Not all Petco's are bad, and because of what happened in California
(which is what the last post is referring to) there have been a lot of
improvements at Petco.  I work in a local Petco, so I am well aware of
the issues and how the company is handling them.  Animal care is of the
utmost importance.  We frequently take hamsters to the vet, how many pet
owners do that?  My guess is not that many.
 
Also, many stories are fueled by PETA.  And I do not deny that such abuse
was present, I have seen the training videos.  However, what the general
public is unaware of is that PETA members are the the number 1 stock
holders in Petco.  Negative attention draws people in to be nosey.....
and sales increase, increasing profits.
 
All I am saying is please don't write off an entire corporation without
knowing all the details or if the problems have been corrected.  The
Petco I work in is excellent with animal care, especially ferrets.  ALL
the management there OWNS ferrets.  Our babies get out to play twice a
day in a Martin's playpen that the one manager purchased out of her own
pocket.  I am not claiming that all stores are perfect, I am sure there
are many out there that are not.  But the corporation itself has strict
guidelines with extremely high standards to follow for the care of the
animals.  They cannot control the employees that work in their stores
100% of the time, no company has that ability.  That is not an excuse
for animal abuse, by any means.  But to think that they have the ability
to control what happens in their stores all the time is unrealistic.
 
Thank you for your time.
[Posted in FML issue 4768]