Pet Projectz

I was out running errand the other day and noticed a Petland store – I had heard about them in the past but hadn’t been in one in a long time, so I decided to stop in and see for myself what they offered.

The slogan that Petland uses is “Pets make Life Better” – maybe they should think about making life better for those pets that they have housed in horrible containers with an open grate floor and the only water source for most was a rodent waterer which you can see in the back of these cages. No blankets – the only place for these babies to be able to lie down is on a plastic grate or a plastic blue container. The holes in most of these grates were larger than the paws of many of these babies and they were continually having their paws slip through the grates.

By the time I left I was shaking and wanted to buy every single one of these babies and take them home. But at least I had the sense in an emotional situation like that to know that any animal I saved would be quickly replaced by two (or more) babies that I had subsidized by my purchase. These stores prey on parents and kind hearted individuals by trying to get you to hold a puppy the moment you start looking at the cages, and they are hoping that you become emotionally attached to that pet and have to have it. This often comes before the buyer has given any thought to where they are going to house this animal and that it’s not only life changing for the pet, it will also be for you. My own daughter fell into this trap and ended up with two energetic dogs that never were house broken and one had a genetic disease where all of her teeth fell out and they have had thousands of dollars of vet bills because they do consider it a purchase for life.

Something that doesn’t seem to be talked about much is the physiological damage spending their early years in a cage behind glass with people banging on their glass to get their attention does. I think trying to get these animals housebroken has got to be an issue because they are taken away from mothers and siblings and put in a cage with no where to go.

There is nothing better than bringing an animal into your life, but it is a commitment of time and finances and should not be entered into without a lot of thought and discussion. Most rescue organizations spend a lot of time helping individuals find the perfect pets for them and their lifestyles. Puppies are adorable, but the whole housebreaking and teething thing had me adopting three adult dogs who are the loves of my life. I can never repay them for what they have brought into my life, and there’s something about the attitude of a rescue animal that is very special. We all feel very grateful that we found each other.

If you need information about where to find a rescue group in your area, please feel free to contact me. You would be amazed to know that there are rescue groups out there for almost every purebred breed as well as “pound puppies”. The wonderful efforts of organizations like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to shut down puppy mills has made it possible to rescue many of the animals that you see in pet shops instead of obtaining one from a shop that will use your money to increase the business for these places.

Put your yourself into the place of what some of these animals are having to go through and I’m sure you will think twice about where you find the new love of your life.

Today I decided to take a stand about something I feel is wrong, and even though it was cold and windy, it felt really good to be there. Over 120 individuals gathered in Plano Texas to protest against Petland and the fact that they support puppy mills.

The rally was well organized by the Humane Society of the United States. Those of us taking part in the rally were much better behaved than the Petland store employees and the vet who does the vet work for the store, and it was very rewarding to have lots of people hinking and showing their support for us – one individual who wasn’t even a part of the group brought her dog back so we could meet the love her life who was a rescue dog.

The media attended as well and gave us very positive coverage. Even the police that were asked to be there thought we were very well behaved. I had a lovely conversation with an officer and was able to educate him on why we were there as a Petland employee that looked like he was the manager gave us a “one finger salute”. Obviously they couldn’t have been very busy because there seemed to be plenty of their staff outside of the store watching us.

As “people” beds tend to get taller with pillowtop mattresses and layers of mattress pads, blankets and feather beds it gets difficult for our four legged friends to get on to the bed. For those of you who don’t encourage this type of activity it makes it more difficult for your pet. When Daisy was dealing with heartworm treatments I wanted her as close to me as possible so I had my contractor build steps to help her be easily able to make the climb.

I read a great article in a recent Wall Street Journal that shared smoe sources for readily available staircases and wanted to share those here. Whether your budget is $20.00 or $200.00, there is something out there for every pet.

Puppy Stairs offers an ingenious solution that are pretty much blocks that go together to make ramps and stairs. They are lightweight and made of high density foam so they are easy to move.

Orvis offers some beautiful solutions that are more pricey but are well designed. They also have an area dedicated to items for older dogs that I’m going to have to spend some time looking at – it’s hard to believe, but not only am I aging, but my pets are starting to get some grey hairs as well.

For an easy to find, economical solution check out your local Petsmart. They have some that start at $69.00.

Whatever product you decide to use, it will be a lifesaver for your pet. Vets report an alarming rate of injuries from animals trying to get down from these higher beds.