Unbelievable!!

[dessie]

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I have just been talking to a work collegue and she told me she visited a Garden Centre at the weekend that also does Aquatics/Reptiles/Birds but that had a hand painted sign on the road saying "Puppies for Sale". She went in and upstairs where all the birds are, lo and behold, there was a room kitted out in four pens with plastic lids on with PUPPIES. Cockers, Westies, Min SH Dachs and Beagles, two of each. £495.00 each, pick a dog, any dog. There didn't appear to be any details, instructions, information ANYTHING about these poor little dogs. They followed one family out that had just bought two of them, didn't appear to have anything but the puppies.

I am absolutley disgusted and amazed. My friend cannot believe it is legal, neither can I, but she does not know who to report this place to. Any ideas???

 

[Rae]

I think it IS legal as long as they have the correct licence form the local council. I'd ring the council and ask them to check.

Gawd - it's bad enough people buy rabbits on impulse but puppies

Pet shops make me sick - selling animals for profit with no thought about how they will spend the rest of their lives. :rant:

 

[TC]

Blimey, that is scary :rant: and no doubt quite local

I didn't think it was legal, but I can't believe they would chance getting away with it if it wasn't

 

[05whippet]

No that does'nt sound right Caroline!!! Surely Trading Standards would be interested in this as I am positive that you can't just put a sign outside your business advertising Puppies For Sale & don't you need a license to sell puppies commercially?? I know when I ran the Pet Shop we were'nt allowed to sell Kittens or Puppies as our license did'nt cover us.

The stress these poor puppies must be suffering is just awful,imagine how they must be feeling,do you know what age they were??

The most worrying feature of this is the fact that there will be people willing to buy a puppy like a that,most likely just on a whim........this is awful to even contemplate!! :angry:

 

[jools]

:rant: Sadly I think Rae is 100% right, lets just hope that they don't have the correct licence. :rant:

 

[05whippet]

I think it IS legal as long as they have the correct licence form the local council.  I'd ring the council and ask them to check.
Gawd - it's bad enough people buy rabbits on impulse but puppies 

Pet shops make me sick - selling animals for profit with no thought about how they will spend the rest of their lives.  :rant:

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Not ALL Pet Shops are like that Rae, we were VERY careful when selling any animal and made sure that the person or persons buying them had enough experience and/or information given to them regarding that particular animal.

But I do know that a lot of the larger Pet Superstores (not mentioning any names) have total imbeciles working in them who know very little and in some cases NOTHING about the animals they are selling!! :angry:

 

[EMILY]

I thought this was illegal too unless they meet licensing requirements, and I would have thought that a garden centre did not? However, I would be amazed if a license would be granted to a garden centre but knowing many existing laws I don't kow why I should be so amazed. Have to say that one of my current dogs came from a pet shop - is is 13 years old now and I originally only went in for a look around. Couldn't believe the amount of animals crammed into the room upstairs - these included rats, mice, rabbits, puppies, kittens, birds and even a monkey! My pup was the only one there at the time - he was sat in a pen with nothing else and so I had to have him (we were actually on the look out for a second dog at the time and the day previously had been to Bristol dogs home with no success) - he has been a wonderful dog but I do not agree with pet shops selling animals but I couldn't think of leaving him there on his own poor little mite. All I can say is I hope the poor pups at the garden centre get lobing forever homes, but unfortunetely many will be brought by people who think how cute they are in the shop, only to get home and find that they chew furniture, muck and wee in their precious houses and take a lot of looking after that they never thought possible.

 

[Janimal]

If it is legal..... its still terrible :rant: :rant:

god knows where the poor things will end up.

 

[Rae]

I think it IS legal as long as they have the correct licence form the local council.  I'd ring the council and ask them to check.
Gawd - it's bad enough people buy rabbits on impulse but puppies 

Pet shops make me sick - selling animals for profit with no thought about how they will spend the rest of their lives.  :rant:

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Not ALL Pet Shops are like that Rae, we were VERY careful when selling any animal and made sure that the person or persons buying them had enough experience and/or information given to them regarding that particular animal.

But I do know that a lot of the larger Pet Superstores (not mentioning any names) have total imbeciles working in them who know very little and in some cases NOTHING about the animals they are selling!! :angry:

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I didnt say ALL pet shops were like that and IMO the best ones dont sell animals at all. Personally I dont think a pet shop is the best place to sell ANY animal anyway - they would be better off sold from their place of birth (or via a rescue centre). That would mean that people had to get off their backsides and find a breeder, instead of being able to buy something on impulse, as well as being less stressful for the animal.

