>I was wondering if there is a list/file/database somewhere that includes
>all known complaints by ferretowners to PetCos?
 
Sort of.  There is a website called "Petno: Where the Pets Die" at
http://www.peta.org/feat/petco2/.
As you can see by the URL, it's a PETA website.  While I personally like
PETA and support them, not everybody does, and not everyone agrees on
PETA's stand on companion animals, so it's yet another personal choice
whether or not to become part of their movement against Petco.  While
their aim of getting Petco to stop carrying animals is the same as many
of ours, their motivation is sometimes different and not everyone agrees
with them that animals should not be kept as pets (I don't, for example).
 
Some of the stories on that site are quite heartbreaking and hard to
read.  There are not too many about ferrets; the majority of the stories
are about birds, reptiles, and rodents.  I don't know if that's because
non-ferret people don't always recognize when ferrets are ill or in
inapprpriate conditions, or if it's just that fewer complaints come in
about ferrets.  Some of the bird stories are atrocious, and there are
many statements from former employees about the "freezer" euthanization
for sick and dying animals.
 
>I know that this would be a major undertaking, but maybe if there was
>documentation somewhere, it would help the fight to get ferrets (and
>other animals) out of PetCo.  If there is nothing of the sort, I would
>be willing to start one, but I'd need LOTS of help from you guys.  Feel
>free to send any suggestions.
 
Personally, I'd support the creation of this, but just wanted to play
devil's advocate and say that you may want to be careful HOW you go
about setting that up and making it public.  I don't know what PETA
does when setting up a website like "Petno" and posting stories of
neglect and abuse, but I wonder if there are any legal/liability
ramifications associated with it that have to be taken into account.
Petco being a large corporation, after all, could certainly send a pack
of lawyers after an individual or a group of individuals if a website
went up that they could claim was libelous and the creators/webmasters
had no concrete backup for the stories that were posted on it.  PETA
may ask for documented stuff before they'll post stories to protect
themselves against a lawsuit.
 
Just wanted to toss that out because I wouldn't want to see any
well-meaning ferret folks get sued by Petco.  Talk about adding insult
to injury!!
 
-Heather in Massachusetts
[Posted in FML issue 3855]