It's a classic, and Princess Cuteyface is so good you can't even tell she's acting.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | May 30, 2008 03:06 PM

It would be a lot better if people started by boycotting all Petlands, because they not only get their small animals from mills and don't get them treated, they also sell puppy mill puppies (which Petsmart does NOT do. Petsmart works with local rescues)

But I do understand your point!

Posted by: kelly | May 30, 2008 03:53 PM

Cute video. Princess Cuteyface is adorable! Oh no! I all ready cut mine up into slivers!I agree with Kelly though Petland is one of the worst. They keep puppies in fish tanks! Birds are also treated dismally.

Posted by: Annalena | May 30, 2008 06:16 PM

Your kitty says, " who is he talking, to?!".

Posted by: Knena | May 30, 2008 08:14 PM

I was watching Oprah yesterday and they were doing the show based on Puppy Mills with Lisa Ling. I knew what Puppy Mills were and all but I had no idea they were anything like they were. I have recently adopted a puppy not because it was cute and all but he had a low chance of survival he had parvo and he was only 8wks. old when we got him and we took him to the vet to get his treatment but the vet said just go ahead and put him down to sleep he only had a 8% chance of survival but that one day that he spent with us told me that he was part of my family and he only had to be in the hospital for one day with electro lites and he could go home it was like a miracle had came upon us. Sorry I am telling to much about myself but I want to do something about the way animals are being treated in the mills and sheleters go to this link and you could watch the full episode on Oprah and trust me it will open your eyes to a whole new lite and make you want to do something immdeiatle. www.oprah.com please help the animals

Posted by: Kasey Fleming | May 30, 2008 08:54 PM

Um, you guys are nuts....

Posted by: David Andrews | May 30, 2008 11:03 PM

Loved it, Jack and PC! Nice!!
Princess Cuteyface, you are one laid back pussycat! Take that Petsmart!

Posted by: lynda downie | May 31, 2008 12:09 AM

It would be better to boycott all pet stores that sell live animals. Pet keeping supplies can usually be found in general purpose supermarkets. :)

Posted by: Rachel A | May 31, 2008 02:15 AM

hahahah that was epic!

Posted by: Dusty | May 31, 2008 09:12 AM

It has also been very disappointing to see some Petsmarts selling AKC branded merchandise like dog toys.

Since the AKC makes its money by registering puppy mill puppies and supporting and encouraging dog abuse, this AKC trash doesn't belong in Petsmart.

Posted by: kelly | May 31, 2008 12:21 PM

Petsmart SUCKS for animals! Boycott Petsmart

Posted by: John Carmody | May 31, 2008 01:09 PM

David Andrews:

"Um, you guys are nuts...."

It's tough to draw the line between being "fun" and entertaining, and being intellectual.

We can be both, but for instance, if we didn't do "fun" things like this, we wouldn't keep people interested (and get media attention to the issues, in other situations).

Yet, when people only see this side of it, it looks silly.

But it's generally a good balance. I think.

There should have been a but of discussion in the blog entry about the treatment of animals in the breeding centers, though.

Posted by: Mark Devries | May 31, 2008 06:42 PM

I threw that thing away a long time ago... When I asked at the store they didn't know how the program was going to work...heh.

*However* I could go sign up again...just to tear it up for Jack and Princess Cuteyface...

She's adorable, but keep her away from my birds...
;)

Posted by: Tamara | May 31, 2008 07:51 PM

....Huh. I'd always thought you had a British accent for some reason.

Weird.

Posted by: Jen | June 1, 2008 12:52 PM

Haahahaha. That was priceless. Your cat looked at you as you cut and was like, "what the?" Super cute.

Posted by: Tonia | June 1, 2008 07:33 PM

Rachel A--there are TONS of places online to buy pet supplies also.

With the price of gas now, it is actually just as cost effective to shop online. I don't think shipping fees are unreasonable at all. And once you get that stuff delivered to your door, you'll be hooked, believe me!

I have also found that the online places have more of a selection of creative, cuter toys for birds. I'm sure it's the same for dogs and cats.

And Jack, I take that back about Princess Cuteyface.

