What’s the first thing you want to do when you see an adorable puppy? Probably snuggle and cuddle the heck out of it. But federal officials say there’s a multistate outbreak of a nasty bacteria going around, and it’s being spread by puppies sold at a national pet store chain. [More]
pet stores
Undercover Investigation: Boutique Pet Store Hid Sick Puppies’ Illnesses From Buyers
By 7.25.17
What was your dog’s life like before you brought him home? If you bought him from a pet store in New York and he was sick, the people selling him are supposed to disclose his full health information. But according to a recent undercover investigation conducted by the Humane Society, one boutique pet shop in Manhattan has been covering up illnesses among its high-priced pooches. [More]
Petsmart Thinks Soothing In-Store Music Will ‘Dazzle’ Your Pet, Mellow It Out
By 8.9.16
Do pets care about music? My dog was indifferent toward it even back when she could hear, but big-box pet store Petsmart is putting in a new music system meant to soothe pets (in the boarding area) and energize their owners (in the shopping area). Will it work? Maybe as long as people think it does, and people control the wallets, that’s good enough. [More]
Man Caught On Camera In Pet Store Shoving Python Down Pants
By 1.11.16
A few years ago, we brought you a story about a pet store thief removing two puppies from a pet store by shoving them down his pants. Last week in Portland, OR, a pet store’s surveillance cameras caught a man on camera who used this method to conceal a pricey python and walk out of the store unnoticed. [More]
Report: PetSmart Considering Adopting Petco, Buying It A Leash And Collar
By 9.18.15
Petco and PetSmart are the two largest pet retailers in the United States: about 50% of all money spent in pet stores nationwide goes to one of the two chains. The two companies have given each other a good sniff and considered merging in the past, but after some changes of ownership are considering it again. [More]
Man Arrested For Calling Police About Imaginary Escaped Mountain Lion
By 8.12.14
The call to police in Aiken, South Carolina seemed wacky but plausible: a man who worked at a pet store called to report a burglary. He said that a 100-pound mountain lion worth $35,000 was missing from the store, and had either been stolen during a burglary or had taken advantage of the opportunity to escape. Turns out there was no missing mountain lion. There was no mountain lion at all. [More]
Family Wants Petco To Pay After Dog Dislocated Hip During Grooming
By 5.20.14
When a California woman picked up her daughter’s dog from his grooming appointment, it was obvious that something was wrong. The Shih Tzu was walking on three legs, not putting his right rear paw down on the ground. While the groomer admitted that she had pulled on that leg to get the animal into position to be groomed, nothing else seemed amiss. Or so the store claims. [More]
Pet Store Owner Accused Of Torching Shop With 27 Puppies Inside (Spoiler Alert: They Survived!)
By 2.7.14
If my heart had eyes it would be sobbing loudly over what could have been a fiery fate for 27 puppies in Las Vegas. A pet store owner accused of torching her shop while the puppies were inside has been jailed for arson — and yes, firefighters were able to rescue the puppies. Sigh, there go my heart eyes again. [More]
Is It Wrong For A Pet Store To Leave Cats Unattended During Christmas?
By 12.23.13
Most of us have the next couple of days off from work, which is fine since most of us have jobs where the well-being of a domesticated animal is not at stake. But one PetSmart volunteer says Corporate HQ has decreed that employees can’t come in on Christmas to check on the cats in the stores, which he believes is putting these animals at risk. [More]
Man Steals Puppies By Shoving Them Down His Pants
By 8.12.13
Puppies are small, cuddly, and pricey, so why not stuff some down your pants and shoplift them? That was the logic of a man in Florida, who stuffed a dachsund puppy and a pug puppy down his pants on two separate trips to an Orlando pet store. [More]
L.A. Pet Shops Won’t Be Able To Sell Pets From Puppy Mills
By 10.25.12
Following similar bans by smaller municipalities in the U.S. and Canada, the Los Angeles City Council has tentatively adopted a ban on pet stores’ sales of many animals obtained from commercial breeders. [More]
Man Tries To Rob Cash Register, Opts To Put A Puppy Down His Pants Instead
By 7.27.12
What sets a quality retail thief apart from your run-of-the-mill shoplifter is their ability to adapt. Take for example, the man in NYC who, realizing that he couldn’t crack open the cash register, saw possibility for profit by stashing a pricey puppy in his pants. [More]
Watch Out For Petco's Fuzzy Kitty Litter Math
By 10.6.11
Just because something is on sale, even a sale only available to holders of a store’s discount card, that doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. Want a real-life example? Here, the sale price of a container of cat litter is higher than the sale price of a container that’s actually larger. Fuzzy math, or subtle bias against customers who aren’t able to carry a 31-pound box? [More]
Dog Dies After Visit To Petco Groomer, Owner Wants Hair Dryer Cages Banned
By 7.28.11
Sadie, a beloved 6-year-old Lhasa Apso in good health, died in 2008 after a regular grooming session at a California Petco. She became ill while inside a cage dryer, a kennel with an air blower attached (sometimes heated, sometimes not) and was immediately taken for emergency medical care. The veterinarian treating her concluded that the dog died of “severe heatstroke.” But was the heatstroke caused by the actions of Petco’s employees, as her owner’s lawsuit alleges? [More]
Warning: Do Not Buy A Pet While You Are Drunk
By 7.14.11
Oh, it happens far more often than any of us are willing to admit. You go out one evening and have a few drinks too many, and the next thing you know, you wake up to find a strange beagle in your bed, wagging its tail, and a credit card receipt from a pet store. Dog? What dog? You never wanted a dog…at least, not when you’re sober. This scenario is enough of an actual problem for some Manhattan pet stores located near bars and clubs that they will turn away customers who have clearly been drinking. [More]
San Francisco Considers Ban On Almost All Pet Sales
By 7.26.10
A few months ago, in an effort to not contribute to the puppy mills and kitty factories of the world, San Francisco began mulling over the possibility of forbidden canine and feline sales within city limits. But, as happens when the discussion turns to the critters of the world, that ban has now grown to include just about everything you would ever want to even consider having as a pet. [More]
Petsmart Redefines Coupon Expiration Dates
By 7.7.10
If a coupon says that it expires on July 4th, most people assume this means that you can use it on July 4th. Not so, in Petsmart’s universe. In their coupon vortex, July 4 ends at 6:00 AM on July 4th. Which is a little weird for an online coupon, but completely insane for a printable in-store coupon when no Petsmart store opens until several hours later. [More]
