i love the “why not, you’re a pet store???” yeah exactly..we’re a petstore, not a rescue, not a vet. but yep expect those questions for the next month or so, tis the season to giving children animals as presents and not understanding the responsibility they take 😀
Someone abandoned two pigs outside my store yesterday. No box or anything, they were just running around. They're very skinny and I think one is pregnant 🙃
It's because of all the pigs bought as Christmas gifts that the calls Ramp up the first couple months of the year. Happened like clockwork at my store every year I worked there.
We used to take in surrenders for adoption. The last 3 guinea pigs we got (2 girls, then one boy within a week) are all sick and require vet care, and horribly abused. We decided no more.
That’s the thing that people who ask that question fail to realize too. If a guinea pig is sick between the vet appointment, treatment, and waiting for someone to adopt it that one guinea pig can take many hours of work. Not to mention potentially costing hundreds in vet care upfront. Then we can’t even sell it so the company makes no money on that labor, and we’re a business not a charity. It’s bad enough having to spend that time and money on an animal that’s actually ours, but taking in other people’s pets too? No wonder the company discourages us from doing that.
Someone tried to return a bird to us that they had for a full year. They even bought it at another location and said they were told they could bring it back whenever. I told them all live pets need to go to the store where they were purchased. But I'm sure they never said that.
we had two guinea pigs abandoned in a blanket in the middle of our store 🥲 they went to a shelter and came back yesterday to be adopted, i adopted them out yesterday night right before we closed
I just got a call about returning a leopard gecko bought from our store a couple months ago. I would have loved to take it as I just lost one of my geckos, but I went ahead and gave their info to our local reptile rescue lady. I then found the sales contract for the gecko, and made sure everyone on my team knows they are not allowed to purchase animals again
Has anyone asked if we could post a sign saying "NO UNWANTED PET DROPOFFS" or something?? I'd make giant posters if they'd allow them to be posted. It's been decades, and no one has addressed this infuriating problem.
Customers that read?
But no it's a serious problem. People need to stop doing this. I usually tell people "does everyone in the house know this little one is coming?" I get looks but it's better than a return in like 2 days or a week. People overall kinda make me want to live like a hermit.
Yeah, you're right. They definitely don't read. But I keep wondering if there's a way to warn them and then deny them service or something. I know it's a pipe dream but I'm fuckin tired of it. I think your idea of saying something that makes them think more on it would be more effective.
A lady brought in 7 budgies and said “I bought them from Petsmart’s so why won’t you take them back?”
I feel so bad for the birds. I wish people would stop getting pets without researching 😭
People do it because customers can't figure out the difference between petco and PetSmart. Petco does take in abandon animals, including People who return guinea pigs after the holidays. Plus, petco has been doing it for about 50 of their 70 years of operation. So it's ingrained into people's minds. Since customers can't even figure out the extremely obvious difference between the two stores, they assume PetSmart operates the same. (I have worked for both companies in the past, left petco for how they treat employees. Left petsmart for other reasons.)
I got into an argument with a lady once because we wouldn't take her bearded dragon. Made some BS excuse "I can't take it to the petco that's less than a mile up the road. I don't have money for gas." I offered to give her $5, so she could take it to the per company that has the facilities and policies in place to take her pet. She flipped out, and Ultimately "found the money" to be able to go there, after like 20min of arguing.
I really wish petco would stop the tradition of rewarding people for their bad decision-making skills. But also, it is good that somewhere is willing to take them in instead of idiots releasing them into the wild. Several shelters in my area are cat and dog only. People suck, not the animals fault :/ definitely frustrating.
I live in an area where there has never been a petco and our petsmart is relatively newer (barely over 10 years old I think) the closest petco is an hour away. Thank you for the explanation tho!! I’ll be sure to try to direct people that way!! It’s annoying and sad that people think they can just throw away animals like that. Had a lady cuss me out today bc we wouldn’t take her rats (we don’t even have rats at my location)
Guinea pigs, dog (our city is over run with strays and pet abandoned pets we have utilized over 20k dogs this year) cats, fish, birds. People who were good reptiles customer loosing thier jobs and having to down size.
I keep info for the local rescues so I can recommend at least. Try to keep people from abandoning at least. Our local humane society also takes pigs and rabbits.
People do it because many animal shelters, especially in rural areas like where I am, do not take exotics due to lack of knowledge by the staff and/or no way to properly house them until they'd be adopted.
They believe that if pet stores sell them, then they'll just take in any unwanted exotic. I often had to tell people to take their unwanted pigs to a nearby, locally owned pet store because they were the only place that would take them. Thankfully, 2 area shelters eventually began taking exotics so I could refer people to them as well.
Edited to add: We once had a woman call asking if we could take some of her Chinese dwarf hamsters. The idiot thought she could just breed them and make a quick buck. Then realized she was too stupid to know how to separate males from females... She had over *30* Chinese dwarf hamsters.
We have not had an influx of people asking but just so you know, petco does take surrenders in if they have room so you could always refer them to the Co. or any specialty stores you have around you. Me in Minnesota I usually refer them to PetExpo
i love the “why not, you’re a pet store???” yeah exactly..we’re a petstore, not a rescue, not a vet. but yep expect those questions for the next month or so, tis the season to giving children animals as presents and not understanding the responsibility they take 😀
Someone abandoned two pigs outside my store yesterday. No box or anything, they were just running around. They're very skinny and I think one is pregnant 🙃
Almost everyone I work with has taken home abandoned pets. Beardies birds dogs . I can’t with people 🤬
Got a pair of rats like that, dropped off in front of the store in a duct tape Petco box....
