So there's a new saltwater hobbiest group in my area. They have their own new forum. Unlike a lot of the husky forums, the reef forums have sponsors to keep them running. This group/forum has one sponsor called Pets 4 Less (can't you tell they are just an awesome store with a name like that?!), because they carry saltwater fish and corals. Well they also sell, you guessed it, PUPPIES! And not only your run of the mill breeds, but cool ones like yorkie poos (yorkie poodle mixes)! Oh what fun! Oh they also are soon going to carry skunks, prairie dogs, small breed monkeys, sugar gliders, hedge hogs, and much much more too! Not that I'm against all of those animals being sold as pets, but I highly doubt this store will care who they sell these poor animals too.

I expressed my dislike for the store on the sponsor's subforum. When something like, "I'm not really happy that **** is being sponsored by this store. I have been in this store and they sell puppies. I do not support any store that sells puppies." Well guess what, by golly, Pets 4 Less is allowed to moderate their subforum and guess who's post got deleted just hours later?!?! Oh no! Now they are in for it. I'm a member of all the local saltwater fish forums around here and let's see them delete all my posts about them in forums they can't control!

Oh found out she has had other pet stores around here and she had to close them due to lawsuits. Plus she gets her puppies from a puppy mill in GA that she owns!

Found out they weren't the ones to delete my post and not 100% sure about the GA puppy mill. But I did find a few things online of people compaining that she sold them sick puppies and wouldn't refund them, just closed shop and left, only to open up again somewhere else.

I told a girl who is big into animal rights and protests about the store on FB. I guess the store is already on their list of stores to protest and will be doing so soon!

Awesome Sara! Ugh there's this petstore near me next to gamestop and whenever I go in there I just want to run in there and shake every idiot who's in there buying a puppy!

It's so sad how much people DON'T know

Yeah, the stupid thing is I'm trying to get the lady who runs the group and forum to drop them as a sponsor, but I don't think she will unless I can prove the puppies came from a puppy mill. Said she is fine with them selling puppies if they get them from a "good" source. Guess she doesn't realize no reputable breeder would sell their puppies in a pet store! Oh and here's the kicker, a while back I guess she dogs had puppies and a pet store near her let her sell them through consignment at their store. I have a feeling I won't be able to prove the puppy mill source and the group/forum will continue to promote the store.

I still think it is stupid that she deleted my post. All I said was what I saw and that I didn't like it. I didn't even mention puppy mills, just the fact that they sell puppies! But she thought it was a negative comment and removed it. WTF, so just any old store no matter what they do can sponsor them just because they pay the forum money?! And no bad comments are allowed to be posted about them even if they are true cause they are a paying sponsor?! Needless to say, I am not going to be a member of that group and I hope it runs into the ground like a couple of the other ones around here have done.

Unfortunately there's a lot of forums like that

"good" source? Is there even such a thing? Does she really think that good breeders use a middle man to sell their puppies in a store?!

Blah.

Guess so. I really wish the public was more educated about stuff like this.

Sadly the quality pet shops are often the ones that the public don't go to.

When I was in roanoke, I remember visiting a petshop that sold overpriced puppies as well as snakes. I still remember the day I walked in and they had a baby reticulated python in a 10 gallon enclosure with a handwritten sign saying "Great pet, stays small!"

The manager got quite an earfull for that one.


For those who don't know, reticulated pythons are the longest snake in the world, with the possibility to grow to more than 20 feet long (average is 12-20ft), and be well over 100 pounds. Handling a snake like that takes a team, and housing / feeding a snake like that is not a cheap prospect.