Reporting pet shop - any point?

Vojera

I visited a pet shop recently (one that I've always heard people speak very highly of) to look at getting some guinea pigs, and I was incredibly disappointed at how the animals were being kept. Males and females kept together, one female nursing a litter and pregnant again with a male in with her, and no hay for any of them (80% of a guinea pig's diet is hay and it should be available at all times). When I pointed this out to the member of staff who was showing me the animals the answers I got were "We'll take the babies off you, it's no big deal" and "I'm sure they'll get some later, I dunno who fed them this morning".

For a place that has such a good reputation, I was disgusted with the attitude the staff had and the poor husbandry on display here. If I wanted to report the pet shop, who would I contact? It's in the Dublin area, so is it the DSPCA?
And realistically, since the pigs have water and pellets, is there anything that can actually be done (even though this is a completely insufficient diet)?

This place even had meerkats in a tiny enclosure, is that even legal?

Knine

Vojera wrote: »

I visited a pet shop recently (one that I've always heard people speak very highly of) to look at getting some guinea pigs, and I was incredibly disappointed at how the animals were being kept. Males and females kept together, one female nursing a litter and pregnant again with a male in with her, and no hay for any of them (80% of a guinea pig's diet is hay and it should be available at all times). When I pointed this out to the member of staff who was showing me the animals the answers I got were "We'll take the babies off you, it's no big deal" and "I'm sure they'll get some later, I dunno who fed them this morning".

For a place that has such a good reputation, I was disgusted with the attitude the staff had and the poor husbandry on display here. If I wanted to report the pet shop, who would I contact? It's in the Dublin area, so is it the DSPCA?
And realistically, since the pigs have water and pellets, is there anything that can actually be done (even though this is a completely insufficient diet)?

This place even had meerkats in a tiny enclosure, is that even legal?

Saw a similar issue in a Dublin Petshop. Rabbits & Guinea Pigs in together. A big No. Then they began changing the bedding & just fecked the new bedding in on top of them, it was all going in their eyes & the Guinea Pigs were being trampled & kicked by the rabbits. I tried to tell them but they would not listen

Cherry Blossom

I called into a pet shop this afternoon to drop some stuff in the donation basket and they have a chinchilla nursing two very small babies in a cage with bars that are much too wide. Same pet shop my dad got my pregnant chinchilla in many years ago.

To answer your question though, the short answer is no, nothing will be done. It took years for a pet shop near me to be shut down. They had illegally smuggled monkeys with pulled eye teeth in, dozens of degus with injured and infected tails and were feeding their birds leftover McDonalds. They also told people they could source any animal you want if you were willing to pay enough.

dubjay

vigilantes is what needed. Irish law does not protect any animals

Aragneer

dubjay wrote: »

vigilantes is what needed. Irish law does not protect any animals

Irish law barely protects its citizens. It's all fecked.

There's an independent pet shop near me (Limerick), who are tiny and have hamsters all thrown in with one another. Was gonna purchase one until I found they were all sexually active males and females (I've had accidental hamster pregnancies - I didn't want more).

When I asked the fella to show me one, he went in so roughly, he squeezed one hamster, knocked down another's house and then knocked this massive wooden log in there on one of their little heads... I nearly cried.

Alongside the talk of meerkats, a business in mayo/Sligo and Galway one of my family members used to work at started getting meerkats into their pet section (not naming names but you guys may know the business). The meerkats stink and they are in tiny tiny enclosures. It's cruel and animal exploitation. My family member was there at the discussion of getting these animals in and it was all about how they'll get so many kids begging their parents to come in.

Same thing with reindeer at this time of year

Vojera

dubjay wrote: »

vigilantes is what needed. Irish law does not protect any animals

I can't advocate vigilante-ism, but animals definitely don't have enough protection under the law, and what laws we do have aren't enforced.

I've written a letter to the petshop, which I'm popping in the post today, and I've filled out the Report Cruelty form on the DSPCA website. I seriously doubt DSPCA can do anything but I don't want it on my conscience that I didn't take the time to at least report it.

I'm going to leave a review on the facebook page too. This business has 100% 5-star ratings, which seems suspicious to me, so I'm interested to see if it gets deleted.

Aragneer

Vojera wrote: »

I can't advocate vigilante-ism, but animals definitely don't have enough protection under the law, and what laws we do have aren't enforced.

I've written a letter to the petshop, which I'm popping in the post today, and I've filled out the Report Cruelty form on the DSPCA website. I seriously doubt DSPCA can do anything but I don't want it on my conscience that I didn't take the time to at least report it.

I'm going to leave a review on the facebook page too. This business has 100% 5-star ratings, which seems suspicious to me, so I'm interested to see if it gets deleted.

Do the business have a name? I feel like I know the company

Vojera

Aragneer wrote: »

Do the business have a name? I feel like I know the company

I think it might be against the charter to name them here but I can tell you via PM if you like.

Cherry Blossom

Aragneer wrote: »

Do the business have a name? I feel like I know the company

It could be any of the vast majority of the pet shops in the country. For the most part, they all have little regard for animal welfare. The issues the OP describes are relatively mild.

Aragneer

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

It could be any of the vast majority of the pet shops in the country. For the most part, they all have little regard for animal welfare. The issues the OP describes are relatively mild.

The meerkats thing has me ticking though. That's not completely common or a majority thing here. Is it?

Jen Pigs Fly

One pet shop chain is a fan of meerkats .... I know of one in nutgtove and tullamore ...

Aragneer

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

One pet shop chain is a fan of meerkats .... I know of one in nutgtove and tullamore ...

I also know one in Galway and Mayo but I think they are two diff chains.

It just gets me so angry that it is allowed

Vojera

It's not a chain shop. But I'm surprised (and sad) to hear that other shops have meerkats too. I don't understand why there aren't laws about what animals can be imported.

aonb

I think if you phone management and voice an opinion that as a CUSTOMER you are not happy with the conditions in the shop, and you will be telling friends and family so, if the manager has any common sense, he will at the very least listen to you, and will hopefully attempt to make a difference/change.
Keep mentioning that you are a CUSTOMER, that you are looking for CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, that you will not be back to spend your money in the store again, unless there is an improvement in the conditions etc etc - hit them in sales. better than saying nothing... imo

cactusgal

Vojera wrote: »

I'm going to leave a review on the facebook page too. This business has 100% 5-star ratings, which seems suspicious to me, so I'm interested to see if it gets deleted.

You can't delete negative (or positive) Facebook reviews on a business site. So if you leave a negative review, it'll stay there.

Vojera

cactusgal wrote: »

You can't delete negative (or positive) Facebook reviews on a business site. So if you leave a negative review, it'll stay there.

That's good to know, thanks. Although, honestly, it makes me even more confused as to why there are so many great reviews when things are the way they are.

loveisdivine

It's because quite a lot of people, maybe the majority, don't actually know the in's and out's of proper animal care. Particularly when it comes to small furries, people don't realise the level of care and attention that's actually required, they think it's just an easy pet.

Plus people put way too much trust into what pet shop staff tell them. I've heard some frankly ridiculous comments/bits of advice from pet shop staff and actually from a nurse in a vets, unfortunately most people take it as gospel.