Some of you that are friends with me on fb already know about my experience at the pet store in the mall today. I need help in going about reporting this business for the cruel treatment of their animals.
This particular store feels the need to sell "exotic" pets. When I say exotic, I'm talking prarie dogs, ground squirrels, boas, sulcata tortoises, savannah monitors, etc. Every single animal is kept in a cage that is wayyy too small for them. They also sell puppies that they claim to get from "local breeders - NOT puppy mills." Today they had "Doxer (doberman/boxer) puppies for $700. They live in a display that is typically used for showing rabbits or guinea pigs, like these.
Companion Habitats, Inc.: animal environments, small animal ...-Openfos
Their "cage" was covered in urine and feces, and the water dish was tiny and filthy. Two of the puppies were running around loose and one even ran out into the mall. The employees weren't even paying attention. A passerby picked her up and brought her back into the store...I know this idiocy is to be expected at a pet store, but what came next really made me sick to my stomach...
Being a reptile enthusiast, I was browsing their reptile section when I came across a baby savannah monitor. He was clearly in shed, and a bad one at that. Upon closer inspection, I realized that because of this shed (and countless others) he was missing several toes and his entire front right foot. He couldn't move at all because of his lack of a foot and the fact that he was on inappropriate substrate that he couldn't gain and traction with. He could barely open his eyes and his breathing was labored. This is the little guy.
So I asked the first girl that I saw if she could take him out for me. She put him in my hand and he didn't even move. She said "He's in shed right now" to which I replied "Is that why he's missing a foot?" Mind you, I already knew that answer. She didn't even know he was missing a foot until I pointed it out. I asked how long he'd been in this condition and she couldn't even answer. I asked to speak with her manager.
The manager came out and told me that it is completely normal and he is eating and drinking fine and that she mists him daily. I told her that missing an extremity like that is not normal and take time to develop to that extreme of an injury. She told me I was wrong. So I asked for her name and number as well as her superior's and she referred me to the website and refused to give me any other information. She walked away while I was still talking to her. I made sure to get her name and a photo of the monitor and I left. I filed a report at the mall customer service area. I stopped back at the store again to take a detailed report of the other animals when I realized that they had removed the baby monitor from the shelf. There is no contact information on the website, just a link to submit a comment and my information so that they can contact me.
I feel sick just thinking about what is going to happen to this guy, and all of the other animals in their care. He's probably not going to make it, but this is really my last straw with this pet store. They need to be shut down. What can I do?
This particular store feels the need to sell "exotic" pets. When I say exotic, I'm talking prarie dogs, ground squirrels, boas, sulcata tortoises, savannah monitors, etc. Every single animal is kept in a cage that is wayyy too small for them. They also sell puppies that they claim to get from "local breeders - NOT puppy mills." Today they had "Doxer (doberman/boxer) puppies for $700. They live in a display that is typically used for showing rabbits or guinea pigs, like these.
Companion Habitats, Inc.: animal environments, small animal ...-Openfos
Their "cage" was covered in urine and feces, and the water dish was tiny and filthy. Two of the puppies were running around loose and one even ran out into the mall. The employees weren't even paying attention. A passerby picked her up and brought her back into the store...I know this idiocy is to be expected at a pet store, but what came next really made me sick to my stomach...
Being a reptile enthusiast, I was browsing their reptile section when I came across a baby savannah monitor. He was clearly in shed, and a bad one at that. Upon closer inspection, I realized that because of this shed (and countless others) he was missing several toes and his entire front right foot. He couldn't move at all because of his lack of a foot and the fact that he was on inappropriate substrate that he couldn't gain and traction with. He could barely open his eyes and his breathing was labored. This is the little guy.
So I asked the first girl that I saw if she could take him out for me. She put him in my hand and he didn't even move. She said "He's in shed right now" to which I replied "Is that why he's missing a foot?" Mind you, I already knew that answer. She didn't even know he was missing a foot until I pointed it out. I asked how long he'd been in this condition and she couldn't even answer. I asked to speak with her manager.
The manager came out and told me that it is completely normal and he is eating and drinking fine and that she mists him daily. I told her that missing an extremity like that is not normal and take time to develop to that extreme of an injury. She told me I was wrong. So I asked for her name and number as well as her superior's and she referred me to the website and refused to give me any other information. She walked away while I was still talking to her. I made sure to get her name and a photo of the monitor and I left. I filed a report at the mall customer service area. I stopped back at the store again to take a detailed report of the other animals when I realized that they had removed the baby monitor from the shelf. There is no contact information on the website, just a link to submit a comment and my information so that they can contact me.
I feel sick just thinking about what is going to happen to this guy, and all of the other animals in their care. He's probably not going to make it, but this is really my last straw with this pet store. They need to be shut down. What can I do?