Awhile back, meaning around 2001 I walked into this Petland in Lancaster, OH and came out with a kitten. A little puffball of a kitten that looked half-skunk. Unfortunately, half of why I bought the cat was because I wanted to rescue it from the pet store. This cat was absolutely covered in fleas. I honestly didn’t know what else to do at the time about it other than buy the kitten and take it home and give it a flea bath. But let’s fast-forward about six years.
My wife and I have been thinking recently about getting a puppy sometime here in the near future. Probably within a year or two. I am partial to Cocker Spaniels and she is partial to Basset Hounds. Lately, she’s been feeling more of a draw to Cockers though. We decided we would hit up some pet stores and get a feel for their puppy personas before we made a decision about what kind of pup we want to get. We were in Lancaster, OH last week and decided to drop by Petland and hope that the Petland in Lancaster had changed ownership in the last six years.
They had two little cocker spaniel pups and one basset. We figured we’d hit the jackpot. Hey, if the management has changed and things were looking up, maybe we’d eventually buy a pup from this place soon.
We asked to take one of the cockers into the play room. No problem there. But after about 10 minutes of play time, we thought “lets play with the other one a little and see what she was like too”. The guy who took the puppy back in asked us if we were serious about buying or if we were just playing with the puppies. We told him “both” where he then told us that we couldn’t play with any more puppies. Only serious buyers could have a pup brought out. What?!
Now the store wasn’t busy. There were about three employees in the store and we already told the guy that we were serious, but come on, what else do you do with a puppy? Puppies are meant for play. It’s not like they can be guard dogs at six months old.
Well, we liked the puppy that we played with, but we won’t be buying a puppy yet. Not from this Petland in Lancaster, Ohio but someone should at least rescue those animals from this place.
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My passions in life are my family, my relationship with God, creativity and expressionism. This blog, decloned, reflects those passions. My belief is that all true creativity comes from the Creator first and foremost.
6 Comments
Check out pet rescue groups. Some even have searchable databases online.
Stay away from pet stores. Most of the pets I see with behavior disorders come from pet stores. One of the most common is to urinate and defecate where ever they are, due to little time out of the cages.
Spay/Neuter. It’s the only solution to pet population.
Thanks Pete. I don’t have a problem with a pet store per-se. It’s just that pet stores need some better standards for these animals. Unfortunately, I think you are right. Most of these animals do come with some behavior disorders due to the close confines of a cage for extended periods of time. The best results I’ve ever gotten with pets have been with strays and private owners, oh and garage sales with free kittens…lol. Usually, if I take a free kitten, I get a few dollars off whatever I’m buying.
You make a good point. I was imprecise. I shop pet stores for stuff for my critters. Just don’t get a cat or dog from a pet store. Check out a good pet rescue like http://www.fflah.org/
In fact, stop by Canal Winchester High School today (June 23) and check out the Festival of Friends. There will be vendors, rescue groups and fun. Pet Butler (that’s me!) will be there to do the dirty work. http://www.petbutler.com
Problem with the free kittens is that there are so many. Again I say, please spay/neuter your pets. There are more animals than good homes. Also, there’s no such thing as a free kitten, but from the rescue, you should get some good basic vet care, shots, etc.
Thanks for the info Pete. I’d come up there if I could today. I agree on the Spay/Neuter your pets. It’s very important and can also provide longer lives for your pets too.
Update: They seem to be doing a better job lately. Hopefully, the trend will continue.
I’m glad to hear that they are doing better. Most people want to do what’s right. Education and self interest are valuable tools.
Tell ‘em what’s wrong, why and how it can be fixed.
Whack ‘em in the wallet (don’t buy pets from them) to reinforce the lesson. Buy (especialy normal support items such as food) when they get it.
What’s wrong? Too many pets without a good home.
Why? Unrestricted unplanned breeding.
How to fix it? Please spay neuter your pets.
Here’s the wallet part. Over the life of the pet, that neuter cost for a male will likely save more in vet bills each year than the original surgery cost.
I know William, that I’m “preaching to the choir” with you. Thanks for the chance to spread the word to others.