PET STORES

Let me predict what will happen if pressure is put on pet stores not to carry dogs. Pet stores will go out of business. Now, people who have had bad experiences with sick dogs will say, “Great, that’s what they deserve,” but where will an 8-year-old get his first parakeet? As urbanization grows, where is a 6-year-old going to see her first frog? Pet stores act like zoos to a vast population.

Why don’t they quit carrying dogs? This is obviously the simplest answer: economics. The rent in most malls is exorbitant. Dogs are the biggest-ticket item. As a pet store owner, I decided years ago not to sell dogs. When asked why by customers, I say, “The quality of the animal I can purchase isn’t the quality I would want to sell.” I tell people to go to dog shows, see the best of breed, ask questions. The newspaper is full of dogs for sale, and you get to see the parents at the same time. Also, as long as there are animals in shelters, people should go there first. I’m afraid this falls on deaf ears. After all, it takes away the fun of bringing home a cute puppy.

LYNNE ABBOTT, Hawthorne