Pet Stores - One of my daughter’s favorite things to do is walk through the aisle of various creatures in pet stores. She absolutely loves the aquariums the best, squealing at all of the brightly colored fish swimming around happily. The joys of being a preschooler completely take over. I’ve gotten most of my small animals throughout my lifetime in pet stores. Numerous hamsters have come and gone in my life, a few rabbits and even a guinea pig or two have won over my heart. I’ll never forget when our mall’s pet store announced that it was going out of business. Rumor had it that it was closing up because it treated the animals inhumanely and the conditions were not very clean. I was only ten years old, and I was devastated. That’s how my parents used to get me to happily agree to take a trip to the mall. They’d promise me that I could spend some time communicating with the animals.
Now that I’m an adult and taking my own daughter to pet stores, I can’t say that they are thrilling to me. I don’t mind seeing the small animals in cages, as that’s the conditions that they are accustomed to. I do absolutely hate to see the puppies and kittens staring out at the onlookers with sad and begging eyes. The cages that they are usually kept in leave little to be desired. There aren’t blankets and comfy beds for them to enjoy. They have to sleep on the hard metal bottoms that their little paws fall through. I hate seeing that. It makes me want to adopt all of them just to rescue them from their tiny spaces that they are trapped inside of.
Even though the pet stores claim that their dogs or cats are purebred, you have to wonder. The price tags of the animals definitely display that they are purebred, but how many times is that faked I can’t even venture a guess. I have had several purebred cats and dogs in my lifetime and I would never dream of purchasing them from a pet store. Purebred animals, in my opinion, should be purchased from the direct breeder. Any knowledgeable pet owner would know that you want to see the parents of the puppy or kitten along with the environment that they spent their first days living in. Buying animals in pet stores doesn’t allow you to have any of that background information which could end up leaving you with a complete disaster.
My thought on pet stores is only that they should be for purchasing small animals, reptiles, fish and supplies. Pet food is always a safe bet, along with toys and cages too. I just don’t believe that pet stores should be selling cats and dogs unless they are willing to provide much more comfortable housing for them until they find a new family.
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Poultry Farm (1)
...vegetarians out there today. My daughter is only four, but she won’t eat many types of meat. I have a feeling if I took her to a poultry farm she may become a vegetarian for life. It&r...
Dog Rescue Adoption (2)
...There is something so special about the dog rescue adoption animals that you come across. The idea that these pets were underfed, malnourished and neglected seems impossible when you see th...
Animal Books (3)
...advantage of their own enthusiasm. Animal books offer much to both you, as parent or teacher and your child. Let’s look at how you can help your child grow with simple animal books...
Dog Training Books (4)
...in a logical manner. If a puppy owner is concerned with crate training for their puppy, the better dog training books will have a clear title for that chapter and address the problem...
Adopt A Pet (5)
...in my household. My first pet, once I bought my own home, was a purebred cat. I wanted the fluffiest, most beautiful cat in the world, so I ended up paying more than I care to mention. And ...
African Grey Parrot (6)
...the ancient Greeks and Romans. Sailors have often kept them on board ship when undertaking long journeys. The African Grey is categorized into two subspecies, the Congo African Grey and the T...
All Creatures Great And Small (7)
...Herriot had during his esteemed career in animal medicine. His valuable insight and experiences offer a magnificent perspective for reader and viewer alike. His dedication to animals is easil...
Animal Control (8)
...If someone in your house gets bit, don’t hesitate for a moment. If the animal gets away you won’t know if it has rabies or not. If you find bats in your home, or even evidence of...
Animals For Sale (9)
...kinds of animals for sale, but this was definitely the first for a monkey. At the time, I had been so struck by that I had to go in and look for myself. Could you really get such a smart ...
Bark Control Collars (10)
...simple way to control your pet. It’s probably just about knowing what that simple trick is. Could it be shock or bark control collars These are becoming more and more prominent. On the...
Bear Spray (11)
...good way to do this is to carry bear spray. Most of us will go through our entire lives without coming face to face with a bear. In fact, the closest many of us get to this wild animal is see...
Build A Rabbit Cage (12)
...fairly inexpensively and generally all by yourself. The first thing you need to do is decide where in your yard you’re going to keep the bunny. Next to a fence is a perfect choice as yo...
Cat Collar (13)
...in a while. Cats have a natural curiosity to go outside and explore what they can see out the window, so don’t think any cat is immune to going outside. Get them a cat collar anyway....
Cat Door Mat (14)
...this collection, but she is not sure how she became known as a chicken collector. I have a cat collection. It only takes most people about ten minutes to find out that I am a cat lover. I ...
Cat For Adoption (15)
...Dogs are much easier to train. There is a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but it is not true until they get very old. Up to that point, you can teach a dog anything ...
