| On our
What You Can Do page we
advocate supporting pet- and pet suppliy stores that do NOT sell live animals.
Many of them do exist, and they are a great asset to their communities.
Remember that
policies can differ between different franchises of the same chain, so what is
good or bad in one community may not carry through to other communities. The
owner of the particular franchise pictured here actually gave WPMP some of the
criteria for what he considers to be a good, responsible pet supply store:
DOES NOT sell
puppies or kittens.
DOES NOT sell
live animals of any kind, including small mammals, reptiles or birds, 99% of
which probably also come from some sort of a "commercial breeding
facility" or mill. This franchise owner tells us that, in his experience,
reptiles, small mammals such as hamsters and rabbits, and birds, are often
considered "starter pets" or even toys by parents who buy them for
small children. They are even more disposable in this society than kittens and
puppies.
DOES support
reputable rescues and shelters in their efforts by inviting them in for regular
adoption days, providing an invaluable venue for those rescues who do not have
a shelter but rather keep animals in volunteer foster homes. He wishes he had
the space for a "Cat Room" where foster cats could rotate into and
out of on a weekly basis, so that they could have even more exposure to
potential adopters.
DOES donate
pet food and supplies directly to area shelters and rescues, as well as making
barrels available for patrons to donate. Also approves donation cans at the
registers to make it easy for patrons to donate their change to responsible
area rescues.
DOES NOT
allow area breeder or free-to-good home ads to be posted on the store bulletin
board.
DOES
encourage local shelters and rescues to bring in photos of pets available for
adoption, posters for their fund-raisers, and informational bulletins that
might educate his patrons, etc. He also gives space for people to post flyers
of missing or stolen pets.
DOES hold
in-store fund-raisers such as a "Christmas Wish Tree" for local
shelters and rescues and provides sponsorship for outside events.
DOES pass his attitude on to
his staff, so that they are courteous, helpful, and supportive both to patrons
and to rescue personnel. Several of the staff at this store are actively
involved with one or more of the rescues in the area!
Many pet supply
stores or chains support rescues and shelters in the never-ending job of
cleaning up after puppy millers and uncaring pet owners. If you see anything on
the above list that your local pet supply store doesn't do -- it wouldn't hurt
to ask the manager if they'd consider trying it!
 The Petstore
Connection
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