they just told us to sell as much as possible as long as the adopting parents seemed to know what they were talking about.

However, a positive note for Petsmart: they do not sell dogs and cats. All of their dogs and cats are brought in from local shelters and adopted out. So don't rule them out as a place to save an animal that needs a home.

My family had several "AKC" dogs over the years. Many were sick, or not "quite right." Of course, we loved them, anyway.
I bred cats for a short time, because it was an accident of laziness [my partner owned them]. These Abyssinians were expensive, and they were given to known good homes. Personally, I would have chosen a mixed breed: more likely to be well-adjusted.
The entire industry of raising animals for our enjoyment is suspicious. There are responsible breeders, of all types of animals [like sheep, which I once had as "lawn-mowers"]. People choose to OWN animals for many reasons.
The question of BUYING an animal is wise to bring to the op-ed pages. Animals need homes now. Puppies and kittens are cute, but often a great deal of work. Homeless cats and dogs: this should not happen in 2010.
And worst of all, in places like Manhattan, where I live, animals are dropped off at the shelter when the owner has had enough of the companionship.
Perhaps it is also time to assess where & when it is humane to have a pet, and where & when it is not. peace ...woof

And don't overlook older animals! I got a 3 year old pitbull from the local animal shelter and she's great. She went through one of those prison training programs so she knew how to sit, stay, and walk good on a leash from the start. She is so happy to be free everyday

I rescued my cat from a no-kill shelter. She had been living there for 4 years. Had she been somewhere else, she may have been euthanized ages ago.

We bonded for some reason, even though she had an attitude around the other cats. The day I was finally able to bring her home, she became the most loving, easygoing animal I've ever had. She HATED having her belly touched before, and now she rolls over and exposes her tummy willingly, begging you to rub it! She even purrs while she eats. I've had her for a month now, and she's been a wonderful companion. Even my fiancé, who is allergic to cats, is in love with her. She's just so grateful to have a happy, loving home.

I volunteer at that no-kill shelter, and I've seen many cats come and go, but my cat Loki is a true testament to what any animal can be like when placed in a loving home.

Yes, please adopt! Save a homeless animal from either a lifetime in a cage or euthanasia!

Adopt and donate!!

Thank you for the post EthicalVegan!!

I thought I would share this as well. I think it illustrates the consequences for pet store animals.

I've been guilty of buy from pet stores. I got 4 of my rats from some. The one dwarf rat that I got was super aggressive. He bit me almost to the bone when I was trying to play with him at the store. I had to buy him. Nobody would ever buy a rat like that unless they were going to use it as a feeder. After about 2 weeks, he was sitting on my shoulder all day. He was only biting from the stress of being in a pet store and quickly calmed down when he was treated properly.

Not long after that, I found another dwarf that bit 2 people while I was in the store, drawing blood. Then he bit me too. Well, I had to get him too for the same reasons. After I got him home I realized that he was blind. So that's where the aggression came from. He never really warmed up to me but I'm sure he led a better life with me than someone with less patience.

Then, on another occasion, I saw a guy taking two large rats from a cage and taking them to the back. I asked him why he was taking them and if I could see them. He told me that they were too old to sell; That they had been there for over a year. Rats usually only live about 2 years anyway. One of them was totally haggard and had a poorly healed broken leg. The other was mainly fine except for being terribly over stressed. Both rats had what is known as "bumble-foot", which is caused by long periods on a cage floor instead of a softer smooth surface. He sold me both for an insulting $3. So, I had to take the rat with the broken leg to the vet and shelling out a cool hundred bucks. But they lived another year and a half. Far longer than if they stayed in the store.

I guess my point is: Pet stores are not good for animals. The employees are, all too often inexperienced and uninformed. They are notoriously neglectful and I was lucky enough to save these little guys from a terrible existence. Even after the huge vet bill, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. They all were some of the best pets I've ever owned. Still, adoption is absolutely the best way to go.

