# has anyone ever been to a pet distribution facility



## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

so my co worker was telling me this lovely storry the other day. when you own a pet store like he used to, you are essentially granted access to visit these companys before you buy from them. so he went and traveled to a bunch of different ones. each time he asked if he could bring his camera in which he wasnt allowed. when touring these facilities he watched employees when they were bagging up fish if they dropped one instead of picking it up and putting it back in the tank they would step on them. he said all of their animals are kept in horendous conditions. there were rubbermaid tubs with somewhere around 8 ginnea pigs in each and most had atleast 3 dead ones rotting in them. tanks of aquatic turtles stacked on top of eachother where the couldnt move and the water was black with waste. the entire buildings stunk of dead animals and waste. the fish were probably the best taken care of because they are able to run huge filtration units on them. but they were still overcrowded and plenty of dead fish lying around. it makes me wonder why these places are allowed to do this to these animals and why is there not stronger restrictions? we dont buy any animals except fish from companys like this and i hope it makes people think before doing so. always know where ur animals are comming from. ask the store. im not saying all private breeders are the best but there are certainly a lot who are. and a simple search on the person/company will bring up a whole list of reviews. on a side note i got to listen to my coworker go off on one of these pet companys because they were selling water monitors. these lizards get upwards of 9 FEET AND 200+ LBS!!! the second largeat lizard behind the komoto dragon. i have pitty on what ever ill informed person or child who ends up with these. as if we dont already have enough problems with giant snakes. ahhhh sorry for ranting but it bugs me.


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

This is the thinking of corporate America, Quantity over Quality.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

yeah its sad to think to how the few reptiles they have that are captive bred and whatever mammals they have come from breeders who sold out for money and allow the animals they hatched and raised to be treated this way.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I visited Sun Pet in Atlanta once. Huge place, unfinished concrete, fish tank temperature air. At that time they were the largest freshwater wholesaler in the Southeast US and sell to most of the LFS here and ship via Hatfield, all over, I'm sure. I was actually pretty impressed. Lots of tanks, rubber-maid bins and concrete ponds. Tanks were labeled well. Not overcrowded, clean, few corpses. Water flows continuously in from above with a drop to aerate, and out overflows and gets filtered in a humongous sand, gravel, rock filter similar to what you see at the big commercial aquariums. For packing, air or oxygen lines from the ceiling with gun-type triggers. Stores can tour and buy fish, no one else. No pics. I think they expect hobbyists to freak if they see wholesale prices. But we can shop online and know the score. People there knew fish, but it was very much a fast-paced workplace with an assembly-line feel. Fish in, orders out. 

The only thing that really disturbed me was that the closest thing to 'quarantine' is that they move don't fish around or mix them. Incoming fish go into an empty tank, and are sold until gone and the tank is empty again. But all the water is on the same system. It didn't flow from tank to tank, out-water rides a pipe to the filter before being returned to fish. They likely have a UV sterilizer (I don't remember seeing one), but, even so, this setup really convinced me to start QT. 

I'm sure they do the best they can, after all every dead fish is a loss. But the more of these places a fish goes through, the worse the outcome. Getting fish directly from a breeder is better. 

I understand PetSmart has its own distribution center in IL. Fish you buy from their site or their stores go through there. Since their customers (online customers and company-owned stores) don't go walking though it the way LFSs do a wholesaler's, they don't have the same incentive to keep it nice.

If you are thinking of buying online, ask if you can drop by and look around, it might give you a clue if a place is proud of their setup or not,.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

this unfortunately is how it has been for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure if private stores have to get their animals from these places as well, but I certain all major companies (petco, petsmart) get theirs this way. Its horrible but there is nothing to be done unfortunately. Unless you're PETA, and you want to bomb a building to kill people to save animals...


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Mistreatment of animals always bothers me. These are the things that are going to give PETA ammunition to pass anti-pet laws. But you know they will "compromise" and the big corps with be exempt from rules that will drive the small guy out of business.


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## fishloverzj (May 3, 2010)

Sounds great! You should tell him to visit a veal farm next...


