Urge PetSmart to Discontinue Rabbit Sales and Promote Rescue Group Adoption- Posted August 2007
Urge PetSmart to Discontinue Rabbit Sales and Promote Rescue Group Adoptions
(Forwarded for the House Rabbit Society) Also see news article below about PetSmart's decision to start selling rabbits in test market as of July. Please let PetSmart know that you are unhappy with their decision to sell rabbits in their stores, rather than reach out to more rabbit rescue groups to expand their rabbit adoption programs. Please send PetSmart a polite letter or email, or give them a call to let them know of your concerns, via the contact information below: Email: http://www.petsmart.com/global/customerservice/contactUsForm.jsp or corpcommunications@ssg.petsmart.com Phone: (800) 738-1385 Fax: (623) 580-6502 Snail mail: PetSmart, Inc. 19601 North 27th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85027 You may also want to remind them that Philip Francis, Chairman and CEO of PetSmart, said in a July 1, 2000, interview with Allbusiness.com that "We try to stay on the side of angels with all animals. We do not sell certain animals for specific reasons." The article then goes on to note that "Rabbits are also taboo. Six weeks before the Easter holiday bunnies become popular pet purchases, but 10 days later the majority of them wind up in shelters. For this reason, PETsMART will not sell rabbits, but it will carry rabbit food and supplies." For more information, go to http://www.rabbit.org/hrs-info/petsmart2007.html Article from Arizona Republic: Hare-raising complaints: PetSmart Creates Stir with Animal Groups Sara Murray The Arizona Republic Aug. 6, 2007 04:55 PM PetSmart Inc. has begun breeding and test selling dwarf rabbits in a handful of stores nationwide - including in Arizona - and the move isn't sitting well with animal-adoption groups. Shelters and other rescue agencies are threatening to end their partnerships with the Phoenix-based company because they say the retailer is contributing to the overpopulation of the furry critters and reneging on a previously made commitment not to sell certain pets, including kittens, puppies and rabbits. "It's sort of a personal slap in the face," said Margo DeMello, administrative director of the House Rabbit Society's Albuquerque chapter. "They've always been the good guys in terms of the large retailers." Other large retailers, including Petco, already sell rabbits. PetSmart, however, historically has limited its sales to small pets, such as fish and hamsters. The company, which for years has worked with rescue groups to adopt out puppies and kittens and the like, said this week that, despite the new rabbit policy, it has no plans to sell dogs or cats. Millions of those animals are surrendered to shelters and euthanized each year, but statistics on bunnies are harder to come by. "We certainly don't doubt that there are rabbits in shelters that need homes," PetSmart spokeswoman Jennifer Ericsson said. "But we also know that there are people seeking pets that have been bred and want to have that pet from the start," she said. Test program Rabbit sales began the week of July 9 and are taking place in 25 stores nationwide. That number could expand to a maximum of 40 stores, Ericsson said. During the test phase, the company will gauge community interest, community feedback and overpopulation concerns before deciding whether to make the sales permanent. The company has declined to say how long the test program will last or which stores are involved, but at least one local store, the PetSmart at 7290 W. Bell Road in Glendale, already is selling the fuzzy creatures. On a recent weekday, the store display of roughly a half-dozen bunnies was met mostly with coos and cries of "Daddy, can I have one?" But at least one customer said she was disappointed in the store's decision to sell the animals. "I was hoping they would be more controlled about what they sell in there," said Glendale resident Debbie Thompson. "They're cute and cuddly, but you have to be a responsible pet owner." PetSmart is selling the rabbits for $99.99, hoping the price will deter impulse buyers, according to the company's Web site. In addition, all the animals are spayed and neutered. The retailer also is allowing customers to return the pets within 14 days, and it plans to suspend rabbit sales in the two weeks leading up to Easter. But DeMello said the safeguards are inadequate and she fears that many animals will end up being surrendered to shelters, where they face an uncertain future. Backlash Other animal-rescue groups echo her concerns. The Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue, for example, already has suspended its adoptions with PetSmart. The company says it won't reinstitute its partnership with the retailer until the company stops selling the animals. "A lot of the rescue community feels that rabbits are the beginning," said Erika Smith Royal, president and founder of the Scottsdale-based rescue group. "Once they start with rabbits, it's only logical that kittens and puppies will follow." Ericsson, however, says the company has no such plans. Nationwide 6 million to 8 million cats and dogs enter shelters each year, and about 3 million to 4 million are euthanized, according to Humane Society estimates. The Arizona Humane Society alone euthanized 29,557 animals last year. Animal-activist groups cite rabbits as the third-most surrendered pet, but most shelters lump rabbits in with other animals for record-keeping purposes, which can lead to unreliable data. PetSmart, however, says that the number of rabbit surrenders is very small compared with canines and felines. According to the company's own adoption data, only 2,000 bunnies have been adopted from PetSmart stores in the last two years. That's out of more than 730,000 adoptions. And Ericsson believes it would be shortsighted of rescue agencies to suspend their adoptions at local PetSmart stores because of the new policy. "I would think it's unfortunate on their part, and (on the) part of the animals if they kind of cut off one extension of their ability to adopt out pets," she said. DeMello, said she expects many House Rabbit Society chapters to cease doing business with local PetSmarts, but said it's a tough decision. "Do we continue to avail (the animals) to the local store that's been helpful to us?" she asked. "(Or) do you want to send a larger message to the corporation?" Reach the reporter at sara.murray@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8764. ###
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