[Gpdd] MISC: Problems with Petsmart

bradfolg bradfolg at vt.edu
Mon Nov 10 16:10:37 EST 2003


Hello to everyone and every pig.

I haven't posted very much in the past year, since I didn't have very happy 
news.  We've already lost six little ones this year, the latest being this 
past Friday.  On top of losing one of my sweetest piggies, I encountered 
something else very upsetting this weekend.

After having an incident three years ago with Petsmart (buying a little one 
who ended up dying within 10 days and making 6 of my herd of 14 sick as well, 
even though she was quarantined), I had resolved to not buy anything from them 
or go in their stores.  Last week, my sister needed some supplies for her 
elderly dog, so I thought I would go in to see if they had done any better by 
the little animals.

No surprise, there was a little black and white piggie sitting all by his/her 
lonesome, breathing very hard with his/her eyes almost swollen shut.  I did a 
horrible thing by trying to forget what I saw and leaving.  As it happens, I 
needed to pick up some piggie supplies this weekend and for whatever reason, I 
decided to go back in Petsmart.  By this time, they had 6 piggies.  The black 
and white was still there and had been joined by two new piggies, who were 
also breathing quite hard.  I used my cell phone to call the vet's number, 
intending to buy them and take them to her to see if she could help them.  It 
turns out, due to a problem with my cell-phone, I couldn't get the pager 
number for the vet.  While I was busy fiddling with my cell-phone, I got down 
in the floor to look at the other three piggies.  The two in the next 
compartment seemed relatively well and were eating.

In the third compartment, there was a little piggie lying partially in and 
partially out of a wooden structure.  I thought my eyes were deceiving me so I 
crawled over a bit closer.  I thought the piggie wasn't breathing.  In my 
mind, I just thought "this can't be."  I tapped on the glass pretty loudly and 
it didn't move.  By this time, I knew that this little one was gone, but I 
couldn't get anyone to wait on me.  Two other people kind of pushed ahead and 
got the attention of a young boy who worked there.  He helped them with two 
hamsters or gerbils and then said he'd get to me.  Well, about the time he got 
back to help me, a couple of ladies came along with a little girl who looked 
to be about 5.  She was so excited to see the piggies, especially the 
"sleeping piggie."  About that time, the guy asked if he could help me.  By 
this time, I was shaking because I was so angry and when I am this angry, I 
usually end up crying.  So when the young man asked if he could help, I 
managed to ask him if the little one on the end was even alive.  The little 
girl's eyes got very big.  He opened the door to the compartment (no 
movement), he moved the wooden shelter off of the little baby (no movement), 
so he proceeds to poke it several times and finally kind of pokes it over to 
the side.  At this point, he announces that no, the guinea pig is not alive.

By this time, I was visibly upset.  I tried to question the young man as to 
whether there was a vet to check this little animals.  He didn't know.  After 
standing there looking at me, shaking and about to start crying, he asks if 
I'd like to speak with a manager.  He goes to get one, who comes back by and 
tries to tell me that these piggies just "came in."  I questioned him about 
the one I had seen a week before still being there (and still sick) and then 
he said he wasn't sure if they had all just come in.  I pointed out that the 
one by itself was dead and that the three in the compartment furthest to the 
left were all sick.  He got down to look at them and agreed that they were 
sick.  When questioned about a vet, he said that yes, they have someone who 
checks them over.  He'd have them pulled from the sales floor and have them 
checked over.  He said "Thanks for catching that" and wandered off.

I was in a daze.  I hate that I left them and I hate that I bought the 
supplies I had in my cart.  After getting to the car and having a good cry, I 
knew I couldn't go back inside.

Is there anything I can do?  My sister told me that I should have gotten the 
name of the vet and the name of the manager of the store as well.  I'm much 
too much of a weenie to do something like that, especially after just about 
bawling in the middle of the store.

Is there anyone to report this to?  I'm expecting a return call from my vet 
tonight, to see if there's anything that she knows of or if she knows if they 
do have a vet that checks the small animals.  Do you report this to the Better 
Business Bureau?

>From what I remember, this seems to be a chain thing and not just individual 
stores.  Can anything be done about them?

Libby and the herd of 9 





More information about the Gpdd mailing list