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

Its true and really sad that so many animals are treated that way (honestly im suprised that it is actualy legal, when there are such harsh laws regarding what pet owners do to their pets). The problem is that there are still a lot of people who view animals as possessions and as a result feel they can do what they wish to them

That said there really isnt a whole lot you can do as you will never convince people to boycot the purchase of animals on a large enough scale. Or ever have enough money to be able to afford the type of lawyers you would need to take them to court over it.

lol like Dan said theres always the PETA/Earth First way... but well lol thats just a bit crazy.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

dan3345 said:


> this unfortunately is how it has been for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure if private stores have to get their animals from these places as well, but I certain all major companies (petco, petsmart) get theirs this way. Its horrible but there is nothing to be done unfortunately. Unless you're PETA, and you want to bomb a building to kill people to save animals...


private stores if they want fish pretty much have to go through these companys. unless they want to do lots of small orders all the time to buy from private breeders. but as for buying reptiles and small animals they dont have to at all. there are a lot of private stores that do still order from these companys. but there are plenty who go to reptile shows and buy them from there. but you can still get animals at these shows that are kept in bad conditions. probably not as bad because they have a lot more to lose with each animal that dies. you just have to do some research and make sure u know who your getting them from.


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## fishloverzj (May 3, 2010)

Peta's insane. I know someone whom they wouldn't let join because she had a caged rabbit. So what's that rabbit gonna do in the wild? meet a hawk.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Peta thinks an animal is the moral equivalent of a human, so we should treat them both the same. I think that will happen after we bring back slavery and cannibalism. Think soylent green.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

emc7 said:


> Peta thinks an animal is the moral equivalent of a human, so we should treat them both the same. I think that will happen after we bring back slavery and cannibalism. Think soylent green.


haha the only funny part about that is we treat people like animals all the time (think jail and prison, we throw someone in a tiny cage and feed them improper food that doesn't match dietary requirements and dont get them the natural sunlight they need lol) and actually some do treat animals like people alo it goes both ways because people can certainly take very amazing care of an animal and provide a better safer home than it would have in the wild. see my biggest problem with PETA is yes animal cruelty is bad and it is a major problem in our country that isn't being properly dealt with but on the same hand their comes a point where you are too extreme (like PETA) and because of it you take away your ability to even make a difference so your fight becomes a waste of time. alls i know is somethings gotta give and there needs to be stricter regulations while not taking away the right to own animals. the biggest problem is what can you do really? ive thought about it 100 times. i mean sure you can come down hard on the big companys make them take care of the animals better but it doesn't end there. unfortunately theres just as much of a problem with the people who end up buying them. they get abused neglected and abondoned constantly and you obviously cant check every single persons home all the time to ensure their animals are being taken care of. so what then.... i think at this point i would honestly love to see the pet industry dissapear and i would gladly give up all my animals to see this happen. but the thing is the pet industry isn't going anywhere, its a multi-billion dollar industry and me having my animals isn't going to affect it any what so ever.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I know what you mean. People who treat dogs or cats like their children and dress them up and feed them people food and keep them inside and its completely unhealthy for the animal. You want to just take the pet away and tell them to go foster a human.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

MOST livestock distributors are nothing like what you've described. You might have found one really rotten apple in the bunch, but most of these places actually do things very well. It is not an easy thing to do, either, and that's really the primary reason they disallow cameras--> they don't want the competition figuring out how they solved any particular vexing problems. Just shaving a few cents' loss here and there can really add up to big bucks, and the pet industry is the most brutally cutthroat thing you have EVER imagined, so keeping your secrets to yourself can mean the difference between survival and failure.
Stepping on the fish is bad, yes, but it's a quality control thing. Do you want to buy a fish that's been dropped four feet on it's head? Think of the germs and fungus on the floor.. do you wanna dump that back into the tank? The sacrifice of one can save hundreds.


