7 Reasons Pet Stores Suck

Pet stores, in particular those corporate iterations, are a real problem. Like factory farms, they exploit, impose poor living conditions, and often torture defenseless animals. They are even the cause of many animal deaths every year. That’s not exactly the kind of place or business we aspire to get our pets from, is it?

Rather than ridiculing those (ourselves included) who have used pet stores in the past, it’s time for us to simply learn that moving forward we should know better. Big box pet stores, like big ag conglomerates, and the pet trade are profit-oriented entities, and that mindset doesn’t often mesh well with the humane treatment of animals.

Not only are pet companies active participants in the mistreatment and displacement of many animals, they also peddle products that are often ill-suited for these animals. As animal lovers and especially animal companions, it’s something we should really be aware of and combat. Pet stores suck.

1. Animals Are Used For Profit, Not Treated As Sentient Beings

Source: More Perfect Union/Youtube

In the end, pet stores are using animals, which are involuntarily there, to make a profit. They play a role in the way these animals are reproduced, transported, marketed, and cared for. Their interest is how to make a profit, not how well the animals are treated. Simply put, treating the animals well would decrease the capital they create. Built into this equation is the number of animals lost in the process. Those lives are the cost of doing business.

2. They Support Puppy (And Other Animal) Mills

One of the main ways that pet stores choose profit over animals is by sourcing their creatures from “puppy mills” and other large-scale, commercial breeding outfits. It is well-documented how brutal and cruel these breeding and animal brokerage businesses are. Their bread-and-butter is selling to pet stores. Pet stores often cite accredited sources for their animals, but that’s not proof that they’ve not come from these pet factories.

3. Many Animals Suffer, Even Die, In Shipping

Whether it’s large animals like puppies or smaller animals like hamsters, many never make it to the store alive. The process is extraordinarily stressful for the animals, and they often spend extended hours or days of transport. They are kept in cramped and/or overcrowded spaces, and many—especially smaller animals—get trampled in transit. “Exotic pets” have it even worse.

4. They Keep Animals In Small, Confined Spaces…Or Prison Cells.

Source: The Humane Society of the United States/Youtube

When we visit a pet store, it’s not as though we see a bunch of happy, fun-loving animals prancing about in the aisles. The animals are confined in cages, aquariums, and terrariums, often in much smaller areas than the pet store itself would recommend keeping them. Buying animals from pet stores doesn’t “save” them from the situation; rather, it creates demand for more animals to be created and put in the same situation.

5. Most Animals Shouldn’t Be Pets, Even Ones In Pet Stores

While it is true that certain animals have been domesticated and are no longer suited for life in the wild, that is not true for all animals in pet stores. For instance, reptiles—that’s snakes, lizards, and turtles—are not necessarily domesticated animals. Just because we keep certain animals as a pet or breed them in captivity doesn’t mean that we should. Hamsters, budgies, and frogs are trapped animals that’d rather be elsewhere and would be given the opportunity.

6. They Sell Products And Toys That Are Known To Be Harmful To Animals

Source: Jaw-Dropping Facts/Youtube

For the pet store, not only do the animals earn them money, but the collection of equipment and food involved in caring for animals equals profit, too. In fact, animal owners will spend far more on pet food than on the pet itself. Toys, leashes, cages, and so on collectively create more profit than the animal does. It’s just a means to an end. In fact, a lot of pet food and toys are known to be harmful to the animals.

7. Pet Stores Create Rescued Animals And Then Prevent Them From Being Rescued

More or less, pet stores work the angle of humans being suckers for those puppy eyes. We see this cute little dog or cat or whatever and buy it on impulse. Later, many of us face the reality of a grown, hungry, energetic animal that is relying on us. Lots of animals end up in shelters this way. While rescued cats and dogs have become a standard for pet owners, some still use pet stores instead. That just perpetuates the rescued animal issue.

In other words, pet stores are not the place to get a pet. They may not even be the place to buy pet supplies. Perhaps it’s time to reimagine how this all works.

Related Content:

• Pet Stores Sue Maryland Claiming Puppy Mill Ban is Unconstitutional
• California Pet Store Bans 2nd Amendment Supporters from Adopting Pets
• New York Senate Passes Bill To Ban Sale of Animals in Pet Stores
• Why You Should Never Buy an Animal From a Pet Store
• Think You’re ‘Saving’ That Puppy From a Pet Store? Think Again!

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