Why you should never buy a pet…
September 8th, 2010 by admin
ARFF always encourages people to adopt animals from shelters rather than purchasing them from breeders or pet stores. Recent news stories make a strong argument why a companion animal should never be purchased . . .
… at the mall!
On Tuesday, Tampa Bay’s WTSP Ch. 5 reported that several very sick sugar gliders- a small marsupial native to Australia- who appeared at local veterinary clinics in recent weeks have been traced back to a small kiosk in the Westfield Countryside mall in Clearwater. The kiosk is operated by a Cape Coral company called Pocket Pets (a.k.a. Global Retail Enterprises). Ch. 5 spoke to sugar glider experts who said the company was “misleading consumers on the care required to keep these exotic pets alive and healthy.”
Contact the Countryside mall and ask them to reconsider allowing Pocket Pets to sell animals at the mall. Contact:
Phone: (727)796-1079
E-mail: countryside@westfield.com
… online!
On Friday, the Ocala Star-Banner reported that Marion County Animal Services had confiscated 63 Maine Coon cats from a mobile home in Ocala. The cats were housed inside one room and in chain link cages in the back yard. Feces and dirt covered the home and the cats suffered from respiratory issues, flea infestation and skin problems, and some were emaciated. Marion County Fire Rescue determined the air quality inside the home was unsafe for humans.
But you would never know any of this if you visited the homeowner’s website- www.mainecooncat.com- where cats are advertised for sale. The website features photographs of “award-winning” cats and promises, “Each and every kitten, as well as adult in our care, is provided with daily attention and gentleness to promote and provide them with the love and kindness they need….”
… at a pet store!
Last week, Polk County Sheriff’s deputies entered the Noah’s Ark Exotic Pets store, located in a strip mall in Lakeland, and discovered eight dead animals: chickens, exotic birds, a duck, rabbit, and a lizard. 53 surviving animals- including chickens, pigeons, parrots, hamsters, lizards and a turtle- were seized by Polk County Animal Control. Power to the store had been cut off for five days and temperatures inside were over 100 degrees. The store owner, Diana Cabrera, said she had been out of town but knew that the power was going to be cut off. Criminal charges in the case are pending.
Please contact Lakeland’s Mayor and City Commissioners and urge them- in light of the tragedy at Noah’s Ark Exotic Pets- to enact regulations to ensure the welfare of animals at pet stores. At the very least, it should be a crime to leave an animal unattended inside a pet store for more than 24 hours.
Contact:
Gow Fields, Mayor
gow.fields@lakelandgov.netJustin Troller, Commissioner
justin.troller@lakelandgov.netPhillip Walker
phillip.walker@lakelandgov.netGlenn E. Higgins, Commissioner
glenn.higgins@lakelandgov.netEdie Yates, Commissioner
edith.yates@lakelandgov.netDon Selvage, Commissioner
donald.selvage@lakelandgov.netR. Howard Wiggs, Commissioner
howard.wiggs@lakelandgov.net