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SAVE ME NOW When you think of animal abuse or neglect, what comes to mind? Is it racetracks, cockfights, or individual homes with too many animals but not enough money to care for them? Have you ever considered abuse or neglect in pet stores? Chances are you have not thought about abuse or neglect taking place in a pet store. Being a former employee of PETCO Animal Supplies Inc., I have witnessed animal abuse and neglect first hand. PETCO’s vision is to make the customer happy, not to make sure that the animals that are in their care have the proper care. Most of the animals sold in PETCOs nationwide are from breeding mills, shipped in inhumane conditions, and are too young to be away from their mothers. Ferrets for instance, come in small, wooden crates, covered with chicken wire. The water cups are nothing more than aluminum cans with no means of keeping water from spilling out. This results in soggy bedding, in many instances leading to respiratory problems, diarrhea, and dehydration. Fish come in cardboard boxes that contain individual bags of fish. Some boxes would be without necessary cool packs; for the summer months, or heat packs; for the winter months. During the summer time the fish would literally bake in their plastic bags, for they would sit in cardboard boxes on the tarmac at the airport without proper cooling, until a courier, contracted through PETCO, would be able to pick them up and deliver them to the stores.
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