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Sick Cav in Indy Pet Store

JaneB

Well-known member
I know this topic has been discussed several times but I just HAVE to vent. I am so furious! :x I was out at the mall running a few errands today and stopped in a pet store (I normally don't shop them as they sell puppies and kittens) but was looking for a particular car bed I was told they stocked. Anyhow, as I passed the puppy prison cells I saw a bouncing Blenhiem boy among the other unfortunate little ones. He seemed to be doing fine. I hated to see him there but he did at least appear healthy. But then things got worse! All alone and shaking in her cage was a teeny, tiny Tri. I was told she had been there for two weeks and she was ALMOST 8 weeks old. I, of course, asked to hold her. I couldn't believe her condition. Skinny, skinny, skinny! Yellow gunk in her eyes and nose; she was coughing and sneezing up a storm. I am just heart sick about her. I plan to spend the evening trying to contact via e-mail any agency that might be able to step in and save her. I can't image she can possibly last much longer. I asked the clerk what was going on with her and she said: "Some people put a hold on her a week ago but never came to get her. We don't take them out of their cages except to clean once someone says they wants to buy them. You are the first one to hold her in a week." That little girl hasn't been held in 7 days!!! She must be so, so scared! When I asked if they were doing anything about her health and weight I was told that they were putting some "gravy" on her food but she wasn't eating very well and they were trying to hand feed her. The "vet check" wasn't going to happen until the end of next week since they had missed this Friday's scheduled "inspection." :yikes

If anyone knows specifically who I should contact in Indianapolis, please PM me ASAP! I know this store has been cited many times for poor conditions and for selling sick animals. I would love to make it impossible for them to continue selling puppies and kittens. Thanks for letting me vent!!

JaneB
 
Call animal control or the SPCA. Sounds like neglect/abuse not to get treatment for an animal that is obviously sick.
 
I agree with Rory's mom. Call your local SCPA and let them know the condition of the puppy. Some people have no hearts. Makes me sick that a poor puppy can be treated so badly. Please let us know the outcome. I sure hope you can help that poor little thing.
J.
 
:x :x :(

Definitely call the SPCA and humane society if there is one of those. Then call the county or city council to complain. If this is a chain, get the contact details for the head of the corporation to complain. And I'd also call the regional breed club to let them know about this dog and what the petstore has said.

Animals are entitled to a minimum level of care and this does NOT sound like it can possibly be it. In particular the lack of vet care for a sick pup is shocking. A pound dog would get better care.

Good luck and let us know what happens. And thanks for wanting to do something for this poor creature. Maybe regional rescue can convince the store to put the dog into rescue.
 
I've sent several e-mails but no reply back as yet. I'm going to stop in at at the Humane Society in just a little while. I figure it will be easier to get the extreme nature of the situation across if I am in front of someone. I called a DVM friend and she is going to check out the situation as well. I can't tell you how sad it was seeing that poor sweet thing so ill and alone! I've also left a message at the mayor's office and e-mailed his "hot line". I did a search on the internet and found the following on the first page: http://www.indygov.org/eGov/Mayor/PR/2002/5/20020502a.htm

http://www.complaints.com/february2003/complaintoftheday.february20.15.htm

http://www.complaints.com/directory/2004/march/15/1.htm

You won't believe this snide response from a person at their corporate level!
http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/january/3/47.htm


This has obviously be a chronic problem for years! I'll keep you posted. If you have any other ideas or thoughts, please let me know.

JaneB
 
Emails are too easy to ignore. Definitely call or go in in person to animal control. I hope you are able to get this puppy help!!! :(

This may be the thing they need to shut this place down!
 
you might also try making a complaint to your county or state health department, report that the dog is obviously diseased and not receiving treatment in this public place of business where the public is exposed to the dog, and there is the risk and likelihood that children will be allowed to hold the dog, as you did, and customers may be exposed to illness and unsanitary conditions. The state may respond better to a complaint about risk to humans than they will to one about risk to animals, sadly.

That was the advice i got recently when asking what i might do about a pet store i was in about a week or two ago where the conditions troubled me--all the dogs in all the cages were barking frantically for no apparent reason. I've been in pet stores that have dogs before and haven't seen anything like it. It reminded me of how it sometimes is at the dog pound, but worse. There was a strong odor in the store. At first i thought it was from the dogs, but i walked to the back where the fish were and it got stronger. I am going to report them but the store is not near where i live and i didn't write down the name of the place or the address at the time, so i have to go back and get that information.

It's painful to see and painful to read about that poor little dog. I hope your appreciated efforts will make a difference. That letter from the company was very defensive--that's not the right way to respond, he took it personally. What he didn't do was address the condition of that one little puppy, her weight, her cough, her demeanor.
 
Boy I would circulate that response to the SPCA, the Humane Society, the Better Business Bureau, and forward it to your local newspapers. This person certainly does not understand customer relations (hint: the customer is always right. Maybe you don't acknowledge that privately, but publicly, you DO).
 
Please try to get help(humane society- animal control) for that lil one.. If they think it will be too expensive to treat they may just move it so no one can see her suffer. Sandy
 
That response is totally unacceptable!!! I can't believe the nerve of someone in the corporate offices to make that kind of response. Keep us posted. These peopel suck!
 
I'd print out that full response and send it to the head of the company and board members, if it is that large. If it is only a small local shop you should at least send it to the owner. I would fire anyone who treated a client like that.

I will bet that you can get a sympathetic journalist to follow up on that. Both because you as an informed vet tech made an informed judgement call on a sick puppy and were then fobbed off as if this was unimportant and not only that, treated with contempt. Making that public may do more to keep that store for getting customers or seelling animals than anything else. You can ring your paper and ask to speak to a journalist who might be interested ina story that raises serious concerns about treatment of live puppies in a local petshop. Let them know your professional background and how shocked you were at the conditions under which this puppy was hel and the response you got when you expressed your concern.
 
I'd print out that full response and send it to the head of the company and board members, if it is that large. If it is only a small local shop you should at least send it to the owner. I would fire anyone who treated a client like that.

I will bet that you can get a sympathetic journalist to follow up on that. Both because you as an informed vet tech made an informed judgement call on a sick puppy and were then fobbed off as if this was unimportant and not only that, treated with contempt. Making that public may do more to keep that store for getting customers or seelling animals than anything else. You can ring your paper and ask to speak to a journalist who might be interested ina story that raises serious concerns about treatment of live puppies in a local petshop. Let them know your professional background and how shocked you were at the conditions under which this puppy was held and the response you got when you expressed your concern.


Also try the local TV stations. At our paper many of us would see a good story in the tale you have told, and something deserving publicity to shame the store and raise awareness.
(y)
 
The response she posted was from another person making a complaint. Not from Jane.

Any update, Jane??
 
Thanks for clearing that up! I wish that response had come to me, I would have had that person's head! No, no response back from anyone. In fact, I have a few stops to make this afternoon (business) and plan to make a few more (dog related) along the way. I'll let you know what happens.

JaneB
PS I'm also going to stop in and see how the little girl is doing. :(
 
I hope she's OK and made it through the weekend... :(


Good for you for doing this, Jane!
 
She's still "alive" but seemed ever so frail to me. They still haven't had her looked at by a vet, they seem to think she is just a "picky eater." I have an appointment in the morning with the Animal Control officer that is in charge of the area that the pet store is in. Hopefully, he will at least make a visit. SPCA was closed today so that is on tomorrow's list of places to stop. I am determined to get her some help. Keep your fingers and paws crossed that she can hang on a few more days.

JaneB
 
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