I have not been vocal on this for a while, but I feel strongly about the pet industry
and feel I must speak up...
We have a cargo truck specifically
equipped for moving small furry animals. We deliver animals
to large petstores with this vehicle. We also have animals
shipped to us via airlines as we need to. I appreciate your
concern for these animals.
I am skeptical of this and would like to know how specifically their vehicle is
specially equipped. Hmm. Typically in the pet industry, the cost of "losing a few"
of whatever animal is far less than any "special equipment" used to protect their
well-being. Also, last time I checked, shipping via air was extremely expensive per
animal. I don't, however, know whether they can work out some sort of "bulk deal".
But like I said, I'm skeptical.
That said, I'd be extremely leary of supplying a pet chain. Here's why (quoted from a
post I sent in 1999, but the point is still valid...):
In the summer of 1997 the Denver area Petco's and Petsmarts began selling
small mammals and reptiles. Here is what that means to the animals:
Following this event, the number of guinea pigs received by the Denver Dumb
Friends League shelter rose 22%, with the percentage of these having been
bought at a pet store second only to the percentage coming in from home
breeders. A little less than half of these animals had to be euthanized.
The number of hamsters received rose by 186%, again, with the percentage
originally from pet stores second only to home breeders. About 75% of these
animals had to be euthanized.
Sorry, no specific numbers for the increase in gerbils received, but just
during this year, the shelter has received 33 gerbils, 25 of whom came from
pet stores, and 15 of whom had to be euthanized.
This is horrible. Whether pet stores provide accurate information and good
care (and, in the USA, most of them don't) is immaterial. They sell animals
to make a profit. Inevitably, this means that the animals are marketed in
any way that will sell them; i.e. treating them like objects, modes of
entertainment, trophies, toys, whatever. Impulse buying is absolutely
encouraged. This is why, once people figure out that having an animal is
more of a responsibility than having a toy, many of these animals end up in
the shelters. The statistics do not lie. And, as I've said before, the
numbers showing up in the shelters does not provide an accurate picture of
just how many end up in bad homes and are forced to stay there.
PLEASE think twice before supplying a pet store with animals, or buying anything from
them.
WHEN YOU PURCHASE AN
ANIMAL IN A PET STORE, ANOTHER ANIMAL IN A SHELTER WILL DIE for lack of a
home. The fact that shelter "mutts" may not be pedigreed is no excuse for
buying animals in pet stores, in my book. After all, which is more
important, the life of one, or the color of another? And, as long as pet
stores continue selling animals, they will continue to replenish their
"supplies", not only making the population problem worse, but continuing to
encourage the objectification of animals. The effect of both is that
countless animals show up in shelters, and countless animals are destroyed,
unable to find someone to adopt them. If you want another animal, PLEASE
visit your local shelter. If you breed (and I personally hope you don't),
PLEASE make sure you have excellent homes for your babies before they are
even born to avoid the fate they may have in a pet store. If you need
supplies, please purchase them from a supplies-only store, or from a mail
order supplier. Here are just a couple of URLS you might try:
http://www.pet-expo.com/frame3.htm
http://www.petwhse.com/
Sorry for the long post, but I really feel that this cannot be stressed
enough. It is high time that we ALL took responsibility for these needless
deaths.
Molly