She's still adorable, but does that poor cat ever move? Are all cats like that pretty much? I could have a cat if all they do is lay about and look cute and furry. No worry about the birds... (you can tell I'm not a cat person...)

Posted by: Tamara | June 1, 2008 09:59 PM

Not all Petsmarts abuse animals. And you can still use your Petperks even if you cut up the card and keyring card. You just have to give them your telephone number, so you don't even need the card.

Posted by: Lisa | June 7, 2008 01:19 PM

well i say boycott petsmart the evil masterminds its so cruel if u disagree ur NUTS!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: holly | June 11, 2008 02:30 PM

boycott petsmart the horrible saddos

Posted by: beth | June 15, 2008 11:37 AM

I worked at a Petsmart for a year and know FULL well what goes on. At Petsmart, there was never a single expense spared when it came to getting sick animals to the vet. We took ALL of our reptiles, birds (from the smallest finch to the biggest exotic), guinea pigs, hamsters, EVERYTHING!! to the vet if it had even the slightest injury or sickness. We check on those animals in the 'back rooms, hidden from peoples sights' every hour on the hour! So to say the problem is with the company, I say bull! This is always the problem with PETA, whom I love and adore mind you but am still conscious enough to see the flaws; you always have to attack at everything all at once. How about going at the puppy mills? How about focusing on ridding the world of animal testing? Or even better, how about you go at the breeders like RWE? Your Petsmart cruelty cases have to do with the suppliers (for Petsmart AND Petco so how come its not called Petco cruelty too?) Petsmart has saved billions of homeless cats and dogs every single YEAR and the best you can come up with is attacking us. Do you PETA people even realize the mentality of the country in which you live? If you make drugs illegal, people find illegal, undercover ways to sell them? If pet stores stopped selling guinea pigs and hamsters, there's just going to be some sly way to get them out there still, either through the internet or some other insane thing. OVER A HAMSTER! How about before you go bashing the company as a general, you try getting the problem breeders solved. Don't try to take on the world, take on your street first and when you've accomplished that, move on the the next street. But going after each and every big and little thing all at once is never going to work. I love PETA for its work against animal testing, animal abuse and cleaning up the meat industry but seriously! I can't stand by as you nitpick at the small issues. That's my rant,I'm done.

Posted by: Tiffany | June 20, 2008 11:35 AM

Truth is I volunteer in no-kill shelter and Petsmart does help, they just need to stop buying animals from abusive breeders . It would be great if they would buy from shelters and save those already born and homeless rather than any breeder.

Posted by: LD | June 20, 2008 12:28 PM

I was in a petsmart about a month ago to get food or something for my cousins gerbal and when he was looking i went over to the animal section and noticed that one of the cages water got knocked over and the mice couldn't get to it so I went and told one of the employees to go fix it, it didn't happen. SO before i left i went over to the front of the line that had the most people and said, "Get yor ass over there and fix the damn water so the mice can actually drink something, it's been knocked over for like an hour now!" and the lady's like well i'll get someone on that right away. then i'm like "no, see YOU'RE going to do it and make these peole wait because those animals are being sold for our amusement and right now, they're more important than your line, and your job.

she fix it!
and people told me that was the right thing to do and i was being pretty brave, because i'm only 13

ps sorry it's kinda long but it made me feel happy to know that i helped the little mice :)

Posted by: Brittany | June 21, 2008 09:37 PM

Huh.

All the PetSmarts near me adopt out cats from the local Human Societies for the normal adoption fee.

So.

If you get your way on this one, you give these guys even LESS of a chance to get adopted.

Way to go.

Posted by: Tabitha | June 23, 2008 04:15 PM

No one's trying to get PetSmart shut down, Tabitha, we're just trying to get them to 1) take care of the animals they are selling, and even better 2) stop selling live animals. Think of how many PetSmarts there are in the country, and how many animals each carries (look at the number of fish alone!). Now, watch the video at Peta to see the size of the operation that supplies the animals to PetSmart, and look at the way the animals there are treated. No place that big, even if they wanted to, could adequately care for that many animals, and this place, Rainbow Exotics, doesn't even try.

