I think the problem is with the vendor. Of course PetSmart wants to say they will stand by their vendor, but the best thing would be to sever ties with them.

I support Petsmarts adoption programs--they do amazing things for shelters and rescues. Unfortunately, they do still sell animals too. We have to take the good and try to counter the bad. I would rather support a local company when possible, but I think a lot of rescued animals would suffer if Petsmart weren't there to help.

Just saw the video....very disturbing. Tried calling PetSmart Headqueaters in AR and their NOT answering their phones. Safe to say...they lost my business.

Wow....this is a catch 22. PETA complains just about everything, while PetSmart is a huge chain, overly priced. I could see how smaller animals might just get pushed aside. Would love to hear an update on this matter

Since the allegations are not that Petsmart abused the animals but the alleged actions were at one of their suppliers, the logical thing to do would be to ask Petsmart to sever ties with that supplier. PETA can get way more publicity by asking people to boycott Petsmart though so that is what they are doing. Considering the commitment of Petsmant and Petsmart Charities to pet adoption, and considering the millions of animals that have been adopted due to Petsmart, I for one will not be boycotting them unless it is proved, that they were aware that abuse was occurring and then did nothing.

This abuse has to do with Rainbow World, and maybe even Texas, more than it does with PetSmart.

I tend to take PETA claims with a grain of salt, but from personal experience I know that the critters at Petsmart aren't properly cared for as pets. They tend to be unsocialized and sickly, just from a lack of attention. And I can't blame them, really; employees don't have the time to interact with all the critters daily. Until we quit buying them, Petsmart will keep selling critters.

This article is quite informative and it will certainly influence my shopping patterns for my pets in the future. Petsmart's practices are repulsive, and if found guilty in the case, I think they should be forbidden from selling any live animals.

This is disgusting. That surprises me that PetSmart sells bunnies and other small animals as they are very into dog/cat adoption.

I contacted Petsmart because honestly in my opinon Peta has given wrong information before. Petsmart told me that they were doing their own investigation and that if these accusations were true then they would respond accordingly. So i must say that im going to keep supporting petsmart. they are going to keep me updated. OH and peta supposidly loves animals but i got into a fight with them because they dont support no kill shelters.

Why bother raising these animals if you are going to treat them that way? Couldn't you make the money doing something you actually like? And if you like doing this, you are sick and twisted and need to stay away from ALL living things!

Oh wow, thats really gross. I know sometimes I wonder how the animals are treated in those sorts of places, and I think that sticks in anyones mind when they purchase a pet from a pet store. If you get an abused pet... they really do not turn out to be the best of pets. I know that most cockatiels are not too people friendly at some pet stores, which means that they are not properly socialized. I don't get why anyone would want to hurt animals!

this is so sad. thank goodness for PETA

Oh my!! I hope it isn't true, but I think I'll stay away for a while.

Thanks for getting the word out. I wish more people would adopt pets from animal welfare locations!!

I dont think animals should be sold in stores. Use a shelter people!!!!

Let's see what the judge does next???

PETA files complaint against Central Texas pet supplier over 'pain, suffering' of animals

www.wacotrib.com

PETA files complaint against Central Texas pet supplier over 'pain, suffering' of animals

Thursday, January 24, 2008
By David Doerr

Tribune-Herald staff writer

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans to file criminal and federal complaints against a PetSmart animal supplier based in Hamilton, where an undercover investigator documented several allegations of “unwarranted or unjustified pain or suffering” involving animals, according to the organization.

A PetSmart spokesman describes the Hamilton firm, Rainbow World Exotics, as a “significant supplier” and says PetSmart will fully investigate the allegations.

Between mid-September and mid-November last year, a PETA undercover investigator photographed and video recorded what the group describes in a statement as “routine neglect and flagrant abuse of rabbits, hamsters, birds, and animals” at Rainbow World Exotics in Hamilton, about 70 miles west of Waco.

PETA’s undercover investigation garnered national press coverage on NBC’s “Today Show,” which first broadcast the organization’s alleged evidence of animal abuse.

A video released Wednesday by PETA shows a rabbit being neutered by an employee using a dull razor and Clorox wipes on the animal’s fresh incisions. It also shows an employee stepping on a hamster that had escaped from its container.

Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA’s vice president, said the organization is preparing a formal criminal complaint that it intends to file with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The group has already filed a separate complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, she said.

