Kids, Breeders and Pet Stores, Oh My!

I was in PetSmart today picking up crickets for my tarantula and beardie and feeder fish for my fiance's turtle. Along come these two moos (friends, I presume) with their sniveling little shit loaves. Shit loaf #1, who can't be older than 2, starts trying to get a hold of the Beta containers (thankfully, they're too high to reach- for now). Moomie of said loaf takes one down. "Do you want this fishie?" asks moomie. Shit loaf #1 inserts putrid little fingers into her mouth and nods. Moomie hands the container to the loaf, then goes off to get a plant for the fish. I didn't stick around to see what happened. I didn't trust myself not to lay into the cunt (and almost certainly get myself banned from the store) if that kid dropped the fish.

I've seen this exact same thing play out dozens of times in the past. I'm willing to bet it won't end well. The stupid cunt obviously had no knowledge whatsoever about Betas or their care. She probably figures she can plop it in a bowl with a plant and be done with it. It'll sit there, looking every bit as depressed as it does in the cup. Knowing these types of people, the fish will probably be placed in the kid's room, where she can torture it by sticking her grimy hands in it's bowl and grabbing it. Or maybe she'll knock it over. Either way, that fish is as good as toilet fodder.


The week before that, I was an unwilling witness to a woman buying her toddler a foot-long Ball Python because "she liked the snakie". The woman turned to me, laughed, and said, "She's going to terrorize the neighborhood with that snake!" I just looked at her with disgust. She gave me a nasty look and walked away. She left with just the snake. No tank. No light. No water bowl. No mice. Nothing. Totally unprepared and ignorant.


I'll tell you what would happen if I owned a pet store. Animals would not be sold without caresheets. The would be grilled on what they know. Nobody under 16 would be allowed. No exceptions. I would not sell cats, dogs, kittens or puppies. I would not sell iguanas. I would not sell hermit crabs. I'd be known as the "scary, militant pet store lady". I would have a big sign on my door that says, "there is no such thing as a throw away pet!". I would not be in business long, because I wouldn't let people get away with the shit I see in other stores.

The greatness of a nation and it`s moral progress can be judged by how it`s animals are treated - Gandhi

Then we're all in trouble.

There are so many things wrong with these people's behavior that the mind reels.

First is the casual purchase of the beta. The mom treated it like buying a candy bar. "Oh, you want that? OK." This is wrong in two ways. First, it's a living being, not a trinket. Second, it should be a birthday present or some other BIG reward, not just a whimsical purchase for a spoiled kid. Third, I doubt the mom has the slightest clue of how to properly care for the fish, but I didn't see her consulting with a store employee or asking for a good beta book. Fourth, the kid is TOO YOUNG for ANY pet, period. I second ARK's 16-year-old age limit.

(deep breath)

Now about the snake. I can feel my blood pressure rising as I type, hence the deep breath. There are so many levels of fail here I hardly know where to begin.

First of all, an animal is not a fucking accessory. If you're lucky enough to have one, you are responsible for giving it a happy and healthy and stimulating and fun life, with a comfortable home, good vet care, a variety of good food, and things to enrich its life such as treats and toys. YOU are there for the animal, not the other way around.

Second, the "terrorizing" comment sends up about a zillion red flags. It sounds as though the brat will be taking the snake from its home and thrusting it into other horrible kids' faces to "terrorize" them. I doubt she knows how to properly handle a snake, you don't use an animal to scare others (and scare the animal!), and doing so means the snake has a good chance of being injured in the process, or unintentionally freed into an indoor or outdoor environment in which it can't survive.

Third, who is stupid enough not to get all of the supplies? A pet is a serious investment. Does she have all of the snake supplies at home? Based on her attitude, I seriously doubt it. That means the snake will likely have a terrible quality of life. I'd go so far to call it animal abuse. Why aren't the animal control people called on idiots like this? Abusing a snake is as bad as abusing a dog or cat. It's disgusting.

In a perfect world, people like this should have one of the pet store employees visit their house for a pre-adoption visit to check if they're ready and prepared for their pet. The adopters should take a written test on proper ball python care. THEN they could be allowed to adopt it--at the discretion of the pet store employee. If they whine it's "too much trouble" or they "don't have the time" for that--perfect, you've just weeded out the types who should NOT be allowed to have pets.

I am glad I wasn't in that store because I know I'd be sorely tempted to give that ignorant woman a piece of my mind in no uncertain terms.