PetSmart does a lot of good, but that DOESN'T excuse the bad that they do, and as their customers, we have the right to demand they change or let them know we're taking our business elsewhere.

Posted by: Terri | June 28, 2008 03:17 PM

I never got why instead of boycotting petsmart until they stopped selling animals, people don't just get them to change the conditions and buying habits of the company instead. Get them to regulate sales and to redesign enclosures and care efforts. never the less their stores suck, not as badly as some but with all of the animals that wind up getting sick or dying it's a redicules amount of profit loss for the amount of crulety in exchange.

Posted by: Comatose | July 11, 2008 02:46 AM

I don't understand something. Why are you guys attacking everything at once? It does no good when you attack Petsmart, Petco, and Petland all at the same time. Now, I love what PETA does and appreciate everything you guys represent, but start a little smaller then branch out. It makes no sense to take on the world, when we can't even take care of what is going on in our own cities and towns. And, by the way, Oprah is not God. Just because Oprah says that every pet store buys from puppy mills, and treats their animals horribly is not true. If you think so, then start with your local pet store and get the facts there. Don't blast them all because one store has a bad reputation, and because Oprah wants her daily ratings. Saving the world can't be done with a bob of the head and a wink, it takes time. So take the time to do some research and get the real facts, not the assumptions. I work at a pet store, and yes, we have animals. We take even the smallest little hamster to the vet for wet tail. We administer clavomax, doxy, panacur, and other medications on a daily basis. Our owner is even a licensed vet, and yes, we are a franchise of a larger store. Our animals are purchased from local breeders who are routinely checked for issues. Our animals are not shipped from states far away, everything is done locally. And of course, every now and then, something passes on, and when that happens, they are even sent to the vet to figure out why. We try our hardest to bring some positive light into the pet store name, and we have done a great job. Our customers are very loyal and even the local humane society pays a visit twice a week. Now, I am in no way asking PETA to completely give up their campaign, but get all the facts and stop believing everything you see on TV. Patience is the way to deal with an issue like this. Instead of bombarding these places with threats, how about informing and teaching the proper care of animals? Instead of being mean to an employee of a Petsmart or Petland, how about voicing your concern in a civil manner? Instead of assumptions, how about facts? Teach those who need to be taught. Listen to those who tell you about your local puppy mill, and act on that. Just because your PETA, doesn't mean you have to attack the big name stores. Just two days ago, a puppy mill was found with over 700 dogs and cats, including an assortment of small animals and birds as well. Their owner had been indicted on several charges or cruelty, and PETA was nowhere to be found. Instead of going after the "big dogs", concentrate on the little guys too! After all, isn't that where most places get their supposed "puppy mill" animals from anyway. If we get rid of them, wouldn't pet stores have a better reputation? All I am saying is start small and locally, then branch out. And use actual facts, not assumptions. You know what they say about the word "assume"? It makes and "a**" out of "u" and "me". Think about it.

Posted by: Jess | July 14, 2008 02:02 AM

Way to go, Jess.

Posted by: Tiffany | July 22, 2008 05:44 PM

Tiffany, you have a good point. Not all pet stores/petsmarts are bad and usually it's the breeders and dealers they buy from. They need to stop buying from them =/ and sometimes the employees are completely uninformed. They give out bull information that kind of ticks me off. But sometimes the employees are great, the animals are healthy and everyone is happy. And the cages they are kept in are small but they aren't meant to be permanent! The people who really tick me off are the ones who buy fish then put them in a teeny tiny bowl without knowing how big they'll get or what they need to live! Learn about an animal before you buy it.

Posted by: Kelsey | August 3, 2008 06:49 PM

I just wanted to say, I have worked at Petsmart for almost a year now, and I think we do a pretty good job taking care of our pets. I wish we had larger enclosures, and more staff to devote more time to them all. But for how many of us there are in Pet Care, we do a good job- we do checklists (food, water, mess, toys, active, etc.) every two hours, which is more than I think most people check on their pets at home. We waste SO much food :), giving everyone full fresh bowls twice a day. We add vitamins to their water, unhealthy or healthy. We take every animal acting less than its best to the vet, which is inside our store. We have multiple medicines on hand for upkeep after veterinary examination- in Pet care alone- and should we need another, we can get it from our in-store vet. Which, by the way, does not see Reptiles; and, being as such, we have a separate reptile doctor who checks on our pets weekly, or more often should we call him on any sort of emergency.