“(Rainbow) is one of PetSmart’s main suppliers, and it was an easy decision because we had received complaints and had knowledge that animals were suffering there,” she said. “If PetSmart conducts regular and rigorous inspections as it claims it does, it probably knew what was going on and just didn’t think the rest of the world would know.”

Rainbow World Exotics did not return a phone call from the Tribune-Herald seeking comment on the allegations. PetSmart issued a statement Wednesday saying the images and videos documented at Rainbow were “very disturbing.”

However, PetSmart spokesman Bruce Richardson said the company also believes some images shot in the video could have been manipulated or taken out of context.

“I don’t know what those images say,” he told the Tribune-Herald. “Just because you see a dead pet, does that mean there was abuse? No. Pets die, particularly when you are dealing with volume.”

The company is taking the allegations involving the rabbit and the hamster very seriously and is conducting its own investigation, Richardson said. In the meantime, the company believes the pets in its stores are healthy and will continue to purchase animals from Rainbow, he said.

“We hold our vendors to high standards and have high expectations of them,” Richardson said. “We visit their facilities with our vets and our technical team. We will make unannounced visits, which has happened with this particular facility in the past, and we haven’t found any issues to cause us any concern.”

Nachminovitch said PETA is drafting a detailed report of several incidents that organization officials believe constitute criminal conduct, including the stomping of the hamster.

Because Rainbow is a licensed animal breeder, PETA filed a multi-allegation complaint with federal inspectors who enforce the Animal Welfare Act.

The federal complaint alleges Rainbow failed to provide adequate veterinary care and allowed employees to perform surgeries without proper credentials.

The complaint also includes various handling, housing and transporting violation allegations.

Richardson said he wasn’t surprised by PETA’s undercover tactics. The group has engaged in a negative publicity campaign against PetSmart for more than two years after the company refused to accept a request from PETA to stop selling pets, he said.

“They are kind of mob tactics and, of course, we don’t do business that way,” he said. “We don’t take kindly to threats. We have a completely different philosophy from that. They would just as soon that pets were not sold by anybody.”

Nachminovitch said PETA’s position is that massive breeding and sales of animals are unethical and cruel because there’s no way to humanely produce pets by the tens of thousands.

petsmart doesn't sell dogs or cats,I could never figure out why they sell other animals ??????

It is so hard...it seems everywhre you look animals are not being treated right.

just awful...

After reading this, I don't think Petsmart should be selling animals, period. It's great that they don't sell cats and dogs and our local Petsmart stores have shelter animals available at them.I'm sure if someone really wants a bird or small animal they can find one in a rescue, shelter or reputable breeder. Perhaps if these kinds of people did not have an easy market to sell these small animals it might discourage the breeding by disreputable people.

Absolutely horrid. If there was less 'money to be made' by raising/breeding/selling the animals, maybe it would be left to only those that actually care about them to do so. Would be better for the animals.

What an awful story

very sad, but not surprising. big chain stores care about volume and profit. petsmart and petco need to focus on selling pet supplies and promoting pet adoptions from local shelters and rescues. and get out of the business of selling small animals and birds.

I hope for the sake of the animals that PETA was exaggerating the circumstances because they sound terrible. I do wonder exactly how PETA determined animals weren't being properly anesthetized and that the blades used during surgery were dull.

Please BIG!!!!GREEDY corprrations STOP buying and selling animals. You only encourage back yard incest of breeders with no care or compassion for the animals you are encouraging them produce........... SHAME......SHAME.......SHAME

thats sad .. dont understand why they would mistreat animals..

I am still so distraught over this video. I keep thinking about that rabbit I saw with the dull blade. And the birds still ugh. Then a mouse just running around on the floor. The animals just sitting in cages. I just can't stand to see so much inhumanity in our world.

That video was just so sick. I hope petsmart opens their eyes and gets rid of that vendor. They need to just continue selling products and no animals.

People need to think before they buy their loving pets from people like this. Go to a shelter and get a pet. Atleast you will know that they are treated so much better and that would stop all the needless ending of lives for these sweet pets that can't find a home!!

After watching this video oh my god!! No matter what I will not ever go back to petsmart. They lost my business for good. No matter if they admit or do a public apology I am certainly done with them.