I can't bear to be in the same space with children AND animals. Having a reptile kept me from having young visitors as well.

During the late spring and summer, Iike to take my beardie out for a "walk" wherein she sits on my shoulder in her reptile harness. People with small children sometimes come up to me and ask if little Shitleigh can "pet the iguana" (twitch), to which I reply, "They can look, but they can't touch." The parents give me nasty looks, but it's not their pet to molest, and I'm not going to make poor Loki put up with being manhandled by some toddler to appease their self-entitled parents. Besides, I don't feel like getting sued if little Shitleigh gets too rough and Loki decides to go on the defensive. Beardies have noticeable teeth and their bites hurt.

Would love to see that.. iguana on the shoulder.

Amazing how nasty these moos get if you don't go along with their torture scheme.

two cents ¢¢

CERTIFIED HOSEHEAD!!!

people (especially women) do not give ONE DAMN about what they inflict on children and I defy anyone to prove me wrong

Dysfunctional relationships almost always have a child. The more dysfunctional, the more children.

The selfish wants of adults outweigh the needs of the child.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed, but some mistakes can be 'fixed'.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. Leo J. Burke

Adoption agencies have strict criteria (usually). Breeders, whose combined IQ's would barely hit triple digits, have none.

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twocents
Amazing how nasty these moos get if you don't go along with their torture scheme.

QFT. When I take my dog for a walk, I sometimes encounter kydz wanting to know if they can pet "the white wolf" (he's a samoyed). Even though he's a sweetie, and sammies in general are extremely friendly and sociable, that doesn't change the fact that he's a powerful dog with a sharp set of teeth. I would never leave my ten-year-old niece alone with him - a child he knows and loves - so sorry breeders, you can shoot me all the nasty looks you want but there's no fucking way I'm letting your loaves poke and prod him.

Greetings from a fellow Beardie owner! I love my little guy and it drives me nuts that they are marketed as kid pets.

Kids and pets make me a nervous wreck too. I remember when I was buying my beardie recently there was a terdling in their who picked up a bag of crickets and just kept shaking them around in their bag and banging them around while moo just watched and ignored. I know they are feeder insects but they do deserve some respect.

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liz

QFT. When I take my dog for a walk, I sometimes encounter kydz wanting to know if they can pet "the white wolf" (he's a samoyed). Even though he's a sweetie, and sammies in general are extremely friendly and sociable, that doesn't change the fact that he's a powerful dog with a sharp set of teeth. I would never leave my ten-year-old niece alone with him - a child he knows and loves - so sorry breeders, you can shoot me all the nasty looks you want but there's no fucking way I'm letting your loaves poke and prod him.

My parents have a samoyed, two huskies, and an Alaskan malamute. I'm not a dog person, but I do like those four. They are all so sweet, but yeah, they can do some damage when they want to (those four have been known to get into serious scuffles from time to time). My parents have often said that they are not dogs for small children. The sammie tends to snap if you touch him while he's sleeping - he immediate realizes what he's done and tries to lick and cuddle you to apologize - but I wouldn't let a toddler alone with him. We adults that know to say his name to wake him up before approaching him, but I doubt a young sprog could be trained to do that.

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"Not every ejaculation deserves a name" - George Carlin

I volunteer at my local SPCA, and because we are proudly no-kill, we do have to go out of our way to find homes. So at the holidays we unfortunately had to take some of the kitties to the local mall, where I had to spend all day telling snotloaves and their brain-addled moos to keep their grimy hands OUT of the cages. I was especially concerned about one little fella, who had just been microchipped and was feeling rather groggy (I tried to insist he didn't come, but the director really had high hopes for finding him a home). I had taken a break and was hurrying back to the tables, as I could see that the other volunteer and director were tied up with some people, and that a sow and her snivelling loaves were fast approaching kitty in question (whose cage, yes, had a HUGE sign that explained kitty's grogginess and warned not to put any hands near him). To my horror, the cage started rattling as Bratford had stuck his ENTIRE germ-breeding hand in the cage and could not extract it. Moo was beside herself, screaming that the kitty would bite her little shit. To no avail, though. But the director and I tore a new one on that simpering sow, who bitched about US after the shit's hand was mercifully removed. She didn't apologize at all for wantonly letting her brat violate the cat, instead demanding that WE make amends for putting Shitface in a bind. I told her, "If you had taught your chyld to read, or could do so yourself, you would clearly note the instructions on the cage. YOU endangered this cat's welfare." And the director said, just before bitch huffed off, "As desperate as we are for homes, know that we would never let you adopt."