And we try, very hard, to educate our customers BEFORE they purchase a pet. When selling fish, I always ask about their tank size at home, their cleaning rituals, what types of fish, etc. to assess how the new fish will get along. We are allowed to deny sales if we feel the pet is in danger, and we do, ALL the time. And get verbally harrassed to the point of tears, but it is worth it, for the (often-unintentional) mistreatment we spared.
Just today even, I denied a family a turtle, as they were not willing to buy him a big enough cage or any reptile lights or filter. I spent half an hour with them, telling them all the requirements the turtle would need, immediately and through the span of his life.

ANYWAY. I felt a little upset, seeing my store get bashed. I don't think we do anything wrong.
I know little about our vendors. But I do know we just got a new fish vendor, from Florida, and our fish have been looking much more vibrant and healthy. Maybe soon we'll get a new small & furry vendor too, and steer clear of the Rainbow Exotics drama.

Posted by: Teneisha | September 15, 2008 03:02 AM

PETA, why can't you get Rainbow Exotics shut down? Surely, there are "animal police" in Hamilton, TX

Posted by: pplkao | September 24, 2008 02:54 AM

I have skimmed this page and I am hard-pressed to find comments defending all of the excellent petsmart employees. as one of these such employees I am apauled that such things went on, relived that they were remedied quickly, and insulted by this sites blanket statements based off of one bad encounter. The ill informed generalization i have read here about petsmart employees serves only to discredit your organization.

Posted by: anonymous | October 1, 2008 09:49 AM

I work at petsmart and did not know about these problems, it isnt unusual that we recieve animals that become sick with wet tail and breathing problems, but it is required that we send every sick animal to a vet and follow up with treatment, the cages are cleaned weekly, and they get fresh veggies daily (which are removed from the cages after 2 hours to prevent spoiling). we change the food and water twice a day, they always have chews. we are allowed to refuse sales if we think the buyer is unsuitable and we are required to give each petparent a care guide on the animal. we dont sell bunnys instead we encourage people to adopt same with dogs and cats. There are limits on how many animals are in each cage, and the store is walked by district managers every few months. The animals may have been abused at the "mills" but they certainly arent at petsmart. even if petsmart stoped selling animals (which they wont) those same animals will just go to different stores and suffer abuse. Petsmart takes good care of there animals until there sold and with the care guides the "overwhelmed parents" should know what there signing up for.

Posted by: Chelsea | October 21, 2008 12:37 PM

I actually work at PetSmart, none of the problems described happens at my store. I can see it happening in stores, but it is not the company's fault, it is each individual store that is screwing around. Now I am from Canada, so it is possible we take this a little more seriously here. And about hamsters and eating their cage mates, that is a natural reaction. They eat the dead cagemate to protect themselves because in the wild a predator would smell that dead hamster and find the rest of them. It has nothing to do with being overcrowded. By the way, at my store, there is never more than 4 mice, hamsters, rats or guinea pigs in the habitats they are put in. The bird habitats are quite a bit bigger and there is never more than 6-8 birds in their enclosure. So don't put PetSmart down, put those investigated stores down!

Posted by: Gabrielle | November 12, 2008 12:05 AM

I am a employee and a petsmart store.. and all you guys do not make any sense at all!! when an animal is shipped to petsmart we take great care of them.. i am a pet care specialist and i buy pets from my store ALL the time.. and petsmart will never quit selling pets.. just because they treat the animals horribly where the breed them and ship them off does not make petsmart a bad store! anytime an animal is sick or injured we take them straight to the vet! so dont be so rude about everything.. you have no idea.. untill you work in the actual STORE and not the breeding company then say something. but the reality is pets do die.. and they get sick just like people.. i agree that it was wrong the way that they treated the animals in the video.. but get real.. when a new pet comes into our store we treat them with nothing but love and care! so back off!!! pets are pets.. and i love them.. and they are alot happier living with me and their pet parents and not out running the street or whatever you guys think small animals should be doing.. i am so upset that you all think its just petsmart maybe you guys are just crazy...

