What kind of pet store?

[Blue Merle]

I dont know, after hearing that my work (Pet Supplies "Plus"), brought in 71,000 dollars in ONE store alone in one week I was thinking of what it would take to open my own pet store. And I was just curious of what people on here that have animals thought of this idea.

Ok, rawhide for instance, is NOT healthy for dogs, it leaves splinters in the dogs stomach, cedar chipping for small animals can cause upper respiratory infections and can cause skin problems. Bio-spot/hartz flea medicine can cause cancer in your dog/cat. (Just to name a few). And all pet stores sell this type of stuff.

Would you feel more comfortable shopping at a pet store that didnt sell things that werent healthy for animals? Or would you rather them sell it so you can get it? Or would you rather them sell it, but put up a noticable sign telling the effects of the product, and selling an alternative to the product?

[animalsrcool]

id rather they didn't sell it at all because it would be easier on everyone! that way i would feel comfortable with purchasing whatever i need to because there is no un-safe products available. i think you would make a great pet store owner!! :D you seem to care a lot about animals and that is awesome :)

hey i just noticed you're from ohio....which pet supplies "plus" do you work at?

[scoupeslave]

i do a lot of research on the things that i buy for my animals. and the petstores are in it for the money. if a stupid person does not research the stuff that they are buying then that is personally their fault. and you cannot rely on the people that work in pet stores to help you out because most of them are high school kids that own a fish and don't know anything about anything. but that is my biased opinon.

[Blue Merle]

i do a lot of research on the things that i buy for my animals. and the petstores are in it for the money. if a stupid person does not research the stuff that they are buying then that is personally their fault. and you cannot rely on the people that work in pet stores to help you out because most of them are high school kids that own a fish and don't know anything about anything. but that is my biased opinon.

Hey now... I started working at Pet Supplies "Plus" when I was a SOPHMORE in High School. And right now, people ask specifically for me, for information on their animals. All I do is read about animals, and do research on them, for my own benefit.. Speak for the pet stores around your area, but the pet store I work at, theres 2 people that dont really know didly squat about animals, and they are about to graduate COLLEGE. (Thats why they are cashiers). And of course they are in on it for the money. But think of it this way, a grocery store can bring in 5 times as much as a pet store in a week. If someone is perfectly capable of opening up a franchise of pet stores, dont you think they are capable of opening up a grocery store? I think so. So why open a pet store? Because maybe they care about pets?

I love animals, I love ALL animals, your animals, my animals, even mean animals. I only care for the best of them, why else would I be working at a job that only makes 6.25/hr? Because I care about animals, and I enjoy educating people on the animals well being. But our store is one of the best pet stores around here. And I wouldnt want to do anything else in this world other then help people with their animals. And thats why I want to open up my own pet store. So I can control what products come in, and what products dont.

I'm sorry you feel that way though about just high schoolers that own fish. I own fish yes, I have 4 tanks.. I have iguanas, and goats, and rabbits, and dogs, and ferrets, and horses, and snakes, and turtles, and the list goes on! But maybe this is my own opinion, but I think hands on experience with people that actually care, is the best... Have a wonderful day, and I'm sorry I wrote an essay. :mad:

[Blue Merle]

id rather they didn't sell it at all because it would be easier on everyone! that way i would feel comfortable with purchasing whatever i need to because there is no un-safe products available. i think you would make a great pet store owner!! :D you seem to care a lot about animals and that is awesome :)

hey i just noticed you're from ohio....which pet supplies "plus" do you work at?



I do care a lot about animals. lol My animals get fed before I do. lol. And I work at the one in Medina.

[animalsrcool]

I do care a lot about animals. lol My animals get fed before I do. lol. And I work at the one in Medina.

ive been there before...i like that store i almost bought my bunny there. next time i go there maybe i'll see you :)

[Blue Merle]

ive been there before...i like that store i almost bought my bunny there. next time i go there maybe i'll see you :)

lol, awesome. So dont you agree its a very good pet store? lol Where in Ohio do you live?

[animalsrcool]

lol, awesome. So dont you agree its a very good pet store? lol Where in Ohio do you live?


yeah it is a good pet store!! i live about 20 minutes away from medina :p

[scoupeslave]

i didn't mean any harm by that. i have had bad experiences with people at pet stores. there are no really good pet stores around here and i am originally from back east. i went to one feed store in my tiny town and they were the most knowlegable "good ol boys" so i am not a big fan of commercialized pet stores that are in it for the dollar signs and not the well being of animals.