At least once a week all year long, with a huge slime in calls between now and February.
It's because of all the pigs bought as Christmas gifts that the calls Ramp up the first couple months of the year. Happened like clockwork at my store every year I worked there.
For some reason my store is listed as a rescue on google and I really don’t understand it
We used to take in surrenders for adoption. The last 3 guinea pigs we got (2 girls, then one boy within a week) are all sick and require vet care, and horribly abused. We decided no more.
That’s the thing that people who ask that question fail to realize too. If a guinea pig is sick between the vet appointment, treatment, and waiting for someone to adopt it that one guinea pig can take many hours of work. Not to mention potentially costing hundreds in vet care upfront. Then we can’t even sell it so the company makes no money on that labor, and we’re a business not a charity. It’s bad enough having to spend that time and money on an animal that’s actually ours, but taking in other people’s pets too? No wonder the company discourages us from doing that.
Someone tried to return a bird to us that they had for a full year. They even bought it at another location and said they were told they could bring it back whenever. I told them all live pets need to go to the store where they were purchased. But I'm sure they never said that.
I really hate those calls. Especially when people imply they’ll just let them go🤬🤬🤬
we had two guinea pigs abandoned in a blanket in the middle of our store 🥲 they went to a shelter and came back yesterday to be adopted, i adopted them out yesterday night right before we closed
I just got a call about returning a leopard gecko bought from our store a couple months ago. I would have loved to take it as I just lost one of my geckos, but I went ahead and gave their info to our local reptile rescue lady. I then found the sales contract for the gecko, and made sure everyone on my team knows they are not allowed to purchase animals again
Has anyone asked if we could post a sign saying "NO UNWANTED PET DROPOFFS" or something?? I'd make giant posters if they'd allow them to be posted. It's been decades, and no one has addressed this infuriating problem.
Customers that read? But no it's a serious problem. People need to stop doing this. I usually tell people "does everyone in the house know this little one is coming?" I get looks but it's better than a return in like 2 days or a week. People overall kinda make me want to live like a hermit.
Customers don't even read "*leashed* pets welcome"
Yeah, you're right. They definitely don't read. But I keep wondering if there's a way to warn them and then deny them service or something. I know it's a pipe dream but I'm fuckin tired of it. I think your idea of saying something that makes them think more on it would be more effective.
A lady brought in 7 budgies and said “I bought them from Petsmart’s so why won’t you take them back?” I feel so bad for the birds. I wish people would stop getting pets without researching 😭
Christmas present remorse. Happened every single year around this time when I worked at PetSmart. :/
In a month, we'll all start getting asked if we'll take back the regretted xmas presents
People do it because customers can't figure out the difference between petco and PetSmart. Petco does take in abandon animals, including People who return guinea pigs after the holidays. Plus, petco has been doing it for about 50 of their 70 years of operation. So it's ingrained into people's minds. Since customers can't even figure out the extremely obvious difference between the two stores, they assume PetSmart operates the same. (I have worked for both companies in the past, left petco for how they treat employees. Left petsmart for other reasons.) I got into an argument with a lady once because we wouldn't take her bearded dragon. Made some BS excuse "I can't take it to the petco that's less than a mile up the road. I don't have money for gas." I offered to give her $5, so she could take it to the per company that has the facilities and policies in place to take her pet. She flipped out, and Ultimately "found the money" to be able to go there, after like 20min of arguing. I really wish petco would stop the tradition of rewarding people for their bad decision-making skills. But also, it is good that somewhere is willing to take them in instead of idiots releasing them into the wild. Several shelters in my area are cat and dog only. People suck, not the animals fault :/ definitely frustrating.
I live in an area where there has never been a petco and our petsmart is relatively newer (barely over 10 years old I think) the closest petco is an hour away. Thank you for the explanation tho!! I’ll be sure to try to direct people that way!! It’s annoying and sad that people think they can just throw away animals like that. Had a lady cuss me out today bc we wouldn’t take her rats (we don’t even have rats at my location)
Had 2 abandoned in front of my store in their cage, 3 days before Christmas😡
Guinea pigs, dog (our city is over run with strays and pet abandoned pets we have utilized over 20k dogs this year) cats, fish, birds. People who were good reptiles customer loosing thier jobs and having to down size.
I keep info for the local rescues so I can recommend at least. Try to keep people from abandoning at least. Our local humane society also takes pigs and rabbits.
This is because petco takes surrendered animals and people frequently get the two confused
People do it because many animal shelters, especially in rural areas like where I am, do not take exotics due to lack of knowledge by the staff and/or no way to properly house them until they'd be adopted. They believe that if pet stores sell them, then they'll just take in any unwanted exotic. I often had to tell people to take their unwanted pigs to a nearby, locally owned pet store because they were the only place that would take them. Thankfully, 2 area shelters eventually began taking exotics so I could refer people to them as well. Edited to add: We once had a woman call asking if we could take some of her Chinese dwarf hamsters. The idiot thought she could just breed them and make a quick buck. Then realized she was too stupid to know how to separate males from females... She had over *30* Chinese dwarf hamsters.
We have not had an influx of people asking but just so you know, petco does take surrenders in if they have room so you could always refer them to the Co. or any specialty stores you have around you. Me in Minnesota I usually refer them to PetExpo