Posted by: amanda | November 16, 2008 12:21 AM

wow a couple of videos and all pet stores are fine I work at a Vet clinic and lots of animals from pet smart come in which all have been adoption animals and the are all VERY healthy and have the cleanest ears ever...i think yall have to much time on ur hands...

Posted by: Victoria | November 22, 2008 01:52 PM

I am a Petsmart employee in the pet care department. I have to agree with Amanda. Although I can not say that there has never been anything cruel to go on in any petsmart store in the world, I can say that those conditions have never been present at my store. At the same time saying that all petsmart stores are horrible is media grabbing stupidity. Grow up Peta, do the job you could be doing, helping true cruelty that can be helped and stop ragging on one incident that has nothing to do with the rest of the world of pets. You know nothing and simply continue to show your ignorance while standing on this subject.

Posted by: Jennie | December 2, 2008 12:00 AM

go to the pound or petfinder.com if you are looking for a good companion. AVOID "PET SHOPS" LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! it's hard seeing those innocents suffering in pet shops, and i'm sure most of us want to take them all home and give them a good loving home, but that's just giving money to the evil powers that be and perpetuating the cruelty. hit 'em where it hurts, in the wallet!!!

ps. to peeps who cut up the idea of destroying the pet club cards: people! it's symbolic!!

Posted by: shannon | December 10, 2008 09:07 PM

Those incidents in Hamilton Texas shows the mentality of Texans not Petsmart themselves.
I am from Hamilton Ontario Canada and all the Petsmarts i have been to are clean and the animals well cared for.I purchased a rat 2 years ago.What a healthy well adjusted pet he has been.
By the way i got him from the back room because the litter was not on the floor yet.Nothing was amiss in the so called nightmare backroom.
I believe it is the people that own and the employees of each individual store that is the problem .Not the Petsmart chain as a whole

Posted by: BRAD | December 22, 2008 12:10 AM

I work for a petsmart and some of these claims arent realistic. Do you realize that even though these animals are breed to be sold in large quantities that in the wild they stand far greater chances of disease, starvation, predators. People talk about diseases such as wet tail I am familiar with the disease we treat animals for it often however survival rates are high. PETA I think really need to realize that people like animals and buy them to take care of them generally if we feel a person is not responsible enough to take care of a pet and/or is not willing to get basic necessities due to cost we can refuse service.

If PETA is against animals for sale then why does the gentleman in the video own a cat he must have got it from somewhere even at a pound or shelter there is a chance that before he "bought" the cat that it was sold to a place from a breeder just interested in money.

I have never witnessed "horrific conditions" If I or any of my co-workers see something that doesnt look good or could make the animals sick we try to make it better. I personally with the help of a fellow co-worker and friend fixed up a quinea pig cage with better materials to make it easier to clean and more sanitary. I did this on my off day to get the materials and then assembled it with my friend on the clock. My friend had found a more sanitary way to fix up the habitat. We vacuum whenever we can to keep it clean which goes against company policy but we want it clean for both people and animals.

PETA needs to focus on other things they point out the bad things about everything it is easy to show one side euthanasia doesnt give the animal the chance to fight and live that is murder. It is like telling someone with cancer you are too sick to live and we need this bed for someone else and putting large doses of potassium chloride in the IV ending a life.

In the time it took me to write this (approx. 15 min.) 4.7 children under the age of five will have died from diseases because organizations such as this focus on subject matter that is not important animals are important but attacking a corporation wont solve anything many animals are sold regardless of what the people of this organization say or do many people probably dont even know that they exist.