Cat Leash (16)
...my life. We entered the store and there it was; a cat leash that offered information on how to train your feline to walk outside while leashed. I was pretty taken back by the whole thing but ...
Cat Litter Box (17)
...under the dining room table, but that just doesn’t seem very healthy to me. So the cat little box stays in our bedroom. Once in a while I forget to scoop it and we go out for the day. ...
Designer Cat Collars (18)
...how they interact with their pets. There seems to be two types of pet owners. Ones that have an animal because another member of the family wants it or because they feel that it is the thi...
Dog Houses (19)
...are several reasons why dog houses are a great way to start. One of the best reasons is the availability of dog house plans. You can find plans to build anything from a single room doghouse...
Dog Obedience Training (20)
...training, but the breeder told her to wait until the dog was a year old. My husband and I raise and train hunting dogs. We begin dog obedience training as soon as they are weaned from the ...
Dog Rescue Adoption (21)
...dogs – and I would have to watch it grow to full size, train it, take care of it, and keep it out of trouble. One of my friends told me that I could take the dog rescue adoption puppy...
Embroidered Dog Collars (22)
...choose collars that incorporate their dog’s pertinent information right into the embroidered dog collars. This means the dog doesn’t have to wear tags anymore as its name and the ...
Fish Tank Supplies (23)
...I’m not sure about the wisdom involved in buying these items from a place like this, but if you do know what you are doing when it comes to fish, you should be able to find quality ite...
German Wirehaired Pointer (24)
...hairs and also have curly beards and ears. The long hair and beards give the German wirehaired pointers a very unique and comical appearance. This particular dog was liver colored and white...
Guinea Pigs (25)
...loved them so much, she could not bear to part with them. She kept them around for quite a while, though she did purchase another cage to keep the males and females separate. By the end of...
Horse Rugs (26)
...the door. Finally, she answered the door and welcomed me in with a surprised look on her face. I immediately looked down to see that she took the time to move the horse rug before she a...
Litter Box (27)
...raking and emptying functions. If you’re undecided about which of these super litter boxes to buy, you can try the old-fashioned plastic litter box in the meantime. If you’re ser...
Misquito Repellant (28)
...basement or closet on occasion, but at least they don’t attack you relentlessly. So I was staying up at my brother’s hidden cabin last summer. He thinks it’s so cool becaus...
Mouse Trap (29)
...trap. He was still alive and squeaking, trying very hard to escape. A few tablespoons of vegetable oil and about half an hour later, the little guy was extremely shaken up but free. All in ...
Obedience Dog Training (30)
...local pet store. Many chains have these classes, and they may offer them throughout the year. These will also vary in price, and you will want to call ahead to schedule the best classes to fi...
Parrot Cage (31)
...Since they are both durable and lightweight, they offer the best of both worlds in parrot cage variants. Many of these are a bit of an investment, but many people see it as a good inv...
Pet Food Storage (32)
...to put it. One day while in the store, I was walking through the plastic container section when the answer to my pet food storage dilemma jumped out at me. I found a plastic container that...
Pet Jewelry (33)
...that I saw the hand crocheted fuzzy scarves that became so popular. I was curious to see what would be new this year. My sister and her adult daughter came to our house to attend the local a...
Pet Mouse (34)
...countless times that my pet mouse joined us for dinner and no one ever noticed her there on my shoulder. In the evenings I would let Nitch run around on my bed. I would make tiny hills an...
Pet Stores (35)
...wants to touch every thing and every animal that she sees. She has even gone as far as to try to put her hand in a fish tank. This was when I knew it was time to leave the store. Pet stores...
Rabbit Cages (36)
...When choosing rabbit cages, remember to keep your climate in mind. If you want your pet to be outside, you have to have something that will protect them in the cold night. Many pet owners hav...
Remote Collar (37)
...on you for food, water, and play time. Naturally your K-9 will pray for that evening stroll outdoors. Now this is where things get serious. Once you take that dog outside of the home, you...
Small Dog (38)
...hope I can find a small one that we can all agree upon. The small dog my mom has sits very easily in my lap, and she will sit there for hours if I am watching a movie with my parents. She is ...
Animal Books (39)
...featured animals and stories about them. Animal books were all she wanted to read for a long time, and they are still her favorite. Her first animal books were simple picture books. She did...
Black Beauty (40)
...and mishandled were the some 20,000 horses hitched to hansom cabs, as well as coal carts and other types of wagon transport. Unlike today, not much attention was given to animals who were tre...
Dog Training Books (41)
...longest time, but we didn’t feel that he was ready to handle the responsibility until now. One condition we placed on adopting the puppy was that my son would be completely responsib...
Police Dog (42)
...say this because I am a police dog trainer myself – although it certainly does bias my opinion. A lot more goes into animal training than you might anticipate. It is true that there are...
