LAist: Soccer Mom & Friends Shut Down 2 More Pet Shops

qwerty

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:33:52 -0800

Please. Anyone who purchases a pet from a pet store is utterly ignorant. You only get top quality purebred pets when you go directly through breeders, who will NEVER sell their animals via pet stores. When you buy from a pet store, you are paying top dollar for a pet that was churned out from a mill, under unknown circumstances. There is no reason to work with pet stores. There is no reason for pet stores to exist. If you want to pay for an exotic pet, you do it through the breeder, with assurances that the pet has proper documentation, is properly weaned and trained, etc. If you don't want to pay high prices, there are shelters literally overflowing with cute pets to take home for free. Pet stores are shady operations. They're essentially selling knockoffs at full retail value. Many of those cute little critters have been mistreated, and will develop health issues soon after they are purchased. Let me repeat, breeders NEVER sell their pets through pet stores. You are not getting what you pay for, and you are sponsoring a dirty industry. You don't have to take my word for it, just do a little research and see for yourself.

paul

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:35:46 -0800

So why not work with the business and provide useful information to have better procurement practices, even switch to selling puppies via working with animal shelters? Seems more productive than shutting them down and eliminating jobs while still leaving shelters with few resources. Too reactionary for my tastes. It's easy to protest something, it takes real substance to work to improve it.

TarPitRob

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:01:14 -0800

This is great news. There are so many wonderful dogs at the many LA county animal shelters that need loving homes, or the many rescue organizations in the city, there is absolutely no reason anyone needs to buy a dog from such pet shops. I'm glad these fly by night puppy mill supporting shops are getting what they deserve for profiting off a horrible practice. Dogs aren't accessories to be purchased at a boutique, and I applaud the soccer moms for this ongoing crusade.

phdiaz

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:23:25 -0800

If they change the law and made pet owners eligible for pain and suffering, a lot of puppy mills would be shut down. As it is, they don't lose much - only the cost of a puppy and medical bills, which can be easily made up on the sale of the next batch by the puppy mills. The pet stores however, probably stand to lose more - and they may or may not realize the horrible conditions from where they dog came from. Unfortunately, pets are only considered as "goods" - like a shoe, no pain and suffering for that.

kifbox

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:42:39 -0800

Ending a reprehensible practice. Yay! Adopt your pets and spay them.

db

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:20:05 -0800

Putting people out of business. Yay!