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Petco is one of the nation's largest chain pet stores. Like other large chain pet stores, they do not sell dogs and cats. Rather, they hold adoption clinics in order to reduce the number of homeless pets currently living in shelters and rescue facilites. However, Petco still sells animals. Petco sells birds, reptiles, fish, ferrets, and some stores sell rabbits. Stock may vary from store to store and region to region.
Many of the animals Petco sells are currently overpopulated. Petco is actively contributing to the problem of unwanted birds, rabbits, reptiles, ferrets, etc.
Many Petco stores are keeping their animals in disgusting conditions. Animals are diseased and dying. Add to that the problem of uneducated staff at Petco who don't understand, for instance, the importance of hand feeding baby birds. Or, Petco staff who try to do the right thing and discourage certain people from buying animals (some people just can't handle a large parrot) and then getting an eight dollar Christmas bonus because of it.
It's time for this to stop. |
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| To Visit The House Rabbit Society's website click on the Bunny |
An Open Letter To Petco:
Margo De Mello
Executive Director
House Rabbit Society
148 Broadway
Richmond, California 94804
510/970-7575
margo@rabbit.org
February 14, 2002
Brian Devine CEO and President
Petco Animal Supplies, Inc.
9125 Rehco Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Dear Mr. Devine,
As you are well aware, in 1994 PETCO Vice-President Craig Walker delivered a written promise to several animal rescue organizations to the effect that PETCO, as a national retailer, would refrain from selling rabbits, as it had refrained from selling puppies and kittens. Here, to refresh your memory, are two brief excerpts from Mr. Walkers letter (dated 5/31/94):
"OK. No more rabbits for sale at PETCO.A house rabbit can make a great pet. However, we have found it next to impossible to convince inexperienced prospective owners that rabbits need special care, attention, and devotion, just like dogs and cats. A bunny grows up into something quite different than that warm and fuzzy fur ball that loves to be held against your cheek.
We attempted to educate prospective owners that house rabbits are to be kept out of the elements of weather, away from other harmful animals, need a proper diet, need their home cleaned and litter changed regularly, should be spayed or neutered and need regular veterinarian checkups.
House rabbits need lots of attention and they love to play with toys and love healthy treats. A rabbit should receive a nutritional steady diet designed especially for rabbits.
The more we learned, the harder we tried. But we just werent satisfied with the results. We feared that too few new rabbit owners were not sincerely accepting the responsibility for the life of the rabbit.
Therefore there will be no more bunnies (for sale) at PETCO."
Mr. Walkers letter was widely circulated among rescue....
To finish reading this letter click on the picture below, (it will open a new window):
| Galah Cockatoos in the wild, as was intended... |
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| Galah Cockatoo's, aka; the Rose Breasted Cockatoo! |
Tell Petco and PetsMart to Stop Exploiting Birds
Exotic bird sanctuaries across the country are overwhelmed with hundreds of unwanted and abused birds in need of rescue and life-long homes while untold thousands more are languishing, deprived, and ignored in their cages because their "owners" have lost interest in them.
Despite their adoption programs for cats and dogs, PetsMart and Petco continue to peddle exotic birds into the pet trade every year. Unlike with cats and dogs, very few people are capable of providing adequate lifetime care for birds. Captive birds frequently suffer from captivity-related stress, leading to behavioral and physical problems. Birds sold as pets also very commonly suffer from nutritional diseases through the ignorance of those who purchase these exotic animals. Whether due to frustration, disinterest, or concern, many people attempt to rid themselves of the responsibility of caring for their birds. Unfortunately, few of these birds will find a loving home, and most will spend their days isolated and confined to their cages.
| Joey, a 28 year old Cockatoo now flying free... |
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| To learn the truth about Cockatoo's click on the photo. |
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 It's time for Petco to stop selling animals. Please do not buy anything from a Petco store.
Contact Petco
Brian K. Devine,
Chair & CEO
Petco
9125 Rehco Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Tel.: 858-453-7845
Fax: 858-677-3095
Mr Devine's Personal Fax)
Fax: 858-677-3033
Toll Free Number: 1-888-583-6044 x3046
(Direct Line to Mr. Devine's Secretary)
Within the past several months, former employees, current employees, and customers of PETCO stores across the United States have told us of horrible conditions for animals they claim to have witnessed, including:
Incompatible animals fighting and literally eating each other alive, animals forced to live in cages with feces caked on so thick that it can't be scraped off, and sick and injured animals denied veterinary care and placed in a freezer to die.
