Animal cruelty.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My cat is a giant; maybe she has some Maine Coon in her. I've never seen a cat that size before... and to think she was so tiny as a kitten!

[draftermatt]

I read this story on another site. It gives me hope to that this woman wouldn't cave in to the bitch.

My cynicism is raging out of control. Really, I need counselling or a shot or some f---ng thing because I've just lost patience with most of humanity. Just now, just today, and I won't say it hasn't been coming for a while but still, it's a shock to the system when you look at another human being and think "I hate your species."

"Ohhh, this dog is really cute."
"Yeah... he might be a little small, though, for your family."
"No, that's what we want! Something small that won't hurt the kids."
"I'm not worried about your kids, but your daughter is dragging him around by his ears."
"Hahaha yeah, she can be a bit full on. But look, he's not biting her. We'll take him."
"Uhm. No, you won't."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not going to sell you this dog."
"Look, you either want to rehome dogs or you don't. We won't be judged because we have kids."
"I'm not judging you because you have kids, I'm judging you because your kids are cruel and heartless and shouldn't have a dog."
"I'll have you fired."
"Good luck, lady, I don't get paid to be here."

Whole damn office applauded me when she complained. Some people don't really understand what a volunteer group actually means - we don't care if you like us, because we aren't here for YOU.

[Bacopa]

Oh, I agree absolutely. But maybe the manager figured that if he didn't give him a refund, he wouldn't have left the hamster with you guys, where he might have a chance to survive.

Please tell me that your store has a list of people not to sell animals to, and that he's on it.

Yes, we do, and he is on it. As are a few others I will tell yall about in "Animal Cruelty: Part II, III, IV" and so on. I have cockatiel that was torn to pieces when a customer put in a cage with a Quaker Parrot. That customer is on the list too. We thought the bird was going to die, but she bounced back. She's missing a toe and will never be able to grow a crest from the lump of scar tissue on the top of her head.

-Bacopa

[Bacopa]

Sounds like mine (see avatar pic). He looks a lot like a Maine Coon Cat, has the prehensile paws, cooing voice and neck ruffle and other features, but is way too small to be a purebred (Maine Coon Cats are very large cats, IIRC).

Back OT, I do hope the store has a "do not sell pets to these people" list, and that this family is put on it! The poor hamster... Some folks just don't have a clue about animals. I wish people would read up on the care of an animal before they get one.

We have such a list, and every employee is told they can simply refuse to sell an animal if they have a bad vibe from a customer.

[XCashier]

This is a Maine Coon cat....Sorry, I had to show off my cat at some point.

He's gorgeous! And most people here show off their cats; look at how many folks have pictures of their cats as avatars!

[steviededalus]

All of our critters are fixed with the exception of the chickens and horses (cuz well, we breed the horses)...
And one new doggie we just got that we're not sure if she's spayed or not...or if she's had any shots or anything....
The previous owners called her a Jack Russel, but she looks like a fox terrier, not a jack. And she's not a total spaz like Jacks are. The people didn't like her because she'd tear around the house and play (like terriers do) and then come and flop on your lap and crash. That's what good doggies do! As long as they don't eat the crotch out of my undies, and leave my kitty alone, I'm happy.

Yeah, I have a Jack Russell and...yeah...spastic. That's a good term for JRTs. Psychotic is good, too. As is manic. She was a rescue, too; from a redneck who didn't know how to properly care for a dog and thought JRTs could spend all day in a crate with little stimulus or exercise.
I much prefer dogs over people.

[ArenaBoy]

Size is also relevant to dog life expectancy. Bigger dogs tend to have shorter life expectancies (sigh - I prefer bigger dogs).

I do too, I have a greyhound laying next to me as I type this. He's such a great dog, all he does is sleep and just bugs me for walks. Here's a few pictures: http://files.photojerk.com/kashmir33/SP_A0019.jpg
http://files.photojerk.com/kashmir33/SP_A0147.jpg

I think the dad should've taught them a lesson about death, if they were that age then they are the perfect age to learn about it, everybody's gotta learn sometime sadly.

[Seanette]

OK, now I have to show off my cat:

[Jester]

You want a nice dog, you pay for a nice dog. Same as a car.

I disagree. Now, I am not a dog guy, but I have found that many purebreeds are not the nicest animals around, and frankly, can be a pain in the ass. To me the nicest dogs have always been labs, retrievers, German shepherds, and without question, mutts.

Of course, if you didn’t mean “nice” as far as their disposition, we can talk about health and life too….many purebreeds, from what I know, have short lifespans and can be prone to more illnessess and diseases than can the mongrels that are so denigrated by the “purist” dog lovers.

Of course, not being a dog guy, I could be wrong….but my little sister does work for Dogtrust in the UK (formerly the National Canine Defense League, to give you an idea of what they do), and I am pretty sure that my info is, as you Brits say, pretty much spot on.

But as always, I reserve the right to be completely and horribly wrong.

So is everyone from the UK :P

Nope. Take a map of Eastern Europe and some darts, and you can find where my ancestors are from…but of course, my family has been here (the U.S.) for the most part since the 1880’s, so I have no problem saying I am American. Since I never knew said ancestors nor their countries of origin, I really don’t claim those countries as my own that much. Especially since, in many cases, the towns they came from are no longer in the countries they were in at the time they left.