IN reality this organization doesnt help anything

Petco made an agreement but it has worse conditions than petsmart when you walk in to the store it smells bad extremely bad

i have never seen bettas out in a little bag we use cups it is small but we tell customers when they get them to give them a larger area than that

and for the animals we teach people how to take care of them

i am sure that there are many people in this little organization that do not know how to take care of animals properly learn that and then rate how stores do things it will give u a whole new insite

Posted by: Pat | January 8, 2009 02:07 AM

Just adding my experiences with PetSmart. I've had both good and bad. I've met some fairly inexperienced employees, and pets that died shortly after purchase (all fish), but I also had an opportunity to see how much some of them care. I overheard one woman talking to another woman about how frustrated she was with a customer who was clearly unprepared to care for the animal they were trying to purchase, and how she had insisted that the customer not buy the pet. This impressed me, as it was a genuine show of concern over the animal's welfare. I also experienced firsthand this concern when later I went to purchase an animal for which I unknowingly did not have enough space. Another employee absolutely insisted several times that I really should not buy the pet I wanted becauase it would soon outgrow it's environment, and would immediately be unhappy. She offered me cheaper alternatives, and told me in detail why and what would happen if I were to purchase the pet. This may not be an optimal business transaction, but is certainly a show of care and expertise from this particular store. It seems perhaps all things are best judged circumstantially and specific, as I see some chains clearly do not exercise such care and education. I wonder - are all stores supplied by the same supplier, or do some use animal-friendly suppliers?

Posted by: envelope | January 11, 2009 12:18 PM

To whom it may concern:
You know I feel really sad that you guys are saying all of these cruel things about Petsmart. I work at a Petsmart and I'm an animal care specialist and I love animals with all my heart. I agree that Rainbow is a horrible supplier but I feel good knowing that once the animals get to my store I can take care of them and give them love, once they get there they are safe from all of the abuses of our supplier. I'm sure that there are a few Petsmarts where the employees don't take good care of the animals, thats apparent from the videos and pictures on your web site. . . what did you guys sneak into our sick room? If so handling animals in there without the proper training is not a good idea at all for your sake and the animals sake. I agree that there are a lot of things Petsmart needs to change but it's really hurtful when you stereotype every Petsmart as being a horrible cruel place. I save those animals that come from Rainbow whether you believe it or not, I don't really care because I know I do. Maybe you should stop throwing attitude and think before you say hurtful things like that. I love animals, they are my whole heart,my mom died of cancer last year and I wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for me getting involved with animals through my job and community out reach, but I would never be a part of such a slanderous, mean, ill tempered group of people such as yourselves.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Stockton
Petsmart Pet Care Specialist

Posted by: Elizabeth Stockton | January 12, 2009 08:09 PM

It's wonderful that while in PetSmart stores pets are mostly taken good care of, and that employees can and do refuse people that they feel can't or won't care properly for the pet. However I think a lot of the posts here miss the point, and that is that PetSmart buys it's exotic animals from Rainbow. Anyone with half a brain can see why that is wrong, and why doing this is, effectively, saying "yes" to animal abuse. I'm sure someone will argue that Rainbow will just find other stores to sell it's animals to, but the fact is that PetSmart is their biggest customer. If PetSmart were to boycott Rainbow, it would make a considerable impact. Then Peta could continue to work on other organizations which buy from Rainbow, and other organizations like Rainbow in the same way, until hopefully Rainbow and places like it would be no longer. Saying that Rainbow would just find other clients, or even saying that animal abuse will never end as long as the universe is in existence, is pretty pointless as far as Peta, or anyone concerned about animal welfare for that matter, is concerned, because every life and every cruel experience ended or prevented is a victory. Every individual life matters and that's what Peta is there for, to fight for as many of those unique individuals as it can.

Posted by: Daniel | January 26, 2009 02:19 AM

As a Petsmart small animal associate I am deeply offended by your allegations that our animals are abused and neglected. I love all the creatures we sell and do my very best to make sure they find good homes. If someone refuses to take my advice on proper care then I refuse to sell them the animal. And as to the back rooms: if an animal is put back there I do my very best to restore it to health. If it is beyond me I ask the store vet for help and she willingly does her part, be it prescribing treatment or putting an animal out of its misery. I realize that some may see it as cruel to sell animals as pets. The example I give is that down the street from our Petsmart is a pet shop that sells puppy mill puppies and every other sort of animal with only profit in mind and no regard to its care. I get the feeling that the people I refuse to sell fish to because they want to put 10 goldfish in a 2 gallon tank just go down there after they're done ignoring me. I support PETA's mission in preventing cruelty to animals. However in this case they have taken things too far. I apologize at this negative tone, but I really do take pride in my work and consider it my duty to help the animals Petsmart sells go to good and loving home that will care for them properly.

