Pet shops? I refuse!

Under those neon lights, a life?

Like those fruits shipped too early on boats where they finish ripening before reaching the stalls, Tao was quickly ripped from his mother, barely weaned. Thrown in a plastic crate and stacked in a van, he was transported in the cold on the roads of Europe to end up being negotiated over in a yard of a pet shop in France. Tao is a Spitz, poor little thing from Poland, who is not a beautiful dog but his eyes shed a tear: it's ideal. What of his papers, his health? In a pet shop, we will not always talk about lineage, family, care. If the "product" is enticing, you will even get best price for this little being, who is already damaged. But if Tao does not please everyone in his first few months, who knows what will happen become of him: recycled perhaps, like the others who are unsold? How do you say, putdown?

Tao

Attention, dangers ...

Christmas is a dream period for pet shops. So many parents want a small living being which is so cute and fluffy at the foot of the Christmas tree to delight their children. It's so convenient to go shopping, like in the toy department, and say, "Oh, I want that one! ", when coming across a sad looking ball of fur nestled in the synthetic straw... But finally, choosing a companion should not be as mechanical and cold as buying a beautifully packaged item! We are campaigning so that this type of trade, which is so easy, does not become a permanent feature...Yet this is the case, while so many animals are stray and exposed to diseases, mistreated or subjected to a systematic euthanasia program! 

The refusal of pet shops is for One Voice a matter of principle. On the one hand, because all our partner shelters are overflowing with cats and dogs just waiting to be welcomed to a new home. Here at the shelters, they will not cost thousands of euros, they have been examined, treated, sterilized and everything will be explained as to their origins, with nothing to hide. Having already unravelled several illegal trafficking operations, we now know the living conditions, from birth to resale, animals are the victims here.

A juicy scandal

Yes, several shameful providers supply these young lives to these licensed sales, which are so badly regulated. The exact origin, certificates, history health? Labelled as offering companionship and indeed often at exorbitant prices, inaccurate information concerning essential points about who you will be sharing your life with. In pet shops, you don’t have to be so demanding... The pet market is such (almost 5 billion euros a year in France), including materials, toys and of course the food, the purchase of these animals is decisive and all for profit...

Refuse with us!

On the point of these sales, One Voice tracks the excesses of this juicy trade. And we have to say enough is enough, I refuse! Yes, I refuse to be a customer who feeds the system which exploits these canine mothers from past or future tragedies. The commercial life behind the shop window is unthinkable in regards to nature. In shelters, you will be carefully guided to a suitable future companion and not to go and buy a stuffed toy, with other stocks arriving soon... We fight for a truly protective status of animals, we investigate pet shops, perform legal actions and also rescues, fight against small ads and the real scammers. How then can they end up being nothing less than supermarket products? Help us defend them, starting by saying, you too: I refuse!

Pictures: Jo-Anne McArthur/One Voice