Spring Break
PetSmart Should Stop Selling Small Animals
Kareem Mohni
Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Commentary
PetSmart, an animal supply store, needs to get out of the small animal business. PetSmart makes billions of dollars a year by selling animal care supplies for all types of household pets and selling live small animals to supplement its revenue. The small animal business is not exceedingly profitable and contributes little to PetSmart's overall earnings. A recent investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, revealed that the PetSmart in Manchester, Conn. has had a continuing problem of denying medical care to its small animals which die in large numbers awaiting sale. While I am the first person to criticize PETA's methods, as well as much of what they have to say, there is some inherent value in knowing what is happening at businesses in our local community.
According to official PETA reports, the organization had an undercover investigator working at the Manchester PetSmart from at least October 2006 to January 2007. The investigator kept a log of all the problems associated with the care of small animals. There appears to be at least one log entry for just about every type of small animal PetSmart carries in their stores - fish, reptiles, hamsters, rats, chinchillas and birds. Excluding fish, the investigator documented over 100 small animals which became sick and then died at PetSmart because of a lack of proper veterinary care and inadequate housing.
PETA is in the midst of a very large campaign to end the sale of small animals at companies like PetSmart and its biggest competitor, Petco. Last year PETA ran a front page story in their news magazine titled, "PetNo, Where the Pets Die." This is exactly the same campaign they are now running against PetSmart. While I too agree that PetSmart and Petco should not be selling live animals at all, I have to cast some doubt over the data collection methods used by PETA. As this is not PETA's first campaign to stop the sale of small animals at stores such as PetSmart, I must wonder whether or not the undercover investigator was truly revealing the workings of the Manchester store or manipulating his reports to fit PETA's agenda. While this may seem pessimistic, PETA's reputation is plagued by overzealous workers who try and force their agendas through deception and illegal measures.
According to official PETA reports, the organization had an undercover investigator working at the Manchester PetSmart from at least October 2006 to January 2007. The investigator kept a log of all the problems associated with the care of small animals. There appears to be at least one log entry for just about every type of small animal PetSmart carries in their stores - fish, reptiles, hamsters, rats, chinchillas and birds. Excluding fish, the investigator documented over 100 small animals which became sick and then died at PetSmart because of a lack of proper veterinary care and inadequate housing.
PETA is in the midst of a very large campaign to end the sale of small animals at companies like PetSmart and its biggest competitor, Petco. Last year PETA ran a front page story in their news magazine titled, "PetNo, Where the Pets Die." This is exactly the same campaign they are now running against PetSmart. While I too agree that PetSmart and Petco should not be selling live animals at all, I have to cast some doubt over the data collection methods used by PETA. As this is not PETA's first campaign to stop the sale of small animals at stores such as PetSmart, I must wonder whether or not the undercover investigator was truly revealing the workings of the Manchester store or manipulating his reports to fit PETA's agenda. While this may seem pessimistic, PETA's reputation is plagued by overzealous workers who try and force their agendas through deception and illegal measures.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Carl Strohmeyer
posted 3/27/07 @ 8:53 PM EST
Whiel I am definitely know fan of Pets Mart as they not only do not understand or care for much of their livestock, they also usually (there is sometimes the occasional "good employee") have no idea what and why they sell what they do, which can and often does (from my professional experience) lead to aquatic deaths from improper equipment, installation, treatment and more. (Continued…)
boudicca
posted 4/04/07 @ 11:46 PM EST
I just started working at petsmart this week,actually and when I heard about this video from PETA, I had to check it out. I've been going to orientations for my job as a Petshotel associate and pretty much every person Im working with is an animal freak like myself. (Continued…)
Richie
posted 4/15/09 @ 5:49 PM EST
Peta does have it's point about Petco and PetSmart, just look at the videos. However, it's not like every single place where the small animals are placed before being shipped off to the store is. (Continued…)
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