Are pet stores ethical?

[wildr0se2]

My friend and I went to a pet store and they had goats and roosters outside. I pet and fed the goats, because I wanted to do an act of kindness and make them happy.

But I am wondering if it’s vegan. I know zoos aren’t ethical, just wasn’t sure about pet stores. My friend tried to explain that the people there are passionate and animals are captive bred, and that if they were to go back to the wild, they’d die, so captivity is all they know. I wasn’t sure whether to agree or counter that.

 

[shyvas]

My friend and I went to a pet store and they had goats and roosters outside. I pet and fed the goats, because I wanted to do an act of kindness and make them happy.

But I am wondering if it’s vegan. I know zoos aren’t ethical, just wasn’t sure about pet stores. My friend tried to explain that the people there are passionate and animals are captive bred, and that if they were to go back to the wild, they’d die, so captivity is all they know. I wasn’t sure whether to agree or counter that.

That's the reason why animal sanctuaries exist. Shops that sell pets are not ethical. They simply exploit and sell unwanted animals.

 

[Second Summer]

My friend tried to explain that the people there are passionate and animals are captive bread, and that if they were to go back to the wild, they’d die, so captivity is all they know. I wasn’t sure whether to agree or counter that.

The animals at the pet store wouldn't exist in the first place if humans weren't breeding them. That's where the problem starts. We're basically creating these animals who are dependent on humans for survival, and then make a profit from it. That seems intuitively unethical to me, but you can probably analyse the scenario in greater detail and make a more convincing case.

 

[wildr0se2]

Well now I feel guilty for feeding the goats. Ugh, if I had known.

 

[Second Summer]

Well now I feel guilty for feeding the goats. Ugh, if I had known.

Oh, I wouldn't feel guilty about that! You were neither breeding animals nor making a profit, just acting out of kindness.

 

[wildr0se2]

Oh, I wouldn't feel guilty about that! You were neither breeding animals nor making a profit, just acting out of kindness.

Thank you. My friend did buy 1.00 food there for me to feed them with, so I hope that wasn’t me making a profit.

 

[Second Summer]

Thank you. My friend did buy 1.00 food there for me to feed them with, so I hope that wasn’t me making a profit.

Ah, I suppose that does help the shop make a profit. But strictly speaking, perhaps the "karma" would be on your friend since they paid, and $1 is a drop in the ocean. Another time, though, perhaps you'd go to a sanctuary instead.

 

[Tom L.]

My friend and I went to a pet store and they had goats and roosters outside. I pet and fed the goats, because I wanted to do an act of kindness and make them happy.

But I am wondering if it’s vegan. I know zoos aren’t ethical, just wasn’t sure about pet stores. My friend tried to explain that the people there are passionate and animals are captive bred, and that if they were to go back to the wild, they’d die, so captivity is all they know. I wasn’t sure whether to agree or counter that.

Some zoos do good work by breeding animals who are critically endangered in the wild. If the animals are happy and well-cared-for, and if at least some of the people seeing them up close start realizing that animals are feeling, thinking beings who deserve to be treated well, then even the ones who aren't endangered could benefit.

Having said that... it's worth noting that my above statement has TWO. BIG. "IF"s.

I won't buy any animal from a pet store, because much as I love animals, the responsibility of caring for one gives me pause- and I don't want that responsibility unless the animal theirself is going to benefit. So I just take in those who already exist. People are different about this: I know a couple who adopted an adult Dalmatian from a shelter who turned out to be a handful, although she was sweet. After this dog passed away a number of years later, they bought a black lab from a breeder as a pup, training him from the beginning.

If (there's another "if") someone has already decided they don't want to adopt from a shelter, and don't dump the animal they bought, who was effectively bred for them... maybe they're not exactly making the homeless pet problem any worse. But it's not for me. In addition to this, I don't see animals as commodities or possessions in the first place.

 

[silva]

There are pet stores that sell animals, and others that work with rescue groups and fosters and sell supplies.
I worked with a rescue and would take some cats on weekends to show. They vetted everyone, and all cats were adopted with vaccinations and either fixed or a mandated date if too young. They kept records. Now none go out without being chipped

 

[wildr0se2]

There are pet stores that sell animals, and others that work with rescue groups and fosters and sell supplies.
I worked with a rescue and would take some cats on weekends to show. They vetted everyone, and all cats were adopted with vaccinations and either fixed or a mandated date if too young. They kept records. Now none go out without being chipped

i'm glad you worked with a rescue. it sounds like it was a great experience for you!

Now, are vegans allowed to adopt from animal shelters, or are they like pet stores? I have a cat I got from my uncle years ago. I don't think he was a rescue nor am I sure of where he was prior to living with my uncle.

 

[Tom L.]

@wildr0se2 I'm pretty sure most vegans are okay with adopting an animal from a shelter. Shelters frequently even have vegan animals you can adopt. I adopted my hamster Dory; my rabbits Sony, Hans, and Franz; and my gerbils Mama, Leia, Jitterbug, Jaime, and Lindsay from local shelters. Alternatively, there are specialty rescue groups (such as the House Rabbit Society) from whom someone can adopt animals.

 

[Kathy Lauren]

There are plenty of pet stores that sell food, toys, and similar products so that humans can properly care for their pets. This is a necessary and ethical activity. One near us collects donations for rescue groups, and sometimes displays rescued animals that are available for adoption from those groups.

I do not like pet stores that sell animals. That is exploitation, and I do not consider that ethical. The animals are bought from breeders, or, in the case of exotic animals, are sometimes obtained from people who capture them in the wild.

We have four cats, three of them rescued from feral colonies, and one rescued from being a stray.

 

[shyvas]

@wildr0se2 I'm pretty sure most vegans are okay with adopting an animal from a shelter. Shelters frequently even have vegan animals you can adopt. I adopted my hamster Dory; my rabbits Sony, Hans, and Franz; and my gerbils Mama, Leia, Jitterbug, Jaime, and Lindsay from local shelters. Alternatively, there are specialty rescue groups (such as the House Rabbit Society) from whom someone can adopt animals.

Indeed! All of my friends' dogs come from rescues that are abroad; mainly Romania, Hungary and Bosnia. One pal has 9 dogs, another has 7 and they dogs are all so very happy.