-Jonathan Tilden
Petsmart Pet Care Employee

P.S. Our store gets nothing from Rainbow. I sign most of the receiving orders for small pet, bird, and reptile deliveries so I know this for a fact.

Posted by: Jonathan Tilden | January 27, 2009 11:23 PM

AW i buyed birds from pets mart! they looked Tierd,and bored.Animals in thier were really DIRTY.

Posted by: ally | January 30, 2009 06:30 PM

Ok...petsmart employees. I can tell you right now that in the petsmart I worked in these animals did not go to the vets. If that is the case Petsmart would be selling a hamster that they invested over $50.00 into for $14.99 are u serious. hamsters that go into that back room are left WITHOUT exercise wheels in a plastic container that is at best 4" x 6" that sounds humane to me...NOT!!!
You can not tell me petsmart takes each sick animal to the VET...it is not cost effective for them to do so. Think about it people. Ok, as for Rainbow just like puppy mills they close down 1 supplier and that company is up and running under another name in a matter of days which somehow puts Petsmart in the clear...NOOOO!
As for these so called petcare specialist what type of training do you have? You are not qualified to treat a hamster or fish you are not a vet...Hell if my kid gets the diarreha I take him to the DR.. I expect the same for the hamster I might be buying from the chain that claims to be so PRO-animal.

Posted by: R7809 | February 1, 2009 06:07 PM

I have worked at Petsmart for over a year and have NEVER mistreated an animal, and have been trained to take an ailing animal DIRECTLY to the vet if I suspect anything wrong, and not wait to ask for a manager's approval. I cannot speak for each location, but for mine I can say that we work there because we care about animals and about seeing them placed in decent homes. My store no longer sells large birds, cockatiels, and conures because of the risk of psitacosis and because of the difficulty in finding suitable homes; my manager refuses to order them because he does NOT want the guilt of creating an institutionalized bird he cannot ensure the welfare of on his conscience. On my first day I was told that the welfare of the animal is the store's top priority, and that we have the right to refuse a sale. I refuse to sell animals unless the potential buyer also purchases EVERTHING needed to take proper care of it, and has the space and the time available to give it a fufilling life. I have refused sales, and gotten yelled at by my customers, and have had the full support of management. Our animals are fed twice a day, ALL dishes and waterbottles are disinfected and replaced DAILY. Our reptiles all have full-spectrum UVA/UVB lighting and appropriate diets tailored to each species. Our sick rooms are not places where we hide animals to keep them out of view; they are sanitary, climate controlled, quiet rooms that allow an animal to recuperate from a sickness in a less stressful environment. You people claim to be against cruelty, but you are VERY cruel to those of us who are laboring to care for and ensure the well-being of animals, which you claim to make a high priority. We work long hours for very little money and very little glory because we love what we do and care about the animals we sell. Your site claims that animals rarely survive the 14-day guruntee . . . at my store we have had three birds returned in the past year, and one of those was not replaced because the customer obviousely did not take care of it; his name was posted in the sump room so that everyone would know not to sell him another animal. We have had perhaps half a dozen small animals in the same span of time, and relatively few fish; most of those dead from ignorance on the part of the buyer, who lied to us about the status of thier tanks when they purchased the fish. I have never visited Rainbow and have nothing to do with thier breeding practices, but I do know that however these animals begin thier lives, we do everything in our power to ensure that they live good ones. The few animals who do get sick are usually bought by the employees who cared for them and came to love them while they were ill. We are not heartless monsters, we love animals as much as the rest of you. However, instead of vilifying pet stores, we work to ensure that they are healthy and caring places where we can teach others to love and be resposible for animals, too.

