Hi all,
Sorry for the multiple posts...I have a question for those who have been
in an activist/advocate position vs. pet stores in the past or presently.
 
First, some background.  There is a pet store in my area that sells
Marshall ferrets.  These ferrets always appear to be fat, healthy,
clean, bright-eyed & bushy tailed.  Judging from my limited knowledge on
the subject, they appear to be a proper age for sale.  They always have
food & water.  It doesn't seem like there's anything to complain about.
However, some things do stick in my craw with regard to the care of these
babies.
 
The ferrets are housed in a Plexiglas cage with wood shaving for bedding
& litter, and no toys.  They seem to be happy, energetic & comfortable
with their situation...but probably because they don't know any better.
When you look closely at their pudgy little baby faces, you can see the
wood dust in their fur, in their whiskers, in their eyes, and up their
silly little pink noses.  They have most certainly breathed the wood dust
in.  Given that the risks of exposure to wood shavings for small animals
has been well documented, I feel pretty confident in saying that these
baby weasels are being kept in an unhealthy environment, and that this
pet store is selling animals to the public that already have the deck
stacked against them for future health problems.
 
After repeatedly complaining to the employees & management of this store
with no result (don't get me started on the lies they told me), I have
written a (polite, informative) letter to the corporate office of this
pet store explaining the risk they are taking with the future health of
these babies.  I informed them that it it a bad business practice to
knowingly sell defective merchandise to the public (I hate calling these
sweet, adorable babies "defective merchandise", but I was trying to
tackle this from a business point of view).  I told them that their
employees have lied to me about "waiting for shipments of their usual
bedding", when my frequent visits to the store have (circumstantially)
proven to me that wood shavings ARE their "usual bedding".  I stated
that I wouldn't purchase anything from their store until the issue was
resolved.  I sent printed materials from Ferret Central detailing the
risk of wood shaving exposure in humans & small animals.  And nothing
has changed.
 
I went into this pet store on Sunday afternoon; there were six brand new,
adorable little babies all sacked out with their fat little tummies on
display.  They were all sleeping in wood shavings.  They were covered in
dust.  I didn't bother to talk to the employees, since I had a feeling I
would be fed the same lie.
 
Finally, my question; what do I do now?  As a libertine kind of person,
I respect a business' right to treat its merchandise as it sees fit.
However, it seems that there is at the very least a serious consumer
issue going on, if not an animal welfare situation.  I would love to
hear from people who have both successfully & unsuccessfully fought
battles of this nature.  Thanks...
 
jess
 
Jessica L. Manson
Whimsy Creative Photography!
28 Stafford St.
Plymouth, MA 02360
(508) 747-5505
[log in to unmask]
www.whimsyphoto.com
[Posted in FML issue 4343]