Be responsible PetsMore, stop selling puppies!

Dear Management Team,

As Malaysia's largest pet shop chain, PetsMore have a responsibility to both animals and customers to provide accurate pet care advice and encourage responsible pet ownership.

Customers should be able to buy from PetsMore in complete confidence. But recent investigations into the puppies on offer at PetsMore outlets shows dogs kept in cramped conditions -some of which have been in the shops for over one year and are showing clear signs of behavioural problems including severe stereotyping (repetitive movements used by the animal to cope with stress and/or boredom)as well as undisclosed health problems.

As most responsible dog owners know, a puppy’s experiences in the first few weeks and months after leaving his mother greatly influence the health and behaviour of the adult he becomes. Puppies bought from pet stores show much higher incidence of long term behavioural and/or health problems and as a result many end up in animal shelters when their owners can no longer cope. This hardly seems like a way to foster “loving relationships between pets and owners” as stated in the company philosophy.

However, a second, darker issue blights the reputation of PetsMore, and that is their flat out refusal to tell us anything about the dogs we showed interest in buying. Responsible owners should be encouraged to find out information about a dog’s origins, parentage and breeder reputation before purchasing a dog. PetsMore staff, whether at head office or on the shop floor were active in withholding this information from potential customers. We were informed that only after purchasing a puppy would we be allowed to see the puppy’s details which are kept at head office and not in the shop itself.  This is not the behaviour of a company that holds “education” as a primary value.

At this point we would also note that no responsible breeder would ever sell their puppies to a pet store, where they are sold indiscriminately to anyone who walks through the door. Responsible breeders love and care for their puppies and put a lot of time and effort into breeding and raising top quality dogs. Responsible breeders maintain a lifelong link with their customers and are happy to answer questions both before and after the sale of their dogs.

If all of these issues are not enough to make PetsMore consider stopping the sale of puppies, then how about the death sentence that indescriminate and prolific breeding of dogs placing on those in animal shelters? As suggested by the slogan "don't breed or buy while shelter animals die" -the sale of puppies at PetsMore makes for direct competition for stray and abandoned animals seeking homes. Surely a company that starts it's mission statement with "Every living being in this world has a precious life..." would rather promote and encourage customers to adopt dogs from a shelter?

In summary, we would encourage PetsMore to put welfare first and profit second by following the example of world leading companies like Pets at Home and Macerich which have banned the sale of puppies (and in Macerich’s case all live animals) across hundreds of stores in the USA and United Kingdom. By taking action to stop selling puppies at the earliest opportunity, Petsmore can send a powerful message to pet owners that the welfare of animals must always come first, whilst leading the way for a more welfare conscious Malaysia!