READ ME!! FUCK PETCO!!!! SHOP PETSMART!!!!
So this is what I sent to the Petco corporate office.... im SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fucking mad. Read it all and you'll see why. :(
As a long time pet owner and animal lover, I have been disgusted by my Petco experiences over the past week. I have always provided all of my animals with the best care, and I would expect any pet store to do the same. I have recently found that in most Petco stores, this is not the case.
I went to the Petco in Richardson, Texas to purchase a new hamster last Friday. After waiting for 30 minutes or more, an associate finally had the time to show me the hamster I was interested in purchasing. I took the little guy home, and put him in his cage so that he could explore his new home. The next day, (Saturday), I picked him up and discovered a case of wet tail, which (as any pet lover should know) is easily transmitted and is often fatal. I immediately called the store, and was told to bring in my hamster so that they could have “their vet” take a look at him. The young man I spoke with on the phone quickly ended the conversation without allowing me to explain my hamster’s symptoms or ask questions. I then took my hamster back to Petco.
When I arrived at Petco, I asked where the veterinarian was, (since the young man had implied on the phone that one would be readily available). The gentleman I was speaking with told me that their vet was gone for the day, but if I returned the hamster, then they would “have the vet take a look at him in the morning”. I told them that would be fine, and that I would come back in a week to see if he was better. I also told the employee that I would purchase him back in a week if he made a recovery. I continued to look around the store at the other animals before I left. I went to look at the hamsters in the cage where I had purchased my sick hamster, and commented to my friend that I hoped that the employees would take all the hamsters in that cage to the vet, as wet tail is highly contagious. An employee overheard me and condescendingly snapped back “No, wet tail isn’t contagious. Those other hamsters are fine. Just that one is infected.” The employee then walked off. I was shocked that someone could be so wrong and so rude! Especially considering that he was putting lives at risk by his lack of concern for the other hamsters.
After hesitantly leaving my hamster in their care, I went to the Petco in Plano, Texas. When I walked in, I immediately headed for the long haired teddy bear hamsters, to see if they had any that I liked enough to purchase. As I approached the cage with the 2 girls in it, I thought perhaps they were playing. As I got closer, however, I realized that they were fighting! I was horrified! One of the girls had horrible teeth marks all around her genitals, and had scabs all along her body. The other girl in the cage had blood dripping from her ear and bald patches where hair had been ripped out of her torso. It broke my heart to see these animals. I called a young man over to the cage. I explained to him what was happening, and told him that these hamsters needed to be separated. He looked into the cage for a moment and then called for another employee to come “take care of these hamsters”... He said he was busy. He did not even take the time to explain to the young woman what was happening to the hamsters. When this second employee approached, I explained to her what the problem was. She took a small box and removed one of the hamsters from the cage. I looked in the box and the hamster was on its back legs making screeching sounds, typical fighting noises. I realized that this hamster was too aggressive for my taste. I told the young woman and she snapped back “Well do you need anything else?” I then walked out of the store and bought my pet supplies at a Petsmart store.
Today, since it has been one week since I turned over my sick hamster to the Petco in Richardson, I went back to see how well he had recovered. I saw he was not in the cage on the sales floor, so I explained the situation to a young man who was working and he got the manager. I then explained the situation to her and she went “looking” for the hamster. She said she could not find him. I then asked to see the vet records. Only then did I find out that Petco did not have it’s own vet, as the other employee had led me to believe. The manager informed me that they take their animals to the vet that happens to be in the same shopping center as their store is located. I told her that there should be a vet record for last Sunday. I am then told that this is not possible, because the vet they use is closed on Sundays. Finally, she looked for the vet records and could not present me with any evidence that he was even taken.
If I would have known that this hamster would not have received proper care, I would have taken him to an emergency vet on my own. There are vet hospitals that are open 24 hours a day for medical emergencies. I would like to think that since wet tail is a life threatening condition that this would be a time when an emergency vet trip is necessary. I cannot express how heart broken I am to know that this hamster I took home and took into my heart has been neglected by the one place where I trusted he would be cared for. I will not be shopping at Petco anymore, despite the closeness it is to my work. Instead of driving 2 miles from my job to the Petco in Richardson, I will be driving 20 miles out of my way to get to the nearest Petsmart. I love my animals very much, and will settle for nothing but the best for them. The treatment of animals that I have seen in your stores is appalling. I sincerely hope you will take my letter into consideration, and henceforth use my terrible experiences to better your care of all your animals.