[Soccer37]

If you provided the product that is harmful to the animals then told the effects and offered a different product it seems that people wouldnt buy the other product and you could be ordering stuff no one would buy. I am thinking do a comparison like a sign that says, if you like this (big picture of bad product) try this.. and then why this other is better etc. It just seems silly to sell both. You should try to open a small place first nothing like a huge company and see what the demand is for a "good" petstore. The latest craze is organic this and that, maybe your petstore could be like that. If you can provide good animals and service I think people would go to you. The problem that I see you facing is that it would take up a good amount of startup money to do this. It would also be a little harder for you to compete with the prices of some of the petstores that can order in massive bulk and get discounted prices and also make a larger profit while still selling lower. does that make sense? It just depends on the demand of your area for this type of business. Where I live its really hippieish and I think that a store like this might do well. It would take a great deal of research for you to figure out if this would be a profitable venue. You also have to worry about all the legal stuff, insurance taxes etc...

I think you have a good idea and wish you the best of luck.!!

oh, and ps most petstores are in it for the money before the utmost wellbeing of the animals. (I said most this does not include all)

[Blue Merle]

I do admit there are a lot of pet stores that are crappy. For instance, I cant STAND "Pet Land". Not only do I disapprove of where they get their dogs from, but their animals look sick. And I called up their once to see if they sold natural rabbit food (for my fat rabbit), and they suggested I feed it every 3 days.

[animalsrcool]

I do admit there are a lot of pet stores that are crappy. For instance, I cant STAND "Pet Land". Not only do I disapprove of where they get their dogs from, but their animals look sick. And I called up their once to see if they sold natural rabbit food (for my fat rabbit), and they suggested I feed it every 3 days.


every 3 days? omg i got my bunny from pet land!! :eek1: was it the pet land in north olmsted?

[brandy pup]

I dont know, after hearing that my work (Pet Supplies "Plus"), brought in 71,000 dollars in ONE store alone in one week I was thinking of what it would take to open my own pet store. And I was just curious of what people on here that have animals thought of this idea.

Ok, rawhide for instance, is NOT healthy for dogs, it leaves splinters in the dogs stomach, cedar chipping for small animals can cause upper respiratory infections and can cause skin problems. Bio-spot/hartz flea medicine can cause cancer in your dog/cat. (Just to name a few). And all pet stores sell this type of stuff.

Would you feel more comfortable shopping at a pet store that didnt sell things that werent healthy for animals? Or would you rather them sell it so you can get it? Or would you rather them sell it, but put up a noticable sign telling the effects of the product, and selling an alternative to the product?


Rather not seen it sold BUT with explanation. Pet stores have a great abilitily to educate the public on stuff and they need to do so.

www.nopuppymills.com

www.hartzvictims.com

[lockshockbarrel]

Even if you put up a disclaimer, some idiot is going to say "Hey, this bedding is cheap!" and ignore the sign.

[Katydid]

Personally, since I'm aware of the fact that some beddings are worse for animals than others and that rawhide etc. is not good for dog etc. I would like that...but some people may not be so educated or not care enough to become educated...I dunno.

Also, we had always thought that all rawhide was bad for dogs but when we adopted my second dog, Monty from a rescue they gave us TONS of information about which foods where good and natural and which treats were okay, etc. and they said that rawhide is fine so long as you use it correctly. There's a few rules to follow when you buy rawhide:

-- Look at the labels on the rawhide: do not buy any kinds that have been imported from other countries. Only buy rawhide that is made and produced in the United States.

-- Buy the thickest hides that you can and buy the kinds which are rolled tightly and are thick.

-- Make sure the rawhide has no odd edges that could be chipped off.

-- When the rawhide starts to get "gooey" take it away from your dog then give it to them later when its dry.

Yeah, but I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't care about they're dogs enough to do that. *shrugs*

Cows Hooves are a great alternative. All they are is cartilage so they can't hurt the dog. Pigs ears work too, but my dogs eat them in like two seconds.

[petseen]

hi
i am opening a store as well and i was wondering if you guys had any sites that you could recommend about where to get "good" animals
i heard a lot of horror stories as far as puppy mills and stuff and i want to get good safe and healthy animals
thanks

[brandy pup]

There is no safe, good place to get animals for a pet store.

