What’s Your Beef?: Animal Treatment in Pet Stores

Ashley Ede is angry about how she sees animals being cared for in pet stores.

Viewer Letter

I have a beef with the way animals are treated in pet stores. They’re caged up night and day in those tiny cages and are NEVER exercised. Can you imagine being held in one of those cages for months at a time? If a neighbour kept their animal confined in a small space like that we’d call the SPCA on them. So why is it all right for pets stores to do it? I’ve even gone to one pet store called “Pets Unlimited” to see if I could volunteer to take the dogs out and walk them…they said no. I’d like to cage up an owner of a pet store for a couple of months and see if they have a different view on it then.

Ashley Ede
Halifax, Nova Scotia

What the Company Had to Say

Street Cents contacted Pets Unlimited multiple times and left 8 messages. We also tried their parent company Super Pet, leaving 7 message, but no one phoned us back. So we called several other pet stores across Canada to find out what their pet store policies are. None of them had any problems with getting back to us.

Pet Store Policies

We polled a Canadian chain (Petcetera), an American-based chain with stores in Canada (Petsmart) and two independent stores, one from a big city (Petsters) and one from a small town (Claws ‘n Paws).

Street Cents found that the latest trend in pet stores is NOT to sell cats and dogs at all but rather to work in conjunction with local animal welfare groups, like the SPCA, in a partnership to find homes for unwanted animals. The major chain pet stores that Street Cents spoke with all adopt out animals instead of selling them and even the smaller stores told us that will adopt out an animal they have trouble selling. Petcetera and Petsmart told Street Cents that they have chosen not to sell cats and dogs in an effort to lower euthanasia rates and pet over-population.

Doggy Exercise Protocol

Customers are allowed to walk dogs in some stores. However, of all the stores that Street Cents spoke to, there are none that allow just anyone off the streets to walk their dogs. Smaller stores often have closer relationships with their customers and therefore may allow people to walk their pets, or even take them home for the night, as Claws n’ Paws does. All pet stores must take into the consideration the health of the puppy. Petsters told Street Cents that they did not allow anyone to walk their dogs outside due to the fact that their puppies have only received their first immunization and therefore are very vulnerable to disease of any kind. They could ingest feces, come into contact with another diseased dog or may absorb things through the pads of their feet.

Often times, it is simply a matter of security, the staff doesn’t want strangers walking off with their pets! But check out your local pet store because some allow volunteers who sign up, and are approved, to walk their dogs while others will let you only if you are interesting in adopting.

Street Cents found out when we spoke with Marcie Moriarty, General Manager of Cruelty Investigations for the BC SPCA, that exercise for puppies is not essential to their care. The SPCA considers socialization with others dogs and humans to be the most important thing in a puppy’s life. Moriarty says that studies have shown that dogs need socialization more than they need exercise and the simple act of playing together in their kennels can often be all the exercise that a young puppy needs. Moriarty also says that puppies should not be taken outside for exercise because they should not come into contact with other dogs until they have had their third vaccination shot.

Pet Store Housing

Most dogs and cats are housed in cages and kennels, but smaller independent stores are more likely to have the option of keeping their dogs in open pens instead of cages. Pet store adoption centers house their dogs in kennels just like the SPCA.

The SPCA told Street Cents that there is no federal or provincial legislation that regulates the care and housing of pets in pet stores in Canada, let alone exercise. P.E.I. is the only exception, but the province only outlines the minimum housing standards and does not touch on exercise.

There are standards created by PIJAC, which is the national organization representing the pet industry in Canada, and by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), an international organization that has hundreds of local chapters responsible for ensuring animal welfare in Canada. These organizations lay out what they believe is the acceptable minimum standards of care for animals in a pet store.

Also, some municipalities, such as Pickering and the district of North Vancouver, have worked in conjunction with local shelters in order to create bylaws which regulate pet stores. Having these by-laws enables a community to have more control over the treatment of pets in their local pet stores. The SPCA told Street Cents that it’s a lot easier to change local laws then federal laws and that any interested teen, who has opinions like our viewer, can help to make a difference in their community by putting pressure on their local government to pass pet store by-laws.

Right now, only four Canadian stores have completed the National Store Certification Program through PIJAC.

What to Do if You Suspect Animal Abuse

The SPCA investigates all pet store complaints and serves orders for improvement when appropriate. But a sad face in the window isn’t reason enough for charges to be laid. Remember, most stores are regulated through the provincial and federal laws that do not demand minimum conditions for pets. The SPCA told Street Cents that:

• As long as an order is obeyed there is nothing that the SPCA can do.
• Orders are governed by three criteria outside overt cruelty: food, water and shelter.
• Most provinces deal with several complaints towards pet stores each month.
• What may seems as failure to regularly exercise a dog is not one of the possible reasons for a filing a complaint with the SPCA since it is not covered within the animal cruelty act.

Street Cents found that none of the major chain stores have been charged criminally with animal abuse, however this does not mean they have not been served multiple orders.

Don Hovath of the Ontario SPCA says that the hardest thing for people is that they do not like to see the sad faces of animals in cages in pet stores, but being in a cage does not necessarily mean that animals are being treated cruelly according to provincial and federal laws.

Euthanasia

All pet stores that Street Cents spoke to claim that they do not euthanize their animals. If they cannot be sold they are either reduced in price or adopted out.

What to Look For When Choosing Pet Store

Look for the PIJAC certifications or the PIJAC website to see if your local pet store is a member.

Are the cages clean? Is clean water available? Do the cages have any sort of ventilation?

Make sure the pet store is willing to provide you with breeder information on all their animals.

Call your local SPCA and find out if they have been charged or served orders in the past.

Does your local pet store support local shelters?

Ask yourself why the prices of animals may be so high. Is it all about profit, or are the animals simply well-cared for?

Do your best to support the pet stores that support community events and animal rights.

It costs less than $150 to adopt a dog across Canada but generally over $500 in a pet store. Think about where you want your money to go.