PUPPY MILLS NOW LETS DEBATE

While I agree with nearly everything that was said AGAINST puppy mills here, I do have one thing to add, namely on the attitude of some posters. One can get his/her point across much more profoundly by not tossing insults and speaking in a derogatory manner. Let's make this (and all other threads) constructive, rather than shooting insults at others because of different viewpoints. After a while, even those persons who have much knowledge in any field will just tend to get toned out when the sole purpose of their post *SEEMS* to be to slam the other guy into the ground /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/crying.gif

 

The term puppy mill refers to large-scale dog breeding facilities. Furthermore, it is generally used to describe such facilities that keep their animals in poor conditions. Changing a definition or saying what you or I think a puppy mill is sort of defeats the purpose, it is still no different than what it was before. You are right in saying they may have changed their ways. The only way to know this is to ask for them to show proof of where their animals came from. A store owner may be hesitant to do this, however, since it can cut their profits (ie. I could just go buy a dog from the breeder they get their dogs from). I guess the question is, do you forgive them? It seems some on this forum do, and some do not. I do think it is fair to point out some of the things they do (or have done) that are questionable, even though they have no connection with their aquarium shop. It is fine to want to shop at one place over another purely based on a price factor. To some people, money is not everything though, especially in a hobby where nothing we purchase is actually necessary and all of it is supererogatory.

 

It has absolutely nothing to do with corals, but business practices determine where I shop. Petland supports and purchases dogs from puppy mills. It's a proven fact. Reputable dealers will not sell to pet stores. Why? Because they can make a bigger profit selling on their own AND these people love their animals and want credit for their work. Why do puppy mills sell their dogs to pet stores? Because if any sane person saw where these puppies came from, they would not buy them.

As far as "fish mills" go. If you've been in this hobby for more than a week, you know pristine water conditions are required just for the survival of your fish. Breeding them is a whole new ball game.

 

Xmasia - I am pretty sure that there was someone other than myself or h2o that decided to be an instigator in the vendor's thread. As lordofthereef said, it is a free country and you can choose to shop wherever you want. If price is all that is important to you, that is your right.

I personally just find the fact that we are pimping Petland to be very sad. I have no doubt that the fish guys at Petland are nice guys and might even have nice stuff, but the company they work for (and/or the chain of franchises) is morally bankrupt. I can't separate the fact that they support puppy mills with how "nice" the fish department is.

 

Posted By DSMClown on 05/01/2009 07:01 PM
Xmasia - I am pretty sure that there was someone other than myself or h2o that decided to be an instigator in the vendor's thread. As lordofthereef said, it is a free country and you can choose to shop wherever you want. If price is all that is important to you, that is your right.
I personally just find the fact that we are pimping Petland to be very sad. I have no doubt that the fish guys at Petland are nice guys and might even have nice stuff, but the company they work for (and/or the chain of franchises) is morally bankrupt. I can't separate the fact that they support puppy mills with how "nice" the fish department is.
i actually saw a breeder bring in 2 pups to petland while i was there. i kind of stopped her outside to ask and she says she breeds them herself and sells them to the store. looks like the new owners of that place got things worked out for them puppies. i even saw the vet there checking on them, and i guess he goes in every week.
and as far as franchises go, these guys at petland are doing things all on their own. thats why their quality and selection is great. i know this cuz i have worked at the other 2 main ones when i was younger and couldn't do nothing different and had to order from segrest no matter what, so i quit. go to petco at jordan creek, they got 4 freakin triggers in one small tank, i asked whats goin on here, the guy said he couldn't do nothing about it. he told me his store mgr. and corporate told him he had to keep it that way.

 

I think, for the most part, people on this forum would rather not go to Petco either /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/sick.gif

 

Just for the record, Jason and I tend to have different methods when dealing with issues like this, but as webmaster I've asked him not to remove posts like this in the future as I don't believe it ultimately helps anything.   In his defense, he wasn't purposely trying to make anyone mad, he just wanted to de-drama the site.   Afterall, it's a fish club...  How much drama do we need?
Anyway, let's move on.
Thanks
-JB