Stopped by the pet store today...

[Aspen and Misty]

I hate pet stores that sells puppies.


Ok, at our petstore I'm a extellent friends with the assisatant manager, Shella. We have done things outside of the pet store, throwing patries when she adopterd her newest addition her BC (i forget the name ) She would tell me HORRIBLE stories about how some of the dogs there were dieing because no one would take them to the vet I felt so bad for her, but she didn't want to leave. Why? Cause she would, after hours take the sick dogs to the vet and use HER money to treat them. The Owner didn't care as long as HE didn't have to pay. Now this might sound mean or w/e but thankfully the old owner died and a new owner took over. This guy is super duper nice. They only buy there dogs from places that breed there dogs at the MOST once a year and only are breeding 3 types of dogs (ex. Shelties, Labs and Goldens) There puppies go to the vets when they need vet care, I know cause I was giveing medicine to a little Dachuhound the other day at the store (ok, I pratically work there, I help customers and I take care of some of the animals) I've gotten in good with this owner cause I work there for free and he doesn't have to pay me a dime. he likes what I do. So, what changed this managers mind to run his pet store diffrently then the first? LOL me and Shella. Now would we do anything like that we put a puppy in his arms and explained to him where the puppy came from and how horrible it was, by the end of it he was almost in tears. He told us he wouldn't buy from another bredder in PA (as we are the worst state) and never accept another pupy who was just dropped off by the Amoish.

You guys were saying how horrible it is for the puppies and stuff in the pet store. I agree. Now our pet store lets the puppies out for 2 hours a day (i know not alot but it's a start) one hour in the morning while openeing up and one hour at night. At least they get out. I know this may not be the best situation for these dogs and the places they came from probly were NOT quility breeders.

Ok, so now I'm sure you all are wondering what me and Shella are doing, are doing now? We are working towards getting dogs from the SPCA behind that glass and not puppy mills dogs. Of course it would be run like PETCO's adoption day (or is it Petsmart?). People from our SPCA would bring the dogs in a hang out at the store for a couple of hours wiht the dogs every saturday or sunday or something. The owner is thinking about it because of what he now knows abotu puppie mills and since he is having a hard time selling the puppies and full grown labs do NOT fit in those cages.

I guess the moral of this story is, work hard and you'll make a diffrence. yes you may tell some customers not to buy the dogs, I've done that to. But try make friends with the employees, I walk in our pet store and everyone says hi to me and yells at me cause I didn't bring Nova (lol). I feel like I've at least made a small change in our petstore and am still making changes. Sometimes you can do good behind the scenes. I know, I know most of you are probly going ot think our pet store is still horrible, no it's not the best and no it's not a Petco or Petsmart, but me and Shella are trying really hard to help them be a better place. I'm not saying you have to work at one, I don't. You could always drop of some papers on puppy mills or even ask to speak to the manager and ask where there puppies come from or even don't buy things from the pet store, Boycott them. Or get the word out. At the moment I'm in the process of making a teshirt that says Adopt your next best friend on he front and then Lycoming county Spca and here phone number on the back. Now I don'tk now what you would want to do, try making flyers and putting them in peoples mail boxes about puppy mills and pet store. Really it's up to you to try and help them cause with out us animal lovers they have no one.

Ash