I've witnessed a few things working in a pet store that were just horrifying...birds who people had tried to "trim their wings" and had cut into the muscle on the wings, a hamster some little )#&$* of a kid had spun ot death in a ball, someone told me about her dad wringing his parrot's neck because it learned a cuss word and then LAUGHED!

Another bad one was my neighbor's little Keeshond puppy. Riley is a sweet little thing, and he's actually pretty well cared for now (though he's outside when they're not home which I don't like) but one day they left him as a 14 wek old puppy in his crate in the backyeard on a 90 degree day! He was crying and crying and panting and drooling, and after less than an hour he just fell over. I called the ASPCA who came and took him, and the wife actually thanked me later...I guess she hadn't realized her husband had been leaving him outside.