It's too bad pet stores, who are obviously more concerned about profit, aren't as vigilant. I wonder though if it might do some good to report stores to company headquarters who allowed sales of pets when the circumstances were questionable. Might entail some stricter policy.

Our local PetSmart store has SPCA kitties, aged one year and up, available for adoption in one part of the store. There is an info sheet on every cat, giving approx. age, sex, and previous home situation, with a local phone number to call. On every card it clearly states, NO CELL PHONE CALLS ACCEPTED. Either one of two good things are happening--they are checking to see if the name you give their agency is the same or similar to the caller ID name, or they are discouraging anyone from impulsively adopting a cat while in the store. Since I have only adopted kitties through my vet's office, I don't really know how detailed the SPCA interview questions get, but hopefully, they do a decent job of screening.

LoveToLurk, I am so jealous of your parents lol! I'd love to get a husky or Malamute, but I don't have the space and I can't really afford it, so unless my circumstances change, I won't get one. Simple as that.

When I was reading up on the breed before I got my sammie, it was often mentioned how great they are with kids. While they are very affectionate as a rule, I totally agree that they are unsuitable dogs for children. They don't realize their own strength for one thing. They are such an intelligent breed and require lots of attention. When you consider how many kids quickly tire of a pet, I doubt they would receive any.

I see there's a few beardie owners on the board - I don't have any myself but my sister has two beardies and they're adorable.

Catlover, I am so relieved the director gave the bitchmoo what for! It's thanks to ignorant sows like her that so many animals end up in shelters in the first place.

They do screen. You can't just bring kitty or doggy home from Love-A-Pet centers at PetSmarts. A rep has to be on-site, and policy is that references are checked, etc. And thankfully, if an animal is "special needs" or clearly adverse to brats, pains will be taken to ensure the animal will not go to a breeder home. Now, not all SPCA/county shelters are as vigilant as others, but for the most part policy is followed.

The problem is with the other animals who are outright "sold" at the stores, and not adopted. So the birds, fish, reptiles, mice, etc. And this reinforces an unfortunate hierarchy of "pets," sending a message that such animals don't have to have the same provisions for care. That's where I wish policy would change, and that all animal sales were monitored by on-site reps. So that impulse purchases can't be made on the spot.

Catlover, your story doesn't suprise me in the least. I also volunteer at a no kill shelter, ours is one of the ones that uses the adoption center at the Petsmart. The adoption procedure is pretty strict, so we also have an overflow of kitties. On the weekends we do adoptathons where extra cages and kitties are brought and set up. My job as a volunteer is to go into the adoption center a few nights a week and maintain the cages. I did a weekend adoptathon ONCE. Afterword I told the directior I couldn't do it anymore because I couldn't be sure I could hold my tongue at some of the outragous behavior I saw from some of the idiots who came around the cages, and I didn't want to get the shelter in trouble. I like doing the weeknight feeding/cleaning, you still have to deal with some idiots but not near as many.

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"Not every ejaculation deserves a name" - George Carlin

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liz
LoveToLurk, I am so jealous of your parents lol! I'd love to get a husky or Malamute, but I don't have the space and I can't really afford it, so unless my circumstances change, I won't get one. Simple as that.

When I was reading up on the breed before I got my sammie, it was often mentioned how great they are with kids. While they are very affectionate as a rule, I totally agree that they are unsuitable dogs for children. They don't realize their own strength for one thing. They are such an intelligent breed and require lots of attention. When you consider how many kids quickly tire of a pet, I doubt they would receive any.
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Yeah, they do need lots of area to run around. My parents have two acres of fenced in yard that the dogs can run around in. They have a pet door in the patio that gets unlocked while my parents are home, so during those times they can come and go as they please. I couldn't imagine having a dog like that in a small area. Those dogs love to RUN!!!! AND RUN AND RUN!!!!

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"Not every ejaculation deserves a name" - George Carlin

I also detest doing these adopt-a-thons. But I also feel that I need to be there to monitor, as upsetting as it is. Not all of the volunteers are good about telling the sows off, and the director is sometimes between sites. I love the cage maintenance, though. Nothing more gratifying than giving the kitties a little freedom and play time.