I just gotta share this and vent a little.  I am so disgusted, frustrated
and sickened by this.
 
I know some of you have seen/heard me refer to the ONLY pet store in my
town that really cares about animals.  It is a small, private store called
The Animal House, owned by a great guy named Barry and his wonderful wife,
Dana.  They started the store on a showstring budget, they are both true
animal lovers, very caring and knowlegable.  They never carried *mill*
puppies or kittens, but supported local private breeders and rescues
instead.  They did carry MF ferrets at first but after learning more, they
stopped and would occasionaly have a couple kits from a private breeder who
sold to pet stores, but mostly helped support the shelter and handed out
our information.  Barry and Dana also help run one of the local rescues for
Boxer dogs.  The only time I ever saw puppies or kittens in their store was
when they found, or had turned in, or had dumped on them... unwanted ones.
And then they only charged an adoption fee to cover the vet check and
shots, sometimes as little as $10 to make sure the animal found a good
home.
 
Barry and Dana themselves are reptile experts and mostly carried reptiles
which came from some of the best known reptuable sources in the country.
Every animal in their store recieved the correct and finest of care.  They
never, ever sold to just anyone with the cash... they always talked to
people and questioned their knowledge and made sure they had what was
needed for this animal.  We personally witnessed a man and his 8 year old
son come in wanting to buy a $90 Monitor lizard... in talking to them,
Barry informed them that this was not a good choice for a first lizard for
a young child and ended up selling them $20 worth of Anoles (good starter
lizards).  He had fair, decent prices and often gave people breaks and
special discounts.  He always was willing to help support shelters and
donated items for raffles and gave great discounts on anything needed.
They also have an Exotic Animal Show they take to schools, daycares and
such to help educate kids.  In my humble opinion, Barry and Dana were the
last of a dying breed, pet store owners who truly cared about the animals
and took responsibility.
 
Why am I telling you all this?  It is with a sad heart and a real disgust
for the business that I let everyone know that on December 31, 1999.  The
Animal House will be closing their doors and going out of business.  The
reason is simple and painfully obvious.  He spent too much money on making
sure the animals were cared for, didn't push sales for the sake of turing
a buck and treated both the animals and people fairly and with respect.
Because of that, they went broke.  I can't help but feel it is a sad
comment on the state of this business when the ones who survive are the
ones who give substandard care to the animals, will sell to anyone with the
cash and look out only for themselves.  There seems to be no room in the
pet store business for people who care about the animals and try to do the
right thing.
 
I apologize in advance if this post offends anyone.  I am not saying there
is no other store in the world who is as decent.  I just know, in the town
I live in, Barry and Dana were the last, and the only pet store I have an
ounce of respect for.  The loss of their store saddens me and will be a
great loss to the local animal community.
[Posted in FML issue 2909]