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## fishloverzj (May 3, 2010)

emc7 said:


> peta thinks an animal is the moral equivalent of a human, so we should treat them both the same. I think that will happen after we bring back slavery and cannibalism. Think soylent green.


lol.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

The thing that all of these anti pet groups overlook is that making the possession of animals illegal, there would be a black market leading to more devastation to the animal populations.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

funlad3 said:


> The thing that all of these anti pet groups overlook is that making the possession of animals illegal, there would be a black market leading to more devastation to the animal populations.


I want to give the author of this post a gold medal. On another note, Revo you are absolutely right in that because PETA is so insane in public and in private, that now no-one in there right mind will be seen or compared to them. For instance, and forgive me I cannot remember which senator it was. But there was a news story where some US senator was asked by PETA to support a law that they had helped right up which while I do not know the details I know it was extreme. So long story the short the senator just blatantly said no he would not support the law because he did not want his political record being slandered by PETA's shenanigans.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

PETA is insane... I had a friend considering applying to a local chapter to work on graphic design for them, but if she did, she would have to give up eating meat. I'm just curious, is there some sort of illegality to that, as in suppressing your Constitutional rights? 

They also advocate vegetarian diets for dogs (which can be done) AND cats (which can't.) Well, technically it can, they just say to use a plethora of supplements and pills to make up for the things cats would get in meat. Somehow, that sounds more abusive (considering getting my cat to take ANY pills/antibiotics is a major production) than giving them meat-based food, considering that left to their own devices, they would freakin be eating mice and birds, which are, whaddya know, MEAT?! 

They are seriously delusional folks. I've watched some of their videos about animal slaughter and such, and all I've gotten out of them is that they manage to find the exception in those cases, not to mention more than half the footage from those is probably from foreign countries. And I'm still eating meat, even though I love animals. You wouldn't catch me doing some of the inhumane things that say, people in Asia do like eat monkey brains from a still alive monkey or keep a fish alive through cooking so you're spearing its flesh while it's still gulping. Sorry, I just believe there are some animals that God created to be consumed by humans (dead and cooked, of course).


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I don't think meat-eaters are a protected class. How would they know? Poop inspections? They can probably make that a condition of employment. Maybe you could make a case for religious consumption of meat. The whole "this is my flesh, eat...." thing. Employers can make women wear makeup, unless they aren't allowed by their religion. Specify hair style and beardless, again unless your religion conflicts. Height requirement are out, but you can specify weight and reach. They can require vaccinations, even access to your cell phone.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

PETA is kind of a scam, to put it simply. While it's members have a reputation for being authentic whackos, the fact is that the organization itself exists for only one reason, and that is to rake in gobs of cash. The financial statement that it has to release every year plainly shows that only one dollar out of every THOUSAND it takes in from softheaded suckers ever gets spent on anything remotely akin to animal well-being. The rest just goes toward more fundraising and the padding of their own pockets.
Most folks have figured this out, and consider PETA a joke if not a bunch of crooks, but I should mention that there is absolutely nothing illegal about this, so "scam" isn't really a good word to use.
The reason they go to such lengths to be annoying is that they are trying to trick more suckers into thinking that they actually accomplish things sometimes. This makes them dangerous despite themselves, and not to be taken too lightly.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

lol what is the last thing PETA has even done to help anything? besides protesting hahaha


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I'm not sure they've ever actually done anything useful, but it might have happened. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on it.


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## jpeterson (Dec 6, 2010)

This kinda fits in... I used to breed and show guinea pigs a year ago and i was at a show once and got asked by the owner of Burgess Pet Foods if i would be willing be the main tester of his guinea pig food by feeding it to my guinea pigs and giving detailed feed back. This meant I got free food for the pigs all the time just for writing a document with detailed feedback about the food. HUGE pallets used to arrive full with food for the pigs, it was great

Anyway, he asked me to go down to the plant to see how everything worked and so on. It was great watching the process happening and stuff, I have pictures ill upload for you when I get home(at work atm).


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

LAFishguy (on you tube) has some video of himself walking through one in episode ?59? part ?2? I'll know for sure later.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

Episode 58 part two. Sorry.


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