Re the licence - if the garden centre was selling other animals then it has a licence persumably, but not all licences cover dogs and cats - they are much more expensive, and harder to grant, which apart from public opinion I would think, is one of the reasons why it's not seen as much today. The only thing you can do is complain to the local authority who issued the licence, or complain to the actual garden centre. They may also be members of the Pet Care Trust so you could always complain to them too....

 

[05whippet]

I think it IS legal as long as they have the correct licence form the local council.  I'd ring the council and ask them to check.
Gawd - it's bad enough people buy rabbits on impulse but puppies 

Pet shops make me sick - selling animals for profit with no thought about how they will spend the rest of their lives.  :rant:

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Not ALL Pet Shops are like that Rae, we were VERY careful when selling any animal and made sure that the person or persons buying them had enough experience and/or information given to them regarding that particular animal.

But I do know that a lot of the larger Pet Superstores (not mentioning any names) have total imbeciles working in them who know very little and in some cases NOTHING about the animals they are selling!! :angry:

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I didnt say ALL pet shops were like that and IMO the best ones dont sell animals at all. Personally I dont think a pet shop is the best place to sell ANY animal anyway - they would be better off sold from their place of birth (or via a rescue centre). That would mean that people had to get off their backsides and find a breeder, instead of being able to buy something on impulse, as well as being less stressful for the animal.

Re the licence - if the garden centre was selling other animals then it has a licence persumably, but not all licences cover dogs and cats - they are much more expensive, and harder to grant, which apart from public opinion I would think, is one of the reasons why it's not seen as much today. The only thing you can do is complain to the local authority who issued the licence, or complain to the actual garden centre. They may also be members of the Pet Care Trust so you could always complain to them too....

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I know you never said ALL Pet Shops,but you never said SOME either and I was only pointing out the fact that some of them can be very good places and they are not all in it solely for profit with no thought of the animals. I also think it can cut both ways...for example buying fish or reptiles is a very specialist business and I feel that there are very few people who breed them and then sell to the gen public,so where else do you go other than a Pet Shop. Also rabbits,hamsters etc IMO I would far rather buy from a good reputable pet shop where you have peace of mind that the animals are'nt carrying any diseases as they have been quarantined also a lot of local small Pet Shops do have very experienced qualified staff who can point you in the right direction. I know from going out to so called breeders of Budgies,rabbits & hamsters etc to pick up and buy their surplus that they either don't want or can't sell, that the conditions that some of the animals were in and how they were kept was not how I would keep any animal nor would the Pet Shop either!! And there are an awful lot of breeders of small animals that are in it solely for the profit and could'nt care less what happens to the poor animal either!!! Most good Pet Shops also offer a follow up system and are always on hand for advice,I wonder how many breeders of hamsters or rabbits are too??

PS I don't know what sort of Pet Shops that you have where you live but I have NEVER been in a Pet Shop that does'nt sell animals. :blink:

 

[Macha]

no matter what type of pets a shop sells, they should provide some basic care information (and perhaps staff at the garden centre do so, and do question people to try to make sure they are getting a pet they are really prepared for?? after all, the centre does want to sell petcare accessories too. )

people buy goldfish, terrapins, etc without the most basic knowledge and sometimes quickly kill their pets through ignorance

 

[quintessence]

I think I'm right in saying that shops that sell pets are covered by The Pet Animals Act 1951, they must be licensed with the local authority and have to be inspected before a license is granted. I don't know much more but I'm sure that details can be found on the website of the local authority the garden centre is covered by. I can't remember the last time I saw a dog for sale in a pet shop and am as shocked as you Caroline that it still goes on.

Jenny

 

[05whippet]

no matter what type of pets a shop sells, they should provide some basic care information (and perhaps staff at the garden centre do so, and do question people to try to make sure they are getting a pet they are really prepared for?? after all, the centre does want to sell petcare accessories too. )people buy goldfish, terrapins, etc without the most basic knowledge and sometimes quickly kill their pets through ignorance

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I agree with the above Macha and good Pet Shops WON'T sell to just anyone,we never sold Terrapins to anybody who had'nt knowledge of reptiles,and the shop IMO should also sell ALL the equipment and books,foods etc for the animals which they are selling too! We actually had a gentleman working for us who was head of our aquatic & reptile dept and has written books and given lectures on the animals and their husbandry,he was at one stage working for London Zoo.So I think if you can go to a well established and respected Pet Shops who have well informed knowledgeable staff,it can be a good place to buy animals.

Though I would just like to add here,that I am totally against Pet Shops selling kittens and puppies as there are plenty of good breeders out there who fill that gap. :thumbsup:

 

[Julie D]

that's awful, the pups will not be getting looked after properly like that and be very bored and unstimulated, and I don't know where they get the price from as I know 2 yrs ago a mini s.h. dacshund from a breeder cost £700 !

