I didn't intend to turn this into an argument or an ongoing issue, but I
did not care for the tone Melissa's post took and wanted to respond to a
couple of things:
 
>Wanting Petco to stop selling animals is an honorable effort, but an
>opinion which is not even shared by the entire FML, let alone the entire
>ferret community, let alone the public at large.  What this means is,
>there will always be someone who shops at Petco, and there will always
>be someone who buys animals there.  We are all consumers, and have every
>right to decide to do these things, and have every justification for
>wanting to.  I prefer Petco to Petsmart because of their selection and
>location.  These things are common decision makers for consumers.
 
No one ever said this is a universal opinion.  Someone asked what FML
people wanted, and some answers were given.  I think you'd be
hard-pressed to find a single opinion (other than "ferrets are great")
that is shared by the entire FML.  As we have seen recently, two people
can even share the same aim and STILL disagree.  It doesn't negate
someone's right to express that opinion.  I was not aware that an opinion
had to be shared by the majority of the FML before it had value or a
right to be shared or discussed.
 
Selection and location and price are EXACTLY the reason Petco keeps
getting away with treating animals badly.  It is the consumers with
precisely that preference that keep Petco safe from boycotts and reduces
the effectiveness of our complaints.  If people would think a little more
about the ethics of the company they are supporting and not put
convenience and pocketbook ahead of animal cruelty and neglect, our
complaints might stand a chance of effecting some change.  As it stands,
too many people trade saving a buck and some gas for the lives of little
beasts.
 
>And if you want to know the truth, I've heard as many complaints on the
>FML of small, "ma and pop" pet stores who are FAR worse than Petco, how
>do we as consumers, who boycott what is, at least in my area, a decent,
>clean store, full of knowledgable and helpful staff, decide what pet
>store in our area we should patronize?  What if none of them are any
>good?
 
This is true.  I can tell you from my experience that dealing with
smaller stores, I've actually gotten somewhere.  When I recently had
serious concerns about ferrets in a local pet shop here in Western Mass,
I actually got the owner of the stores on the phone and spoke with him at
length.  Conditions improved and he stopped buying Marshall's ferrets and
got Path Valley instead, which so far have been healthier than any of the
MF babies they got.  As you might have seen from my recent post, trying
to get in touch with Petco was a failed effort.  My e-mails and letters
only got me kicked off their website and message boards.  "Mom and Pop"
stores have the same problems, but there is much more consumers can do,
and to a small store, the "I won't shop here anymore" threat gets their
attention and helps effect change.  Telling Petco you won't shop there
anymore does no good; it's a pebble off a mountain to them, particularly
because, as you pointed out, there are still tons of people whose primary
concern is convenience and location.
 
Yes, some Petcos are clean and bright and have the luck to attract
knowledgeable staff who treat the animals well.  But this is not the
result of efforts at the corporate level...it's happenstance and all
dependant on who stays and who goes.  Your clean store with good staff
could have employee turnover in 6 months, with a new manager and
employees who don't know Thing One about the animals they're caring
for.  Unfortunately, some people already have these in their area and
corporate Petco is uninterested in the problem.  I hope you never have
to experience firsthand the futility of trying to deal with a Petco full
of people who refuse to take care of the animals, because trying to get
ahold of someone up the ladder is a lot like peeing into the wind, if
you get my drift.
 
>The problems surmount any concern for animals.  There is no solution.
>For my money, I'd go for changing legislation to better protect the
>animals which will inevitably be sold, and stop wasting my time trying
>to convince a company who's numbers say otherwise, that selling animals
>is a problem.
 
It might interest you to know that when Massachusetts legalized ferrets
in 1996, the law stated that they had to be 12 weeks or older to be sold
in stores.  Petco was one of the main companies that lobbied immediately
and successfully to get this down to 6 weeks.  Our law has already been
6 weeks and been changed.  We have a better chance of breeding 8-legged
green ferrets than we do of getting our law changed with Petco around.
 
Thank you for labeling the hard work of many people a "waste of time".
That, I think, was a bit of a low blow as well as not true.  Some change
has been effected.  Some conditions have been improved.  Perhaps if more
people would trade location and savings for taking a stand and making a
statement, Petco would actually listen to its consumers.  Meanwhile,
those who believe this is a worthwhile effort will continue to avoid
Petco as long as it avoids our concerns and communications.
 
-Heather W. in Massachusetts
 (hoping Sabrina doesn't have to dig another hole...)
[Posted in FML issue 3858]