This just makes my skin crawl

[TinyTimneh]

srry about the ranting about to follow guys but i just... argh... it's despicable.

 

here's the scenario: last week, out in a surburban area not far from where my grandparents live and I waltzed into a mall, needing bird food. Now, there's always been a pet store in this mall that even as a child made my skin crawl. It's just overcrowded, dirty and a lot of the poor critters within are obviously sick and/ or unhappy. I thought maybe, nearly a decade later, it might've changed.... long story short, it hasn't. It's just as foul-smelling and saddening as it was ten years ago. Only difference is, then I was a little girl with no money to spend, now I am not.

I went in and did my rounds to check up on all the animals (habit, I do it at every pet store I go to), the fish weren't too bad, the critters were sad (nearly a foot long guinea pig in a foot wide plexiglass octagon for example) dogs and cats were packed and crowded, cage stacked upon cage. The whole store's just dingy. BUT THE BIRDS... ugh. Every bird in the place, regardless of species, was put into those 'vision' budgie cages with at least one other bird. All were quiet with ruffled feathers and some with obvious sores (one finch's back was practically naked). Except for this little male tiel who was just singing his heart out and dancing away all by his lonesome. He came over to me when I walked by and we had a little whistling match for a bit and I really, really wanted to save him and get him out of there... but I can't. I do not have time, money or space for another fid and with the sanitary issues that would mean some major strict quarantine and some major possible vet bills. I just hate these scenarios.

[TinyTimneh]

to continue guys, the reason i'm bringing this up is many of you will say call the SPCA or something...

the kicker is.. I can't. Even if I did, nothing will get done. I live in a country with a 115-year old anti-cruelty law that is woefully ineffective and to further complicate the problem the province in which I reside is especially lax and thus a haven for puppy mills and such. The local SPCA technically can go after these horrible people... but never does due to a lack of manpower and budgeting.

To give you a scenario.. out west in (alberta i think) some years ago, a man tied a dog to a tree and beat him to death with a bat. because the vet found the dog died instantly after the first blow, and thus 'did not suffer', the horrible person walked. no charge, no nothing. Anti-cruelty is a joke in this country... especially in this province... i believe only something like 1% of anti-cruelty cases get 'resolved' in this country....

[darth_mint]

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

- Mahatma Gandhi

 

If that shop were selling electronics or textiles or anything other than living animals, I bet their goods would be looked after better. Heck, there are people who look after their wardrobes and their cars better than they look after their pets.