Maybe it's the MEDIA that will keep puppy mills going?

There is a new pet store that opened at the beginning of October down in Cape Breton - someone just sent me the article about it today. I hadn't heard about it previously - and it bears all the hallmarks of a typical pet store that gives a clean face to dog farming business that we know exists and thrives everywhere in Nova Scotia and every province in Canada and everywhere else in the world.

When I read the article it really struck me - the notorious Bud Wheatley of Snookums fame, and then his own online retail operation that he ran out of his backyard - has JUST gone out of business = and all of his animals are now at the PEI humane society waiting to be adopted out - and here we have the next generation - the next Bud Wheatley just starting up his own business.

The pet store industry is never going to stop until we make it stop - until we just STOP shopping at stores like his - that sell the puppies - that sell the supplies in the same business that are selling the live animals - these businesses are going to continue on.

Mr. Matheson seems to be pretty happy doing what he's doing - and even seems happy that he's not doing too good a job of taking care of the animals at his store - they're getting out of the cages and running around! How many of the animals there are prey for other animals that are also being sold on the same premises? I wonder, that's just an observation though.

He said he can give the location of where all the puppies are coming from - if I lived down there in Cape Breton - I would actually go to the store and ask for that information before I bought a puppy - so I COULD check out both parents and the conditions that they are living in. If that is something this pet store can offer - I would definitely take them up on it - because it would truly put them in a class all their own in terms of pet stores that sell live animals - so if anyone who is reading this blog lives near this store - if you do that - I would LOVE to hear from you! My email address is dogkisser@gmail.com

As well - how much of a role do the media play in this? The Cape Breton Post are certainly willing to run lots of stories when a puppy dies from one of these stores - because it makes for good news stories and it sells papers - why are they also willing to fudge the truth and run puff pieces like this at the other end of the spectrum and feed us such pablum that the puppies are not coming from back yard breeders.

Do they think that the public doesn't remember from one story to the next?

Anyway - it certainly is proof positive that the problem of selling live animals in pet stores is not going to go away just because one person - no matter how famous and sadistic they were - has gotten out of the business of brokering the puppies of dogs who live lives that are way worse than any cows or pigs that live on farms.

There's always going to be someone right there to fill the gap - unless we refuse to give them any of our hard earned money, and instead acquire our companion animals in ways that don't involve the torture of unwilling dogs who are never seen by the light of day. Hopefully some day that time WILL come.

Here's the next generation of Bud Wheatley. Keep your eyes open -





Brett’s Pet Depot celebrates grand opening Saturday

BY SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post


SYDNEY — Brett Matheson can tell you that owning a pet shop means there’s rarely a dull moment in a typical work day.
“All of a sudden I saw a ferret leisurely walking down the aisle,” he says, recalling a recent incident. “I ran to get him and then noticed all the ferrets were gone, all scattered throughout the store.”
Matheson opened Brett’s Pet Depot a few months ago, with the grand opening slated for Saturday. He admits owning a pet store can sometimes mean plenty of exercise.
“A Cuban anole reptile escaped one day, we had a few chinchillas running around before and had a cockatoo fly around the store for two hours before we got him. Every one was always found, safe and sound.”
Brett’s Pet Depot, located at 456 Grand Lake Road, is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for six days and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
As well as a wide selection of high quality pet food, the store carries everything from natural treats, cages, bedding, strollers, dog houses and toys to clothing, grooming supplies and remedies. It even offers grooming.
It is also the perfect place to shop for the pampered pet.
“We have heated dog beds that plug in, and even heated water bowls for dogs that are kept outside in the wintertime, to keep their water from freezing.”
“We carry booster seats, designer pet carriers, extravagant kitty condos — there is really nothing we don’t have.”
Matheson, who owns three dogs, two cats and some fish, said there are several reasons he decided to open a pet shop, including seeing a 10-year dream come true.
“I am a huge animal advocate, I just love animals. I figured, how can I go wrong having a career with something that I love?”
Brett’s Pet Depot offers everything from puppies to kittens, reptiles, birds, small animals like rabbits, chinchillas, rats, mice, guinea pigs and even hedgehogs.
As well as having kittens and puppies checked by veterinarians, Matheson said they also deal first-hand with breeders.
“We can tell people where (their pets) come from, history and even pictures of the parents in most cases.”
Matheson said there have been many unforgettable and heart-warming moments for staff at the store.
“We had a woman who came in one day who had two chows, one had recently died. We just happened to have one in; she spent time with him, then left the store crying.
“She came back the next day and bought him.”
They have also had puppies become major attractions, including a rare Shar-pei.
“The people who came in to see this dog — and take pictures -— was unbelievable.”
A resident of Whitney Pier bought the dog, which has since been named Phoebe.
Saturday’s grand opening begins at 9 a.m. and will features a radio station remote, Klutzy the Clown and plenty of give-aways.
“There is one company giving me 200 free 5 lb. bags of dog food to give away.”
Barbara Larick, one of the store’s four employees, said they do get unusual requests, including people looking for monkeys. She said they also have regular customers who get attached to a certain animal.
“We have a woman who comes in every single day — she hasn’t missed a day — to pet a bulldog puppy we have here.”