If you have the patience and skill, I highly suggest "special needs" animals. They have the least chance of ever being adopted and are the most in need of our love.

And remember, do your research and see how thoroughly the person with the animal up for adoption questions you. If they are legitimate, they're most likely going to ask you a TON of questions. Basically, if something seems amiss, it most likely is. It goes both ways. Find out as much as you can about the other person. Don't be afraid to ask them a ton of questions as well.

When I was adopting my rats a few years back, I was on the phone with the woman probably 4 times. She was even caring enough to drive to my home and make sure I had an adequate cage and living conditions. I really liked that. Not many people would go through that much trouble for a few rats.

Another cautionary note. If you yourself have an animal up for adoption, never trust anyone that offers you an inordinate amount of money for the animal. That's how animal testing facilities scam people out of their animals. I had a friend that was offered $3000 for a dog that was up for adoption. It turned out that it was on of these facilities. The best way to avoid this is don't put ads in the newspaper or Pennysaver or in any public place such as a gas station or pet store. Always try to work with an agency like the Humane Society or a reputable independent rescue facility.

http://www.petfinder.com/index.html

Thanks for this, EthicalVegan!

Adopt and donate. Simple transaction you see work.

i hear ya. i am thinking of adopting a dog but when my friend moves in he might bring his dogs with him :D

I remember I got my dog for free at the vet's office when I went to put down my old dog, the vet was like "hey do you want a free dog by any chance? Someone left a puppy in front of our office in a box" so I was like "Fuck yes! Free puppy!"

I wondered why only one puppy was left in the box at first, thinking "most puppies are born in big ass litters right?" Come to find out my new wittle puppy is batshit insane. He's also insanely smart, he can learn a new trick in two days flat. But he will bite anything moved in front of his face even years later now that he's no longer a puppy. It's like a reflex, something near nose *SNAP!* He got kicked out of K-9 manners class for biting some chick's face who thought he was cute looking (I told her he would bite her mind you, she didn't listen), he stares down dogs that are 5 times his size into submission, he's got the 'crazy eyes' stare down (which is hilarious to see, they'll whimper and run off even if they're some massive pitt bull or something drooling with rage) and he tries to eat birds out of the small tree in my backyard by jumping 9 feet up into the branches. AND HE ACTUALLY CATCHES THEM SOMETIMES. He's figured out how to snap fence posts out so he can get into my neighbor's yard if they're having a barbecue or something. He'll dig 1 and half foot deep holes all along the sidewalk if I take him out for a walk and will use his mouth as a shovel (have never seen another dog do that while digging).

Suffice to say my 'rescue dog' is the craziest fucking dog I've ever seen. And I love every bit of him! :D

Besides, when things really tank and you have to eat them, you feel better about it being less of an investment.
(Sorry, just kiddin', EV.)

Here in the "greater" Los Angeles area, the kill rate at our shelters is horrifying. If a cat is feral or stray, she will be killed almost immediately - most are not given ANY grace period whatsoever. If there are kittens involved, the shelters will hold them for a few days but, if no one comes in to adopt them, then they are also killed. If they are feral kittens, they're killed almost immediately, too.

TNR is the only answer for those people who see stray cats and kittens in their neighborhoods or at their places of business. TNR means trap, neuter, return. There are organizations who will lend out humane traps (along with instructions), as well as help set up appointments to get everyone spayed/neutered, and then the feral or stray kittens and cats are returned to where they're now living (unable to reproduce).

There are purebred dogs and cats at the shelters, if someone's snobby enough to "require" such an animal. I've personally found the "mutts" end up being the dearest family members.

Yes, Mariased, your rescuing those two cutie-pies was the ONLY way to go, and I just know they will forever be grateful that you brought them home to safety and food and love.

Excellent post! More people need to realize how important adopting from shelters really is. I rescued both of my babies and they're the sweetest and I can't imagine what could have happened to them if I didn't give them a home.