Any responsible breeder would NEVER allow their animals to be sold in a pet store. Period.

Why not ask a rescue to showcase their animals?

[petseen]

i thought that by now with everyone saying all the horrible things about pet stores their would be a breeder who was smart and thinking of the right way to help pet stores get better than to just not sell to any? i dont know if i was a breeder instead of trying to shut the stores down i would try to help them get good animals instead
sorry just my opinion

[Pippin]

Welcome to PetsHub!

A breeder would not sell their animals to petstores because they have no idea where that animal will end up. Petstores arnt exactly selective on who they sell their animals to. And puppies/kittens simply do not belong in petstores. Period.

[brandy pup]

That is just it, a RESPONSIBLE BREEDER is totaly 100% responsible for their offspring and will never allow a 3rd party to sell them.

Please take a few minutes to learn about responsible breeding and you will understand more about why pet stores selling animals are so bad.

Learning to breed
http://www.learntobreed.com/

Breeding and Breeder info
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm

How to choose a breeder and puppy
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding.html

ABOUT DOG REGISTRIES
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/kc.htm

http://www.kimtownsend.com/pmregistries.html


USDA
http://www.petshoppuppies.com/how_to_read_your_puppy_report.htm

Petstores
http://www.brandypup.com/petstores/petstoreshome.html

[Chocolatekisses]

I agree, most petstores in my area don't know anything. I was told an Iggy (Italian greyhound) would grow to be about 40lbs by one of the pet store workers. I started laughing and asked if the yorkie would be about 25lbs fully grown, he gave me a dirty look and walked away. It's great that you know something about pets, but not everyone is that way. I agree, a lot of pet store owners know a lot about pets, but the people they hire usually are high schoolers who, just like the rest of us when we were that age, just want the money. Which is understandable, nothing wrong with it. That's why I think it would be great if more stores made people "experts" like staples. You learn one product and other products that directly relate to it so that you can inform the customer. We have a store that only sells fish out here and the people there really know what their talking about. They kinda do things that way as well. I'm not into fish, but my friends that are swear by the place.

[9catsz]

There is no safe, good place to get animals for a pet store.

Boy you sure know your stuff.

[sisco16]

We have bubbys pet store i can say from experience i really dont like it there pet central is nice but knowledgable people but they ask you if they can help you every two seconds like its walmart and then another employee walks up and asks if they can help you its like im just trying to look at the fish and decide leave me alone walmart doesent take care of there fish which is why its fun to chew them out and occaisionally buy a sick betta but i must say ever since we have had a pets supplies plus in are town that is were i go because the people are awesome there they have no bettas though :( I would love to work there you started working there when you were a sophmore im a freshman how old do you have to be do you know im fifteen right know going to be sixteen in august.

[cinnyandsimon]

i don'
t know what standards you have down in the states that the petlands down their abuse the laws to their advantage , but the two petlands that i have lived near in canada are the two best kept pet stores i 've ever been in , all of their animals were clean , handtamed , , well fed , and happy . their fish tanks made me feel terrible about my own system , and my system is good . so may be all you people that have a problem with your petland should say "in my opinion the petland in my town sucks" and not bunch them all together , it seems to me that your country needs more regulation of the pet stores in it . in my opinion .

[Chocolatekisses]

I never mentioned "petland" because we don't have any petlands in my state to my knowledge. Maybe you shouldn't make generalizations about someone else's country. Most of the other posters were talking about petshops, not "petland". Plus, the posters were mentioning the knowledge of the clerks at petshops, not the treatment of their animals.

[brandy pup]

Have you googled petland?

[kitten323]

I dont know about the petland's in other parts of the country, but the Petlands on Long Island are HORRIBLE. All the animals look sick, and the conditions are very dirty. Im talking about a few years back though. I refuse to even step foot in one of those stores. The dog/cat rescue i work at held an adoption day there once this past winter and they swear they will never go back. I really dont like any big chain store (none around here really seem to take care of there animals). Just today i was in Petco and they had these poor lil dwarf hamster.. with a water bottle like 4 inches in the air.. The poor things could barely reach the damn thing standing on its hind legs. And i cant even count the times ive been in there and the ferrets were without food and water. GRRR.. I would much rather visit a mom and pop shop.