African Grey Parrot (43)
...my husband decided that he wanted an African grey parrot. I had not a clue what an African grey parrot even looked like, so we did a little bit of research. I still wasn’t convin...
Animal Towels (44)
...the image of an animal. Everything from lions, to tigers to giraffes can be found on the front of a towel. Naturally you can take the somewhat boring route of purchasing plain ones. These ...
Barking Collars (45)
...irritating, even for the dog’s loving owner. Barking collars are a great cure for wayward animals in need of gentle, human correction. Before you start a barking collar treatment, make...
Pet Cages (46)
...size. Your dog should be able be able to stand up and do a complete circle in the cage, but it can’t be too big either. If the pet cages are too big, the dog or puppy will not feel...
Petsafe Collar (47)
...near farms and our road is very quiet. Traffic is not the only worry that we have with the outdoor cats. We always have our pets’ information on their tags and we make sure that they ...
Reflective Dog Collars (48)
...that goes faster. I bought reflective dog collars for the dogs to wear on their walks. My husband thought that they were goofy looking and unnecessary. I thought it was neat to see the refl...
Stuffed Cat (49)
...her to leave him in the car while we go into a store, and she’ll let him take a nap in the car. However, if I dawdle too long in the store, she’ll start whining that she misses ...
Pet Health Insurance (50)
...the illness or condition treated. If the health crisis took place during an evening or weekend, after regular office hours, the price of treatment can skyrocket. With pet health insurance...
Dog Gift Baskets (51)
...dog, Tickles. Tickles is a female Pomeranian. My sister-in-law loves her dog so much that she has birthday parties for her. Yes, we wore party hats and sang happy birthday...
Barn Building Plans (52)
...relate. Coming from Iowa, I definitely know what it is like to live on a farm. I did it for ten years. Now, it’s not like we were real farmers or anything. However, we did have some li...
Mouse Trap (53)
...walking into my family room a few nights ago in order to tend to the fire in the fireplace. Suddenly, from underneath the couch, this little shadowy creature darted out and dashed under th...
Personalized Dog Collars (54)
...some style to your pet’s look. It doesn’t take a small fortune to buy a personalized item. In most cases it’s not going to cost much more than a non-personalized version wou...
Auto Pet Feeders (55)
...first time. It can’t take the litter to the garbage, but it does take some of the work, and the smell, out of the task. There are many things in this world now that can be set for a ...
Barking Collars (56)
...to get him to shut up. If the postman comes by, he barks. If a car, truck, bicycle, or motorcycle drives by, he barks. When I first got him, I was hesitant to get a bark collar. I always th...
Gps Dog Collar (57)
...800 number to call to have it activated by the vendors or GPS provider. You snap the GPS dog collar on your dog using the double-reinforced clip attached to it. From that point on, you’...
Chew Toy (58)
...over another, and you have no way of knowing what they like when you buy. If you buy more than one, you can let them decide what they like, and you can then encourage them to use the toy w...
Designer Dog Collars (59)
...your pet. Having designer dog collars and designer cat collars that look good on their own is fine, but if they do not match the pet that is wearing them, all the work is lost. For exampl...
Pet Jewelry (60)
...nice and warm. But everyone with a well manicured poodle gets them similar clothing – it is really almost a necessity. The way that she shines is the pet jewelry that she wears. Flu...
Chocolate Labrador (61)
...form of sprinklers and a bunch of kids. Benny came from a long line of water loving dogs, rejoicing in a lake where he could practice his swimming and diving abilities. Benny’s ances...
Cat Flea Medicine (62)
...comb is a good method that can replace cat flea medicine but I don’t recommend it on a regular basis. The comb is useful when your cat is unable to take medication because she is hav...
Cats For Adoption (63)
...there is an over population of these potential pets. The younger cats for adoption will also require a lot of attention as well. You will be house training the pet and you will find yourself...
Dog Adoption (64)
...are many more things to consider with dog adoption that are less attractive as well. You should consider the financial aspect. The financial aspects include food, bedding, toys and vet visi...
Natural Mosquito Repellent (65)
...want to forgo the fabric softener that has fragrance. While this may seem really subtle, insects are really attracted to the scents. A good natural insect repellent used as a preventative me...
Pet Boarding (66)
...them. Pet boarding is not just a consideration, it is an essential. Pets have been bred over generations to depend on human companionship, and it should be a two-way street. If we are going t...
Pet Franchises (67)
...their products. The easiest pet franchises are usually based around pet novelties such as toys, clothes, collars, leashes and bedding. You could make short work out of partnering with a v...
Pet Health Insurance (68)
...there we were finding that the bills were getting a little out of hand. Pet health insurance was the only answer to the dilemma. Instead of putting off getting our pets’ annual shots a...
African Elephant (69)
...structures similar to that of humans, can live up to 60 years, eat 16 hours of every day, and weigh up to 3 tons. Even with these unusual habits, and enchanting nature, the African elephant ...