I believe that the only method for PetSmart CEO Philip L. Francis to direct his thoughts are to not continue selling animals at its stores and only sell pet products.
From a intelligent perspective, i believe that the most compassionate and honorable venue would be for Mr. Francis to acknowledge their faults, cease buying from these breeder style of sources,if they still feel compelled to sell animals.
And, turn this negative into a positive by reinstating that PetSmart is partially at fault along with this breeder for not being accountable to its consumers.
Look back not too far, you see sweatshops in India that had children making kids clothing for kids by a clothing giant , you look back you also will see lead paint on Mattel products and its CEO public apology.
This is what Mr. Francis should be doing by being accountable even though occurances are from supplier of PetSmart. That is not totally responsible to pass the buck to the supplier and accept no blame themselves as well.
PetSmart logically has among its corporate tentacles someone accountable whose profession remains to look out for the best interests of its consumers, as with the story of the clothing made by children in sweatshops in India, so be it the supplier of cruelty for animals.
Someone at PetSmart needs to be accountable, suck in that belly gut and if anything atleast at a minumum hire animal shelters as agents whom inspect these facilities.
Kindof makes sense, since right now PetSmart is paying someone monies that did not inspect enough of this facility.
By hiring an animal shelter, you already has folks whom care about animals enough to wap up side the head any moron breeder worker whom treats animals like trash.
There you have it, Mr. Francis, a proposition. Get on TV and tell us consumers why we feel ashamed that someone for PetSmart was not doing their job, and never forget the buck stops here.
You may as well, think of yourself as stepping into your consumers shoes once.
Either sell no animals in your stores, or only deal with respectable animal shelters.
Your choice. My money goes elsewhere until i see you on TV or you convince myself very well by your actions.
I only hope that the Dept of Agriculture does its job by enforcing its own laws too.

I dislike petsmart. I truly hope that they will stop selling animals. I have been to several stores and have seen animals suffering due to incorrect care or crowding. Truly a shame.

Hope they get shut down. Pet vendors

This is very sad. I hope things are corrected and better monitored.

We need to stop this backyard breeding whether it be for dogs/cats or birds.... Pet Co/ PetSmart they all use these people. Crulety at its finest.

I think they are taking this very seriously and will make it right. But it will probably happen again, with some other dealer, until Petsmart gets 'smart' and stops selling any animals at all.

How can people be cruel to animals. The few times I have been in Petco, I haven't liked it and prefer to take my business to the other large chain pet store.:)

Bad move on the part of Petsmart.
From a business perspective, until the vendor has been fully investigated, I would cut the sales of the animals or products by the vendor.
Things can change in a heartbeat. Sure anyone can pass an inspection at one point in time but then change of management or anything can cause this unethical change.
I am not a big Petsmart and Petco shopper. Overpriced and now this.

Some one has to keep an eye on the pets and groups that bring them to petsmart to be adopted. We all hope these groups are their for the well being of the animals and to help them but there are some bad apples in all groups that are there for their pocket books and they need to be put out before they do damage to the groups that really are their to help the animals and get them forever homes

It's a terrible thing to even have people mistreat animals for profit. These people will get what is coming to them. Petsmart will need to look more carefully at these breeders.

PetSmart needs to do one or the other...sell pet products or pets. If I were them, I'd stick to the products. With their employee turn over (mostly high school kids looking for part time jobs and a easy paycheck) they need to think twice before handling live animals. They take a lot of care.

I hope this artical get Petsmart's attention. Don't make the pet people mad.

I believe all these places that breed to sell should be closed down. You go into these pets stores and shell out over 1,000 to get a pet that more than likely is inbred. I have known several people who have got these pets and have came down sick. Its is amazing more legislation hasn't went against these businesses.

Petsmart is a good company and they can't watch everything. I believe they will probably start having rescues with other types of pets like they do with dogs and cats which is better anyway.

It sounds like petsmart is doing all it can to stop this. This is one of the perils of "subcontracting" the raising of animals. The
Exotic pet store should be the one that is boycotted.

I believe PetSmart will do the right thing. They are so supportive of animal welfare agencies, I believe they will stop selling any animals -period.

PetSmart should focus more on rescues rather than breeders (they already do with many of their cats and dogs).

It's hard for a store to keep tabs on their suppliers.....maybe they should start their own breeding centers so they do not have to depend on a supplier or vendor. I'm not a PetSmart fan to be honest.

PETA has a good cause but handles it poorly. As for their video, it sickens me. I hope PetSmart learns from this and stops selling animals.

I think Petsmart should rethink who they use as distributors. No animal should be subjected to such cruelty. I don't think it matters that they sell animals. You could still get an abused animal from an individual owner. You never know the true conditions these animals start out in. Therefore, I think it's wrong to be totally against all Petsmart stores.

How sad, I don't buy animals from petsmart