Choosing Pets Wisely by Lisa Lind

 

 

A parent walks into a pet store with a child who has nagged, pleaded and whined about getting a pet until the parent has given in. The parent does not really want the child to have a pet but will buy him one to keep him happy and occupied. It takes seconds for an associate to zero in on the parent and child. With a smile on his face, he strolls over to the unsuspecting adult.

 

 “Can I help you?”

 

 “My kid wants a pet,” is the response.

 

While the two adults converse, the hunt is on! The child runs amok up and down the aisles, searching, investigating and checking out all of the animals. After locating the one he wants, the child returns to the parent and associate, then stands there impatiently, waiting for his chance to blurt out, “I found the pet I want.”

 

The associate and parent follow the child to a row of cages holding the poor, unsuspecting animals. The child has chosen a savannah monitor, the cousin to the Komodo dragon. The fact that it is a monitor should be a dead giveaway to the parent, who just turns to the associate and says,” He wants that one.” 

 

So the associate, seeing dollar signs in his/her eyes and thinking, “sucker” in his mind, sets about pulling things off the shelf that he tells the parent is necessary for the animal's care and well-being.

 

It just rips my guts apart that pet store owners and the associates who work for them sell a wide variety of normal together with exotic pets to anyone who wants one without complete instruction on how to properly care for the animal. Also, the associate neglects to inform customers of the items necessary to help the animal thrive in the hands of the uninformed child and parent because they want bragging rights as to how much money they made off the customer. Associates of pet stores are instructed not to spend too much time with one customer, just make the sales and move on to the next unsuspecting person.     

 

Three to four hundred dollars later, a five-minute talk on the do’s and don’ts of caring for the animal, the customers leave the store. After loading the car, they make their way home with the newly acquired pet. Little do they suspect that they were not told the whole truth about the temperament, care and proper setting up of the animal’s habitat. Nor were they told the consequences of what would happen if the animal is only fed, watered, the cage cleaned, but the animal is not held on a daily basis as it grows. 

 

Since this is the modern age of computers and web browsing, it would be easy to learn what one would like on the internet. The pet store assumes that if one really wants to learn more about how to care for her new pet properly, one will do the research herself. With little time on their hands, the parents leave the research up to the child, who is more interested in parading his friends through his room, showing off the newly acquired pet. This leaves the pet solely at the mercy of the child who can’t properly care for it. The child is at the mercy of the pet, which, without handling, is growing up wild. 

 

I would like to conclude that if the parents are seriously contemplating on getting the child a pet, they first sit the child down and discuss what kind of pet is best for the child and if the pet chosen is appropriate for the age of the child. Second, the parent checks out some local library book and/or gets online and does research ahead of time on the animal the child has decided she would like, visit several pet stores and ask questions. Basic care, habitat setup, proper handling, and so on of the animal chosen should be the main focus. Third and foremost, the parent sets a price amount to spend, leaving little room for extras that are truly not needed. So once at the local pet store, the parent and child will have a much easier time picking out a suitable pet and buying the things that will make the pet happy and help it thrive in the hands of the child.