Baby Animals (70)
...along with pet food of course. Who could resist Greeting cards also have pictures of kittens playing with balls of string, cute ducklings gliding across the pond and puppies curled up in a b...
Chocholate Lab (71)
...Coco is the female and she tends to be more delicate with her belongings. Mocha is the male and he was definitely less concerned with the consequences for destroying his stuff. I bought both ...
Chocolate Labrador (72)
...always thought that the chocolate Labrador was the ideal dog. They are big, but not too big. They are fiercely loyal, and friendly, but not vicious. Most of all, they are intelligent and ...
Chocolate Labs (73)
...big floppy ears, and their little, adorable faces, how can you not love these little chocolate labs I have three all ready, and I have been thinking about getting a fourth. I do not know ...
Dog Birthday (74)
...loyal and loving creature, diligent in guarding the family home, giving love and affection when you’re feeling down and out. Some even bring slippers and newspapers. Some dogs are silly...
Pet Food Storage (75)
...dog food. After we had been storing the dog food for about two months my husband noticed that he would find pieces of the food scattered in the shed. After several days of this he discovered...
Bird Clock (76)
...it was one of the coolest things he had ever seen, and because he loves birds so much, it was pretty much the prefect gift. The next time I went to see him, about a month later, I notic...
Cat Stroller (77)
...section they have pet toys, clothing and treats. In the catalog I was looking through they had a new item, a cat stroller. I immediately decided that this is what I wanted for my birthday p...
Dog Gift Baskets (78)
...to get a dog gift basket. When I looked incredulous, she patiently explained to me that she celebrated her dog’s birthday on the same day as her own. Getting a gift basket for dogs wa...
Lighted Dog Collar (79)
...stroll with our pets but we are a little apprehensive about doing this as it gets dark outside. A lighted dog collar is a great way to stay safe as the sun sets in your neighborhood. You can...
Adopt A Pet (80)
...way to have unnecessary trouble. Although this is true about some adoption rescue pets, it is not true about all of them. Some of them have been severely abused or mistreated, but others ar...
Advantage Flea Medicine (81)
...name it, I tried it. Nothing seemed to work until my vet recommended Advantage flea medicine. Advantage flea medicine was different from all the other brands I’ve ever tried on my pet...
Animal Feed (82)
...suspected cancer or possibly a parasite. She did not, however, suspect the real problem even once – she had no idea that the animal feed was bad. The sickness dragged on for months and...
Animals For Adoption (83)
...just give them a chance. I guess my heart goes out to animals for adoption is shelters because I have been in the position where one of my pets had to go there. My stepfather was punishing me...
Reflective Dog Collars (84)
...walked in order to use the ‘restroom’. Because many of us are so busy, we often don’t have the time to get them all the exercise they need during the day. This means they h...
Build A Rabbit Cage (85)
...it can be so helpful to build your own rabbit cage. It is much easier to build a rabbit cage than you might think. Although commercially available rabbit cages do have some advantages, in ...
Butterfly Garden (86)
...the effort will get a lot of pleasure from helping with this conservation. The plants themselves will add beauty and scent. Watching the butterflies and taking photographs will be very w...
Cat Door Mat (87)
...since I started my public health degree studies – I have had a change of heart. The cat door mat was a part of a strategy to live in a more healthy, more positive way. I have heard...
Cat Flea Medicine (88)
...brought fleas over to my home. He never treated his dog, and the poor thing was covered with fleas. The dog never came in my home, but the owner did to use the phone, and he brought them ...
Cat Hair Loss (89)
...to be. She weighs a little more than she used to, but that is not the problem. Her personality has mellowed a bit, and she is dealing cat hair loss. It doesn’t seem to bother her th...
Dog Advice (90)
...run by dog owners, though there are some that are run by veterinarians and other qualified professionals. The dog advice you can find ranges from behavioral issues to health issues, and anyt...
Electric Fly Swatter (91)
...because of the light but if you are the one responsible for killing the fly you know that it’s also one of the most difficult surfaces to clean. An electric fly swatter takes care of ...
Feline Hair Loss (92)
...but she has been healthy for the most part, but her age is starting to show now. She’s dealing with feline hair loss, and I think it all started with a run in with some of those pesky...
Flea Collars (93)
...pets can become a bit of a hardship for the family. One example of a hardship is when your pet goes outside and then gets fleas and brings them into the house. To solve this problem all tha...
Great Danes (94)
...crop the ears of the dog, especially in the United States. There are some countries that ban this practice or put limitations on it. Not many dogs have found their way into the Guinness Book ...
Heartgard For Dogs (95)
...Some pet owners think that this is no one else’s business; however unhealthy animals in a neighborhood can place other animals at risk. There are simple things that every pet ...