Of course, my family has always been mobile. While the majority of my family came from the New York area, I have found relatives in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California, and Oregon, among other places. Not to mention my parents in Arizona, my sister in Colorado, and my aforementioned sister in the U.K.

Okay….what were we talking about again?

[huckster]

I feel your pain. I once had a SC return a guinea pig, after the guarantee expired, with a possible broken leg. I took the pig to the vet and sure enough he had a broken leg. Guess how? The SC bratty little boy with the shakes and sqeezing urges did it. The pig eventually recovered and was placed in a home without small children, but it still sucked that it happened. I love the fact the parents use pet stores to show their kids lifes little leasons. Like that if you don't feed you pet it dies, then go back to the store to complain and have to explain to little Timmy why his pet died. Only to have to explain what death is to Timmy while their parents are chatting on their cells to whomever and his sister is stomping on your foot. Those are the parents that shouldn't have a hamster, let alone children.

[protege]

....and my kitty is up to no good. Here he is hiding under the little tables in my living room. He was up until about 4am playing with his toy mice

[bean]

Damn you guys... talking about pets.

FINE, I guess I'll just have to show off my pets then, even though I really don't want to!!!

Meet Squeak, a 5 1/2 yr old male tabby. He's got the attitude of a high school bully, even though he's on the small side (... aside from being fat). He's given me many scars, but I still love the little shit.


This is Jack Black - we think he's 9-10 years old. He's a total sweetheart until Squeak pisses him off, then he puts Squeak in his place. Usually sleeps with me every night, though he came with my current roommates.


This is both of them.

Finally McShane, who now lives with my parents. He's a 14 year old Collie - 14 is old for a small dog, for a large breed it's beyond senile. He's quite possibly one of the most demanding dogs ever with attention, and has arthritis, but he's all sorts of awesome. No picture of him online at the moment, but rest assured he's a badass dog, though his health isn't so great anymore.

[steviededalus]

I disagree. Now, I am not a dog guy, but I have found that many purebreeds are not the nicest animals around, and frankly, can be a pain in the ass. To me the nicest dogs have always been labs, retrievers, German shepherds, and without question, mutts.

Of course, if you didn’t mean “nice” as far as their disposition, we can talk about health and life too….many purebreeds, from what I know, have short lifespans and can be prone to more illnessess and diseases than can the mongrels that are so denigrated by the “purist” dog lovers.

I'll grant you that mutts have much better dispositions than purebreeds, at least after the puppy stage. But alot of a dog's disposition has more to do with training and care than it does breeding. That being said, there are some dogs that are going to have better dispositions than others due to breed. Well-trained rottweilers are dolls, especially compared to well-trained shih tzus.

And it's true to a point that some mixes have longer life-spans than purebreeds, if only because they'll have the stalwart nature of several different dogs. But life-span, I think, shouldn't be the only measure of a dog's health; its' a full-package. I would rather have a dog die of old age at 10 years (like a St. Bernard or an Irish Wolfhound) than a dog that lives to 16-20 and is constantly afflicted with diseases.

My Jack Russell is only a Jack Russell as far as some hillbilly breed her as a Jack Russell and sold her as such to another hillbilly. While her health seems fine, her tail was docked too short, she's prone to bloating, and she is much too small to be a "full" Jack Russell. Regardless, there is no such thing as a purebreed JRT, anyways. Meh.

[Bacopa]

I love the fact the parents use pet stores to show their kids lifes little leasons.

Yes, there are many parents who buy their kids a pet to teach lessons. They buy pets their kids aren't really interested in and then expect them to provide all the care. The kid doesn't even want a hamster, so why do you expect that the kid is going to take good care of it?

And don't get me sarted about fish. Parents buy small desktop tank kits for kids who have no ability to understand the limits of such systems. The parents don't even understand what kills fish and don't understand that a fish that has "grown to fit the tank" is a fish that is chronically ill and is polluting his environment so badly that all the other fish are borderline sick too.

The sad thing is that we sell 10 gallon kits for the same price as many of the much smaller desktop systems. A ten gallon tank has a lot of potential if you build up slowly and stick to smaller fish. And a 29 gallon kit is even more forgiving. But parents think smaller=easier and go for the desktop systems and say they'll buy their kids a bigger tank later if this one works out. It's kind of like expecting the kid to pass Hollywood stunt driver school before he enrolls in High School Driver's Ed.

Most kids have no clue what fish would be appropriate for this tank. How should he? The parents don't even know. And in any case, I think the tank hould be more of a whole family project.

Every now and then there's a nine year old who will tell me that Stress Coat is overrated and that Hagen's "Cycle" doesn't really help in establishing a populaion of nitrobacter. I give these kids whatever they want.

-Bacopa

[tintaglia]

We don't have list, but we know our 'Do Not Sell Livestock To' people by sight and have a range of reasons why the animals can't leave the store (the vet is coming to check them, they have just come in and are quarantined or they have the cold are a few of our favourites)

we have a woman who has come in the last couple of days wanting a hamster, having told us she uses BLEACH to clean the whole cage with, and won't believe us that the bleach is probably what killed the previous occupants of the cage. we wont be selling her anything unless she can prove its a new cage, and bleach will be kept well away from it!

she could be waiting a while.

ps, we only give a 48 hour guarantee.