Where Does PetSmart get their Animals?

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As Immanuel Kant said and quotes, “We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment towards animals.” Read more Where Does PetSmart get their Animals?

PetSmart and establishment over the years: 

Before we understand the working of PetSmart, let us first gain some knowledge about what PetSmart is all about. PetSmart is an American Private Chain of pet stores which not only sells pet products, services but also small pets. It is a retail industry that was established on August 14, 1986, in Phoenix, Arizona of the United States America, 38 years ago. It is one of the leading pet companies in Northern America which have branched out to provide dog daycare, grooming, dog and cat boarding, and dog training. The private company has also offered dog, and cat adoption centers facilitated itself. 

It was founded by Jim and Janice Dougherty under the former name of PetFood Warehouse, which only provided pet food in bulk under discounts. The name of the company was changed to PetSmart by the new leadership that took over the company in the year 1989. It was during this time that they started expanding slowly into the other states as well and introduced other services as well. The private company went into public through the IPO in the year 1993. 

By the year 2002, the company turned its losses into profit and had fully integrated stores. The company again changed its name in the year 2005 to PetSmart. Over the years, PetSmart has undergone various changes and has managed to keep a good name for itself for a long period. The company now has its stores in over 1600 places in The United States of America itself and many more in other countries as well. Though their expansion has spread wide and long, their headquarters are still in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Where does PetSmart get their animals? 

Now that we have understood the main idea of the company, let us dive into the question. Various sources say that PetSmart gets its animals from breeding mills to animal shelters. The place from where the animals come mainly depends on what type of animal a customer buys from the store. 

Let us understand what kinds of animals are available in this pet store. The most common animals that one can find in PetSmart are domestic cats and dogs. Apart from these two species, the store also has small animals and reptiles such as guinea pigs, mice, and rats, certain kinds of geckos, bearded dragons, specific kinds of birds, frogs, and even specific kinds of snakes. 

Now that we are aware of what kind of animals PetSmart gives let us understand the answer to the main question which is “Where does PetSmart get their animals?” Many different animals come from various sources to the main organization of PetSmart. 

  • Fishes in PetSmart: PetSmart gets its fish mostly from fish vendors. These are different business places that supply different kinds of breeds of fish to companies like PetSmart. These business places usually import them from breeders. The leading supplier of fish to PetSmart is Fish Mart. 
  • PetSmart and their reptiles: Reptiles by Mack have been one of the oldest partners of PetSmart when it comes to getting reptiles for their company. The company has been running since 1985. It has been supplying crested geckos, corn snakes, king snakes, ball pythons, leopard geckos, bearded dragons, milk snakes, etc. Companies like Reptiles by Mack grow these reptiles from a young age and when they are strong and old enough they will be transported to places like PetSmart. 
  • PetSmart and their birds: PetSmart gets their birds from the Kaytee Preferred Birds Program who gets their birds from purchasing from well-known mass breeders that they know. The Kaytee Preferred Birds Program raises the birds with a healthy diet to help them become strong and then through the contract, they share with Pet Smart the birds are given away so that they can be bought by customers.
  • Small animals in PetSmart: PetSmart is known to have small animals with them such as guinea pigs, hamsters, etc. The source of these animals to PetSmart has been very skeptical and concerning while some believe that these small animals come from ethical breeders there have been various claims that these animals come from animal mills that are more focused on the number of small animals than their quality and are abused and ill-treated in these mills. 

While the rest of the animals have some kind of source that needs to be searched and looked upon before buying any of the animals, birds, reptiles; cats, and dogs that one buys from PetSmart all come from different adoption centers with which PetSmart has collaborated with. 

Concerns regarding PetSmart

There are several sources and sites which state that PetSmart gets its animals from inhumane animal mills, unethical breeders and there have been several cases of PETA questioning this organization. There have been several instances that have been reported of the animals not being healthy enough and being abused before they were bought by customers from PetSmart. Hence it is always recommended to adopt animals rather than buying them. 

Conclusion

To conclude as Haile Sellaise once said and quotes “It is much easier to show compassion towards animals because they can never be wicked” While no human being can live alone and will always need a companion whether it’s another human being or any kind of domestic animal, it is always important to see from where one gets their best friend home. We human beings need to learn to be more caring and responsible not just for other human beings but also for animals and nature that is around us. 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

  1. What are animal breeding mills? 

Animal breeding mills are farms that make sure that animals reproduce extensively without any kind of administer towards ethics, care, and health and are often just for the sake of profit. 

  1. Is it safe to buy animals from PetSmart? 

PetSmart is a well-known organization and therefore it can be said that it is safe to buy animals but it is also important to do one’s research of everything before taking the final decision. 

  1. Which animal should I buy from PetSmart? 

It is always important first to see which animal the pet parent is comfortable is first. They have to look into their income, finances, environmental setting, and space and will have to take up the responsibility of the well-being of the pet before they decide which animal they are going to buy. 

Where Does PetSmart get their Animals?

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