As a long time pet owner and animal lover, I have been disgusted by my Petco experiences over the past week. I have always provided all of my animals with the best care, and I would expect any pet store to do the same. I have recently found that in most Petco stores, this is not the case.
I went to the Petco in Richardson, Texas to purchase a new hamster last Friday. After waiting for 30 minutes or more, an associate finally had the time to show me the hamster I was interested in purchasing. I took the little guy home, and put him in his cage so that he could explore his new home. The next day, (Saturday), I picked him up and discovered a case of wet tail, which (as any pet lover should know) is easily transmitted and is often fatal. I immediately called the store, and was told to bring in my hamster so that they could have “their vet” take a look at him. The young man I spoke with on the phone quickly ended the conversation without allowing me to explain my hamster’s symptoms or ask questions. I then took my hamster back to Petco.
When I arrived at Petco, I asked where the veterinarian was, (since the young man had implied on the phone that one would be readily available). The gentleman I was speaking with told me that their vet was gone for the day, but if I returned the hamster, then they would “have the vet take a look at him in the morning”. I told them that would be fine, and that I would come back in a week to see if he was better. I also told the employee that I would purchase him back in a week if he made a recovery. I continued to look around the store at the other animals before I left. I went to look at the hamsters in the cage where I had purchased my sick hamster, and commented to my friend that I hoped that the employees would take all the hamsters in that cage to the vet, as wet tail is highly contagious. An employee overheard me and condescendingly snapped back “No, wet tail isn’t contagious. Those other hamsters are fine. Just that one is infected.” The employee then walked off. I was shocked that someone could be so wrong and so rude! Especially considering that he was putting lives at risk by his lack of concern for the other hamsters.
After hesitantly leaving my hamster in their care, I went to the Petco in Plano, Texas. When I walked in, I immediately headed for the long haired teddy bear hamsters, to see if they had any that I liked enough to purchase. As I approached the cage with the 2 girls in it, I thought perhaps they were playing. As I got closer, however, I realized that they were fighting! I was horrified! One of the girls had horrible teeth marks all around her genitals, and had scabs all along her body. The other girl in the cage had blood dripping from her ear and bald patches where hair had been ripped out of her torso. It broke my heart to see these animals. I called a young man over to the cage. I explained to him what was happening, and told him that these hamsters needed to be separated. He looked into the cage for a moment and then called for another employee to come “take care of these hamsters”... He said he was busy. He did not even take the time to explain to the young woman what was happening to the hamsters. When this second employee approached, I explained to her what the problem was. She took a small box and removed one of the hamsters from the cage. I looked in the box and the hamster was on its back legs making screeching sounds, typical fighting noises. I realized that this hamster was too aggressive for my taste. I told the young woman and she snapped back “Well do you need anything else?” I then walked out of the store and bought my pet supplies at a Petsmart store.
Today, since it has been one week since I turned over my sick hamster to the Petco in Richardson, I went back to see how well he had recovered. I saw he was not in the cage on the sales floor, so I explained the situation to a young man who was working and he got the manager. I then explained the situation to her and she went “looking” for the hamster. She said she could not find him. I then asked to see the vet records. Only then did I find out that Petco did not have it’s own vet, as the other employee had led me to believe. The manager informed me that they take their animals to the vet that happens to be in the same shopping center as their store is located. I told her that there should be a vet record for last Sunday. I am then told that this is not possible, because the vet they use is closed on Sundays. Finally, she looked for the vet records and could not present me with any evidence that he was even taken.
If I would have known that this hamster would not have received proper care, I would have taken him to an emergency vet on my own. There are vet hospitals that are open 24 hours a day for medical emergencies. I would like to think that since wet tail is a life threatening condition that this would be a time when an emergency vet trip is necessary. I cannot express how heart broken I am to know that this hamster I took home and took into my heart has been neglected by the one place where I trusted he would be cared for. I will not be shopping at Petco anymore, despite the closeness it is to my work. Instead of driving 2 miles from my job to the Petco in Richardson, I will be driving 20 miles out of my way to get to the nearest Petsmart. I love my animals very much, and will settle for nothing but the best for them. The treatment of animals that I have seen in your stores is appalling. I sincerely hope you will take my letter into consideration, and henceforth use my terrible experiences to better your care of all your animals.