I was in the mall today, and I walked by one of those SCAMPS pet stores with the dogs in the tiny cages in the windows. There was a Walker/Plotts hound mix in one of the windows and he looked very sick. His breathing was labored irregular and his nose was completely dry with crusted green all over it.

This store makes me angry enough usually, but this time I had to go in. I said, "You probably know this but, your hound mix in the window looks pretty sick." They told me they knew and that he was just stressed out because he had been brought from a store in the next town andput in the window cage just that day. They said the stress gave him a cold and that he had a towell in there with him to comfort him (?). They said he was being babied.

I said ok and left, but as I left my girlfriend heard one of the girls say "As if we wouldn't notice that."

Well I don't care if they noticed it. Not only does that store have bad politics in buying and selling, but the girls working in their aren't out of highschool and despite what they say, dont seem to know what they are doing. I have no idea how they were babying the dog, nor do I have any idea how a towell is going to provide much comfort. If the dog is stressed, why in the world don't they put him in one of the back cages instead of where everyone is walking by. He looked like he had much more than a cold. Man that store makes me mad.

I hate stupid people! gosh...=( poor puppy. I would go off if I saw that. We don't have any pet stores that sell puppies anywhere local, thank god.

I would've turned around and said something right back to the little snot. Can't believe people can be so rude to others just 'cause they tried to point something out that they already knew. Maybe, if they were really going to "baby" the pup, they should've taken the poor thing to the vet. I am also glad that none of the pet stores in my town sell puppies and kittens, though, since I know one of the owners pretty well, I do know that if they did sell puppies and kittens, they would probably go through a good, reputable breeder or work with the Humane Society a couple towns away, and the one time they did sell pups, they were pups from their two black labs, not from anyone else's.

Never heard of SCAMPS before. We have PASS PETS here in Tennessee. They are located in about every mall we have here.

Always remember that the same "tough love" we use to raise our children is the same tough love we must use with ourselves when we see these puppies. So many people feel sorry for those dogs and buy them - and that only helps create the circle of pets that flow through these places.

By enforcing tough love and NOT buying from these places, eventually - the economic impact of it will be seen and these stores will have to find other ways to survuve. When you educate people about pet stores - educate them on tough love as well.

We have been raised in a society where the phrase "you get what you pay for" is the norm. Unfortunately, no one ever told us that didn't apply to dogs. Some think they must be getting a quality dog if they pay $1000 for it - and in some instances they might - but thats why its important to do research on the actual breeder and buy from them. No middleman is needed in purchasing a dog. Never has been and never will be.

I really wish that legislation could be passed that would at least require the pet stores to give the dogs 'outside' time each day. It is required of daycares for our children so it shouldn't be that hard to get it passed on animals which need socialization as well.

By requiring 'outside' time you would take the pet stores out of the malls (because there is no where for them to go outside) and force them to build their own facilities (instead of renting mall space). This alone would cut down on the number of pet stores.

The problem though is that hardly anyone thinks of the politics of buying a dog. I have talked to so many people at dog parks and elsewhere who say guiltily, "I bought from the petstore in the mall; I was just ignorant at the time." Most of them regret it.

I would ask to speak to the store manager. And if the manager doesn't do anything, I would tell him or her that I will write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper about the condition of the pets they are selling. No one wants bad press, especially this time of year.

in all reality, you have no idea what scamps employees go through to try to keep as healthy of an animal as possible, . these girls really do care about these animals, and I guarantee if you had a job to offer any one of them they would take it in a heartbeat.

but just to let you know, let me give you a rundown of how scamps in aberdeen works,,,,

6:00 to 11:00 dogs get time with employee, all cages are cleaned DAILY, and inspected for any signs if discomfort and stress.

10:00-9:00 only ONE employee on sales floor, others there to tend to animals

repeat every day, all animals are tended to every single day of the year several times a day.

if you don't believe me, just test me, if your in my area (aberdeen) come on down and ask for tony, you can spend the whole day with me if you'd like, if not dont blame the workers, you are speaking off of a one-sided statement and you have no idea what kind of effort is given behind the scenes.

these kinds of places are there to offer customers pure bred animals, as well as find homes for local mixed breeds, and pure bred animals.
we support sending happy animals home with happy owners

here's our rundown:

we have excellent veteranary service
they are great and I reccomend them to anyone.

all animals and suppliers are checked out, not just any breeder qualifies for our purchase, you have to prove quality of care before we'll support you.

we support the neutering and spaying of all pet cats and dogs to help controll the animal population

we support regular vaccinations, and health check ups on all animals espechally birds, dogs, and cats (avian vets are not hard to find, if you own a bird, get in contact with one)

we regularly make donations to paws of animal food

if an animal is sick it goes to the vet for care, no exceptions.

every employee is TRAINED in how to spot and care for any potential problem that may arrise.