 

[kris]

theyre just jumping on the bandwagon trying to sell something else to make money from. none of the pet shops round here sell animals.one does sell fish and a few birds but thats it.ive not seen a pet shop that sells pups and kittens for years.apart from the old mayfield kennels in manchester of course and theyve changed hands and are now a pet superstore or something.this is the company who came up with the brilliant money making scheme of having their own pet lovers registry so if your pup isnt kc reg you can register it with them( for a fee of course) :- " and get a piece of paper to hand over when you sell a pup saying its registered with the pet lovers agency or club or whatever,and theres idjeets all over the place who send them their money and do this!they buy litters from welsh puppy farmers mainly.i was in there once and i saw a dead puppy in a pen with all the other pups just running all over it.when i told the girl who worked there she said its not dead its sleeping. :angry: so i said that it must be sleeping very soundly as id seen a number of pups walk and run across its body and it wasnt moving. :rant: i kicked up a fuss and the body was removed.this place still operates and folk are still stupid enough to buy from them despite all the publicity about buying from a breeder and seeing a pup with its mum etc.

get in touch with the local council and check out if they have the neccessary licence.also id phone the garden centre and give them a piece of my mind about garden centres selling pups.oh and if youve got some friends who would care to phone them and complain thats a good idea too. :thumbsup: after all they want to gain customers not lose them.and if you let them know that you and your friends and family will be boycotting them cos of this maybe they might have a change of heart.after all in retail the customer is king.

 

[Juley]

Is it possible to have the address of the pet shop so we can all write to complain. Also, tell the local MP. Point out that this is the sort of thing responsible breeders don't do. Any decent breeder wants to know where their pups go. Lobby the local paper etc.

 

[Rae]

Yes that's right I didnt say ALL or SOME - I was obviously talking about the type of place Caroline had referred to and you choose to put words in my mouth (w00t) There are some good pet shops that give good advice, but in my experience they are few and far between.

I know from going out to so called breeders of Budgies,rabbits & hamsters etc to pick up [SIZE=14pt]and buy [/SIZE]their surplus that they either don't want or can't sell, that the conditions that some of the animals were in and how they were kept was not how I would keep any animal nor would the Pet Shop either!! And there are an awful lot of breeders of small animals that are in it solely for the profit and could'nt care less what happens to the poor animal either!!! Most good Pet Shops also offer a follow up system and are always on hand for advice,I wonder how many breeders of hamsters or rabbits are too??

PS I don't know what sort of Pet Shops that you have where you live but I have NEVER been in a Pet Shop that does'nt sell animals. :blink:

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You bought animals from poor conditions to sell in your pet shop?

If the public went to these bad breeders they may not buy from them having seen the conditions, and this would hopefully encourage them to brush up their act. Admittedly some would still buy as they would feel that they were 'rescuing' them.

All of the reputable rabbit breeders that I know will be on hand for advice for the rest of the rabbit's life and will take it back if there is a change in circumstance, and the rabbits go away with a care sheet. I dont know any hamster breeders so can't comment at all.

The only pet shops that I can think of that sells animals near me is Pets at Home and a small garden centre - the rest only sell food and toys etc.

Getting back to the puppies - perhaps trading standards would be interested if they thought the puppies were being sold with false pedigree's or something similar? I wouldnt be suprised if these poor puppies were from puppy farms How about holding a demonstration outside the store? :- "

 

[boothros]

I have no idea is these people are acting legally, but it would seem from the selection of puppies available that they have been 'farmed'. I would think if the sign is handpainted, there would be little on paper to link the puppy sales with the garden centre.

 

[05whippet]

Yes that's right I didnt say ALL or SOME - I was obviously talking about the type of place Caroline had referred to and you choose to put words in my mouth (w00t) There are some good pet shops that give good advice, but in my experience they are few and far between.

I know from going out to so called breeders of Budgies,rabbits & hamsters etc to pick up [SIZE=14pt]and buy [/SIZE]their surplus that they either don't want or can't sell, that the conditions that some of the animals were in and how they were kept was not how I would keep any animal nor would the Pet Shop either!! And there are an awful lot of breeders of small animals that are in it solely for the profit and could'nt care less what happens to the poor animal either!!! Most good Pet Shops also offer a follow up system and are always on hand for advice,I wonder how many breeders of hamsters or rabbits are too??

PS I don't know what sort of Pet Shops that you have where you live but I have NEVER been in a Pet Shop that does'nt sell animals. :blink:

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You bought animals from poor conditions to sell in your pet shop?