Posted by: Rebecca H. Pet Care Associate | February 6, 2009 12:07 AM

Wow, way to help the animals that are homeless and need a home. This is completely contradicting! You say boycott PETsmart but PETsmart helps fund organizations that house animals that are in need of adoptions otherwise they would be put down in other animal shelters. I work at PETsmart and let me tell you, if they bring in sick looking animals and try to drop them off, I break my foot off into the Rainbow guys ass. He really didn't like me at all, I would press him with questions like "why would you bring an animal in that condition? What are you guys doing over there? He eventually avoided me and came on days I wasn't around. The company is getting a little cheap I've noticed, removing certain foods and medicines from the Policies and Procedures making recovery a pain in the ass for some animals, more the fish than anything else.
But other than that and my dumbass petcare manager who knows basically nothing, the animals are taken care of quite well.

Posted by: Marie | March 7, 2009 09:56 PM

I'm gonna boycott petsmart and petland. petland is too expensive.

Posted by: chicagoqueen | March 9, 2009 12:11 AM

Wow. alot of clueless pet store employees posting here.

Someone in corporate convinced you that without Pet Stores, we wouldn't be able to find pets. Have you checked your local animal shelter?

Get a new business model. Do not sell live animals, then you don't have to be putting money in the breeders pockets. Sponsor Rescues, Help local animal shelters.

Everytime Petdumb buys an animal from a breeder, it doesn't matter how well they take care of it, they are part of the problem.

Posted by: Evan Peterson | March 28, 2009 07:46 PM

I find it fascinating how many people who are behind PETA work at Petsmart. Instead of complaining about how horrible you think the conditions are in there, why not work there and make sure that the pets are being treated as well as they can. I work at Petsmart as well, but instead of sitting back complaining I get involved. Yeh it stinks that some of our suppliers are idiots, but at least i can make a difference in the pet's life by taking care of him and helping him find a loving home INSTEAD of being at a "mill." I can't change anything that a corporation does, but i can make life a little more enjoyble for the pets that are inside my store

Posted by: Anon | March 29, 2009 08:02 PM

Economics, big corporate America, bottom line profits, and how corporations rule our economy here and overseas etc. needs to be applied here. Corporation’s that have massive financial strength and influence must be held all the more accountable - to the highest of industry standards and scrutiny by the consumer. They have enormous influence on many levels and in some cases ones health and even life and death. (This is not to denote that smaller corporations or home based animal care business should not be held any less accountable for their conduct and responsibilities.)
The day-to-day underpaid employees working within these companies, who show up faithfully, perform their jobs with integrity, truly care for the animals and take pride in their job, are not the issue at hand. Rather the “powers that be”, the share holders and owners whose incomes are six figures and/or millions of dollars yearly, are accountable for setting the precedence for their corporation. They decipher how their corporations are run on all levels - hence the care (or lack of) for the lives of these dependent animals.
I admire the adoptive pet settings that are now in place in stores however this was not the norm a few short years ago. This came about due to the demand for change towards animals. The fact that one hamster or one bird has suffered or died regardless of the organizations name, is one too many. Shouldn’t complacency over any creatures suffering and death, even one, stipulate action towards immediate change? We as a society must insist on the highest of standards regarding the care of all animals and more so to discontinue the selling of any animal.
A little research will show that change comes (in any situation where money is involved) when and only when the powers that be are hit in their pocketbooks. The focus must remain on the animals and continuing to be their voice and never giving up or in. PETA I applaud you.

Posted by: DK Taylor | March 30, 2009 02:38 AM

I AGREE WITH "Mike Quinoa"! Petlands should also be boycotted! They buy their dogs from puppy mills, they don't give them any exercise, and they are cruely confined. I even broke down and bought one of my dogs from a petland in Tucson, AZ. They had lowered her price because she was FOUR MONTHS OLD! Way too long to be stuck in a two foot by two foot crate. She was in such poor condition, she could barely use her hind legs! Luckily, after a vet visit and a few months of good food and exercise, she is a healthy and happy little girl!

I believe that these pet stores who don't care about the animals they sell should be closed down! How do these people sleep at night??

Posted by: Casey | June 2, 2009 08:23 PM