BIRDS IN PETLAND...

[Sheather]

Lovezebs - I don't have the $120 the little singer finch costs, sadly.

[lovezebs]

Sheather
Holy Crow, Dylan, is that what they want for a bird that must be close to three years old, maybe older? We should all count our nickels and dimes and send you the $ to rescue this poor thing. Non of us is rich, but all together might be able to swing it, what do you think?

~Elana~

[lovezebs]

DanteD716

[Sheather]

To be honest, she may not be alive any longer, I last saw her in spring, and she looked very bad.

[lovezebs]

Sheather
Oh dear... that is so so sad... what a short and wretched life .

[Colt]

Not to step on anyone's toes and I'm going to try very hard to not get snarky but...

For four years I worked at a Petland in Tyler, TX as a manager. All Petland locations are not like the ones you've mentioned in the above posts.

Petland Tyler was owned for 20 years by a couple and run as a franchise. On multiple occasions we received Store of the Year awards as well as others pertaining to the fish department and other areas.

We did not work with purebred dogs. All of our puppies and kittens were rescues. Originally we worked with the shelter finding the animals there homes. After a falling out with the shelter we began taking litters directly from the public. We had the mother spayed and returned to the family so there were no more unwanted offspring and after spaying/neutering, micro-chipping, etc we sold the puppies and kittens in the store to cover the cost of spaying and neutering the mom and litter.

We worked with local breeders to obtain the majority of our small animals (hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits, and chinchillas) as well as the birds (finches all the way up to macaws). Most of the hookbills were kept in the store and handfed as babies. We had one of the largest fish departments in any Petland, carrying both marine and freshwater fish, invertebrates, and plants.

New employees went through a rigorous training program before they were able to help customers. And they had to complete training in each department before they were allowed to progress into more complicated areas of animal husbandry. This included tapes, videos, tests, and practice runs "selling" an animal to a manger and ensuring it went home with the proper care as well as use of the Four Basic Needs Sheets dealing with Behavioral, Maintenance, Environmental, and Nutritional Needs.

We had to say the Petland Mission Statement before receiving our paychecks. And while everyone may not have listened to the words, I certainly did.

"Our pet counselors are dedicated to matching the right pet to the right customer and meeting the needs of both. To our customers who already have pets, we are dedicated to enhancing their knowledge and enjoyment of the human animal bond."


Several times on the forum I've mentioned things about the pet store and my experiences there:

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... nd#p320261

Other topics will come up iof you search my name and Petland or pet store.

While the owners I worked for may have been socially retarded, they cared very much for the animals. I've seen them both in tears when an animal passed away unnecessarily (shelter sent us puppies with parvo and distemper on purpose) or when an animal had to be put down because keeping it alive was simply inhumane.

We had a vet that worked with all of our animals in the event of an emergency. He even fixed a frog's broken leg. Animals that were not in a condition to be sold were never on the floor. We had an area in the kennel where they were medicated or whatever until they were better.

Different side of the same token though is that pet stores like any other business are designed to make money. You have to find a blend of doing what's right for you, the animals, and the customer. Petland also used CAP to define the order in which things were looked after in normal situations...customer, animals, and then product/presentation.

Unfortunately some people just suck at it and are unscrupulous business people. The person who bought Petland from the previous owners of 20 years when they retired has never owned an animal in his life. His current business was owning the Marble Slab, an ice cream parlor in town. He has absolutely no clue what he's doing and unfortunately he doesn't need to. He had the money to purchase it and return it to it corporate roots (purebred puppies, etc.) as well as updating the store into the 21st century...lol But really the man has no clue.

I do know that Petland stores are inspected yearly by corporate Petland whether they are franchised or not. Our inspector was very tough on us and apparently is even harder on the new owner as he often has exotics in the store that he doesn't have a permit for. (Again the mentality of making money is seen there.)

All that said though when I was there the animals were in great care and even though the new owner is pretty clueless, the old employees as well as the inspector see to the care of the animals now.

In conclusion no pet store is perfect by any means, and the mission Petland has is a goal not entirely devoid of merit. Some store just execute it better than others. Sorry that some of you have had bad experiences but try not to judge the whole basket of apples by a few wormy ones...

[Ginene]

Well said, Colt...My neighborhood PetLand has a fantastic new manager who loves the animals in her store. Sadly, she is still forced to house some of her finches in teenie cages...which makes me so sad...but they do receive good care otherwise. She has recently gotten some better cage set ups and is pushing for more too. However, I still stay away from the bird room when I go in to buy things. I hate seeing all of the beauties in too small cages...especially the ones who continue to be there months at a time. For some reason, birds do not sell quickly in my neighborhood. Anyway...I have babbled enough...the animals that were in your care during your time @ PetLand were lucky to have you!

[sundancekid]

Colt
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm pretty new here, so it's the first time I've heard of your experiences. The place you worked for sounds wonderful. I've often wondered why more corporate pet stores don't turn to their local shelters for their animals. There are plenty of cute puppies and kittens they could take in to free up space at the shelters and probably take as a tax deduction. As you said, spay/neuter and microchip then sell. I know many people who love the idea of adopting, but find it very difficult emotionally to go to a shelter. I think corporate pet stores should lead the way on responsibly sourced pets for sale or adoption. I know there's not as much money to be made there, but these stores make so much money from selling other products. It sounds like the people who owned that Petland were onto something really great.

I know that "big box" pet stores get a really bad rap. I have been in some corporate stores where the animals seem very well cared for and others that look like pet death row. I'm so glad that you had a good experience while working at one. But even that store has fallen in the hands of someone who doesn't have the best interest of the animals in mind. It's so sad that this is the norm these days.

[Colt]

Ginene - I do know that the majority of birds for sale in any pet store are not housed in cages that are the most ideal and I'd hope employees would have the sense to explain why a new owner can't buy a cage that small.

I often had to argue with fish customers when they wanted to put as many fish as I had in the display tanks in their personal tank. After I showed them the commercial filtration system (bigger than their fish tank) it suddenly made sense to them...lol

If it makes you feel any better, housing the finches in smaller cages (our were narrow and long) made it much easier and less stressful on the birds when I had to catch them to send them home. It minimized chasing them from one end to the other as well as potential for escape. My hand with a towel across it was just large enough to pretty effectively block the cage from one side to the other and I simply herded them down the cage and selected the ones the buyer wanted from the front of the cage.

Also housing them in smaller cages allows the store to have a large selection on hand in order to maximize sale potentials.

In regards to the hookbills in our store (with the exception of the parakeets), depending on the number of babies I had they were rotated on a timed schedule for playtime on a playgym in the middle of the store. Also they were handled several times a day. And honestly when you are dealing with weaning babies it is easier to have them in smaller cages with minimal toys so they can concentrate on learning to eat on their own as well as learning how to climb, flap, etc, without getting hung up and hurting themselves.

As far as birds not selling well, in my experience the personality of the parrots sells themselves. While finches and canaries are charming, in general they cannot be handled and are rather flighty. However if more stores had room for a small display aviary with a few pairs I think sales would dramatically increase. Much like reptiles or fish, what is the point of keeping them in a bare tank or cage when you can make their environment beautiful and like a work of art. So when you have a really pretty flight, well decorated and natural looking, people see that and want that in their home. Of course hookbills are more expensive so the stores push them more too.

Also thank you all. I tried to do what was best for everyone. It's why I want to own my own pet store someday.

[Sam007]

Colt