If the public went to these bad breeders they may not buy from them having seen the conditions, and this would hopefully encourage them to brush up their act. Admittedly some would still buy as they would feel that they were 'rescuing' them.

All of the reputable rabbit breeders that I know will be on hand for advice for the rest of the rabbit's life and will take it back if there is a change in circumstance, and the rabbits go away with a care sheet. I dont know any hamster breeders so can't comment at all.

The only pet shops that I can think of that sells animals near me is Pets at Home and a small garden centre - the rest only sell food and toys etc.

Getting back to the puppies - perhaps trading standards would be interested if they thought the puppies were being sold with false pedigree's or something similar? I wouldnt be suprised if these poor puppies were from puppy farms How about holding a demonstration outside the store? :- "

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No Rae!! Sorry my fault, maybe I never worded that correctly :b We did go out to people who rang us saying that they had some hamsters rabbits etc and we would go out and have a look and if they were in poor conditions we DID NOT buy them,I was only pointing out that there are people out there as I am sure you are aware of that quite willingly make a buck out of anything..they may as well be dealing in used cars!! the fact that it is a live animal makes no difference! All I am saying is that from my point of view and I can only talk about the Pet Shop that I ran,we had very good staff who knew a lot about what they were selling.Obviously England is different then to N.I as we still have a lot of rabbit breeders and other small animal breeders who advertise in the local press and will happily sell you a rabbit etc with no thought to how it will be looked after,I hasten to add that there are still good breeders who ARE willing to offer after care etc but they are few and far between.And the majority of our Pet Shops still do sell small animals altho a lot of them have been put of business by Jollyes and PAH.Out of curiosity does your Jollyes over there not sell small animals either??

And I never put words into your mouth Rae?? I feel that you are just looking to turn this into an argument,which I am not prepared to get into,I think we should just leave it here don't you and agree to differ on this.

 

[Rae]

Yes that's right I didnt say ALL or SOME - I was obviously talking about the type of place Caroline had referred to and you choose to put words in my mouth (w00t) There are some good pet shops that give good advice, but in my experience they are few and far between.

I know from going out to so called breeders of Budgies,rabbits & hamsters etc to pick up [SIZE=14pt]and buy [/SIZE]their surplus that they either don't want or can't sell, that the conditions that some of the animals were in and how they were kept was not how I would keep any animal nor would the Pet Shop either!! And there are an awful lot of breeders of small animals that are in it solely for the profit and could'nt care less what happens to the poor animal either!!! Most good Pet Shops also offer a follow up system and are always on hand for advice,I wonder how many breeders of hamsters or rabbits are too??

PS I don't know what sort of Pet Shops that you have where you live but I have NEVER been in a Pet Shop that does'nt sell animals. :blink:

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You bought animals from poor conditions to sell in your pet shop?

If the public went to these bad breeders they may not buy from them having seen the conditions, and this would hopefully encourage them to brush up their act. Admittedly some would still buy as they would feel that they were 'rescuing' them.

All of the reputable rabbit breeders that I know will be on hand for advice for the rest of the rabbit's life and will take it back if there is a change in circumstance, and the rabbits go away with a care sheet. I dont know any hamster breeders so can't comment at all.

The only pet shops that I can think of that sells animals near me is Pets at Home and a small garden centre - the rest only sell food and toys etc.

Getting back to the puppies - perhaps trading standards would be interested if they thought the puppies were being sold with false pedigree's or something similar? I wouldnt be suprised if these poor puppies were from puppy farms How about holding a demonstration outside the store? :- "

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No Rae!! Sorry my fault, maybe I never worded that correctly :b We did go out to people who rang us saying that they had some hamsters rabbits etc and we would go out and have a look and if they were in poor conditions we DID NOT buy them,I was only pointing out that there are people out there as I am sure you are aware of that quite willingly make a buck out of anything..they may as well be dealing in used cars!! the fact that it is a live animal makes no difference! All I am saying is that from my point of view and I can only talk about the Pet Shop that I ran,we had very good staff who knew a lot about what they were selling.Obviously England is different then to N.I as we still have a lot of rabbit breeders and other small animal breeders who advertise in the local press and will happily sell you a rabbit etc with no thought to how it will be looked after,I hasten to add that there are still good breeders who ARE willing to offer after care etc but they are few and far between.And the majority of our Pet Shops still do sell small animals altho a lot of them have been put of business by Jollyes and PAH.Out of curiosity does your Jollyes over there not sell small animals either??

And I never put words into your mouth Rae?? I feel that you are just looking to turn this into an argument,which I am not prepared to get into,I think we should just leave it here don't you and agree to differ on this.

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Yes - it's a huge subject and an emotive one. I'm not looking for an argument o