If you have witnessed animals being mistreated or living in unhealthful conditions in a PETCO store in your area, please file a detailed complaint with PETCO immediately:
Brian Devine
9125 Recho Road
San Diego, CA 92121
Tel.: 800-765-9878
Mr. Devine's Secretary:
888-583-6044 x3046
Also contact your local Animal Control Agency and make certain they are creating records of the complaint's as well by asking them to notify you when they have evaluated the situation and how it will be handled. Paper trail's are very important.
It is time for this to stop.
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| Ferrets are being reproduced faster than homes can be found. |
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| Want to learn about Tortoise Aid? |
| Pocket Change Pets |
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| Along with smaller rodents are the beautiful Budgies |
Squeaking Out Against Small-Pet Profiling
Some people want what they believe are easy pets. "Shelf pet," "starter pet" and "pocket pet" are some of the labels that induce humans to acquire these animals. They are under the impression that hamsters, gerbils and other small mammals take up little space, provide amusement on command, require hardly any work and no veterinary care, are inexpensive, disposable and quickly replaceable. For a long time, small mammals have been the choice of research laboratories and school classrooms because of the so-called convenience of keeping them. On the other hand, many people, including those involved in animal welfare, debate the ethics of keeping animals either as experimental tools or educational objects, ignoring their need for environmental enrichment and social relationships. In addition to nutritious foods, ample space and good hygiene, small mammals, like larger pets, deserve active involvement with caretakers on a daily basis. -J.B.
Characteristics of Popular Small Pets
Hamster
Most popular variety- the Syrian (golden) - needs to be housed alone.
Very short tail; cheek pouches for storing food.
Nocturnal; may get upset - even bite - if disturbed while sleeping.
In addition to a wheel, needs things to crawl through and to climb on for exercise.
May cannibalize offspring
Gerbil
Comes from desert lands with hot, dry climates.
Likes to burrow for shelter; needs enough litter for digging.
Must be kept indoors; needs the company of at least one other gerbil (same sex).
Exercise wheel must be free of openings that can catch long tails.
** To finish reading this article click on the link below.**
Rabbits and Rodents |
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From: "Mark Bogard" herpaholic@earthlink.net
To: briand@petco.com
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 09:26:26 -0800
Subject: Animal sales
Mr. Brian Devine,
My name is Mark Bogard. I have been breeding snakes, and the rodents to feed them, for about 10 years. I probably spend about $1000 per year on animal food & supplies, most at privately-owned businesses. In my search for bargains I've been inside of a few PETCO stores, but have never spent any money there even when the price was right.
The reason? PETCO is selling animals without assuring that your store managers & clerks know what they're doing.
Many factors go into making a business venture appear to be successful, and I fully understand that to your shareholders the bottom line is money. But too many animals are dying in PETCO stores, and too many survivors are being purchased by customers who don't know what they're doing, and die as a result.
And many respectable, intelligent people are taking note of it.
Being a successful business also means that you supply a good, high-quality product. An animal with a respiratory infection or some other disease is not a good, high-quality product. It is junk of the cruelest sort.
It is the responsibility of you, the seller, to make sure that your managers & clerks know how to care for the animals they sell, and that they at least make an attempt to assure that the buyer has enough knowledge to give their new pet a fighting chance at survival.
I'm writing to ask you to please PLEASE stop selling live animals. In spite of a few caring individual clerks & managers, you're just not very good at it as a rule. Kindly be so good as to leave it up to people who are better qualified to do the job with some measure of real success, and concentrate on what you do best - providing quality foods & other supplies.
You don't need to kill helpless animals in order to satisfy your shareholders or customers. Work WITH your customers and the legitimate live animal dealers. If you act as a referral service for customers who desire live animals and direct them to reputable animal dealers/shelters you will raise the standing of PETCO in the eyes of the world considerably, while at the same time making good money for a good company.
In turn I'm sure that these dealers & shelters will be willing to support PETCO. I've talked to many of them - we ARE willing to work with a respectable outfit, but not a chain of pet-killers.
It's up to you to guide the course of PETCO. Will it continue to be known as a money-hungry monster that destroys animals for a lousey buck? Or will it be known as a caring corporation that supports the pet industry cleanly & honestly?
Please do the right thing. Yet another new PETCO is due to open within a mile of my house in just a few days, and the smell of the corpses piling up around your feet is beginning to attract flies.
Regards,
Mark Bogard
Albany, CA
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