[Gpdd] MISC: Holding pet store accountable

[Tex]

Hi all,

I have a few thoughts on how people might be able to have some impact on
places like PetSmart, Petco and the like (more the large pet chains than
department stores like Wal-Mart, though). 

Let me preface this by explaining that one of the local PetSmarts here has
a manager in the small animals department that has spent many hundreds of
dollara of her own money to save guinea pigs (and other animals) that have
come into the store sick, or gotten sick at the store. She mentioned quite
a few interesting things that may help when you are looking to change
conditions in your area:

1. Most animals come from "factory breeders", which almost pre-disposes
then to illness. Often the animals get sick and spread it to others in the
pens.

2. The "on staff" vet is usually ill-informed (if not an outright idiot).

3. The people who work in the stores have little or no training, and may
care less about animals (it's a paycheck; it beats pumping gas when it's
cold out).

Some other factors that she didn't mention, but can be seen:

PetSmart and Petco both have large, expensive ad/communications campaigns
aimed at telling the world how responsible they are, and how much they
care. Last month PetSmart even put something in one of the flyers about
being a responsible owner if you are going to adopt a guinea pig or other
small animal (if I can find it, I'll post the quote).

*Some* stores have people that care, or are at least approachable.

Change for the better can best be brought about through multiple channels:
if the local store has a manager (department or store-wide) that is
responsible, the first thing to do would be to approach them with your
concerns. You have some leverage: if they don't want to fix what's wrong in
their store, the complaint can always be kicked up to the regional or
national level. 

If going higher, do some homework: check out what the company is saying
online and in ads, then try and contact the management and bring it to
their attention. Remember to always be polite - but keep an edge in your
tone. Remind them of what they are "promising", and hold them to their
promise. Take names, keep notes, and if you can get stuff in written form
(e-mails or letters), all the better! No one - especially retail markets -
likes bad publicity. (Side note: if you have a vet you can trust and that
is willing to help, see if they'd immediately examine a sick animal you
purchased and document that it was ill).

If you "go through channels" and get shut out at every turn, then you have
loads of stuff for the media: "I spoke with the store manager, even offered
to help teach their people about guinea pigs; then I called the national
headquarters - look at this! Doesn't this say they *care*? - they don't
seem to care! Yes, they have a vet - but my vet, who is trained in treating
exotics, examined what they said was a healthy animal and it was critically
ill!" and so on!

Last, this is kind of related: support piggie rescue groups! If it wasn't
for the people that take in, care for and find loving homes for hundreds of
piggies, think of how much worse things could be! 

Tex