Petco Reviews

By 4:00, I had not heard from her so I drove back to the store. My dog was still in the cage that she'd been in for 6 1/2 hours since 9:30 that morning with no water and had not been taken out to go to the bathroom. When I confronted Roxanne about this and asked to speak to Nora, I was told Nora was at lunch. I couldn't believe my ears. I waited for Nora to return and asked her why she hadn't called to let me know the dog wouldn't be ready by 5:00. She denied ever speaking to me, was surly and rude, and never offered an explanation or apology. I removed my dog from the premises and will never bring her back there.

Well, it turns out the hamster we had purchased ended up with this problem. We brought her to our vets, and the vet told us the hamster had been sick well before we brought him home. I looked online about 'wet tail', and they say it is from stress but can come from weaning the baby hamster from the mother well before it should have been. We had gone to the mall earlier, and they had nursing hamsters that were not for sale. Petco is selling sick hamsters and they know it. I will be reporting this anywhere I can and what to be able to stop this. They have taken people's money knowingly selling sick hamsters. Not only did it cost me for the hamster, but the vet bills, the hamster supplies and the heartache of my nephew who may lose this hamster.

Jackie ignored me and kept walking. The younger store employee apologized for her behavior and informed me that it was Jackie, and that she would assist me after answering the telephone. I replied thank you to the younger employee and waited patiently by the service desk for Jackie to finish her telephone conversation. After about 5 minutes, she was off the telephone and walked over to the fluorescent aquarium lights; examined one of them; and then returned to the telephone. I still waited patiently for another 3 minutes while she finalized her telephone conversation. After Jackie hung up the telephone, I asked her whether she was ready to help me with my aquarium department request. As I was asking her this, an older white man (along with his young son) walked within the store carrying a dead fish within a bag.

Jackie rudely ignored me as if I nor the other 2 black people (a black man and a young black lady) wasn't standing there and immediately serviced the white guy. I then became very upset and loudly informed her that, "I know that you aren't going to ignore me and the other 2 black people that have been standing around patiently waiting for you or anyone's service for the past 15 minutes to serve someone that just walked through the door." Jackie then looked at me and rudely said, "He's just returning a dead fish." I then returned to the service desk and asked the clerk to speak with a manager or to issue me a store complaint form.

The store clerk handed me a blank sheet of paper informing me that I could write my name down and someone would contact me. I informed her that I would look up the company headquarters on the internet and issue a formal complaint, in which I am doing at the moment. Prior to this evening, I had been a loyal customer of PETCO and have spent on the average of approximately $200.00 monthly within the store in aquarium fish and supplies. This evening was not my first experience with Jackie, who I think is a closet racist. I have observed within the past year since I have started shopping at this location how she would act so rudely to black customers; barely attend to their questions; and would spend minutes in conversation with visiting white customers who would pretty much not purchase anything but would just window shop while the black customers like myself, who receive poor service, would make purchases in spite of Jackie's rude, racist behavior probably out of store convenience.

After my experience this evening, I will never ever shop or contribute my hard earned money to any PETCO location again! I work too hard to finance the salary of an obvious racist or someone that delivers poor customer service like Jackie!

I went back to the Union Petco and spoke to ** (he is the associate that sold me Baby) and asked him if he knew what MBD was. He told me that it is related to the UV lighting. This is where I started to get really concerned because on the day I bought Baby, ** sold me the Zilla Deluxe Bearded Dragon Kit, which comes with the UV light. So I asked myself why I would be having problems with the UV light from a kit made specifically for Bearded Dragons. I did not want to buy the Zilla Bearded Dragon kit. I wanted to buy each item separately to save upfront costs. However, ** insisted that I buy this kit because it will save me money in the long run and that this kit has everything Baby needs for the rest of his life. I expressed to ** my concerns with the Bearded Dragon kit and the UV light. I told him that my vet diagnosed Baby with MBD and that I have been doing a lot of research on the disease. I told him that I found a lot of information about the type of set up for the UVB bulb that comes in the kit and that it is not sufficient enough for Bearded Dragons. He suggested that I contact Zilla.

I contacted Zilla and spoke to their lead tech about my situation and concerns in detail. But before I tell you about my conversations with Zilla, I want to conclude what happened with Baby. Baby got worse, his lumps started to enlarge, his appetite diminished, and he stopped growing. It got to the point where I had to feed Baby by hand everyday just to ensure that he would eat something. My efforts fell short and on May 7, 2010, Baby died. I took Baby back to my vet for an autopsy to determine his cause of death. My vet thoroughly examined him and took x-rays. His findings concluded that Baby passed away from Metabolic Bone Disease. Zilla's lead tech ensured me that their UVB light is strong enough and provides sufficient UVB for Bearded Dragons. I was frustrated because I still didn't understand how this could be especially when I know that improper UVB is the cause of MBD.

I went back to Petco and spoke with ** again. I told him that Baby had died and at this point, I was really upset and frustrated. ** referred me to one of his co-workers who he said is more knowledgeable with Bearded Dragons. I showed ** pictures of Baby's lumps and immediately ** Identified his symptoms as MBD. I asked ** what causes MBD and he told me that it’s related to the UVB lighting. So I showed ** the Zilla Deluxe Bearded Dragon kit that I bought for Baby and his response was that the kit has design flaws because the UVB bulb is placed inside a dome fixture which only concentrates the UV lighting on a specific area. He said that he doesn't advise customer to get the kit for the simple fact that the dome set up will not allow the Bearded Dragon to get sufficient UVB throughout the terrarium. He suggests going with a tube light that covers the whole length of the terrarium. I was extremely upset to hear this because if ** had explained that to me when I bought the kit, then I would not have bought it and I would have gotten the right type of lighting.

Being a first time Bearded Dragon owner, I would expect that when I walk into an establishment such as Petco that I will be properly informed on how to care for the animal I am buying and what is needed to ensure that animal's survival. The two associates realized how upset I was and once again, I was advised to contact Zilla. I contacted Zilla again with the new information that I had from Petco. In a nutshell, this is what they said. The lead tech at Zilla told me that large corporate pet companies have specific requirements as to what products they want in these kits. He further explained to me how the UVB light works with the dome set up. The Bearded Dragon kit puts the Dragon 8-12 away from the light source and at 8-12, the animal will receive anywhere from 50-75 microwatts (uw/cm2) of UVB. Bearded Dragons require around 13-30uw/cm2 for 10-14 hours per day.

It must also be taken into consideration that the locking screen on top of the terrarium will block 20-30% of the UVB, which means that the Dragon is actually receiving 35- 60uw/cm2 at 8-12 from the UVB light source. The UVB light source will cover about a 13 area or 1/3 of the 30 long tank. If the Bearded Dragon is at the other end of the terrarium basking under the heat source then the animal will receive 10% or less of the UVB, which means that only 3.5-6uw/cm2 is reaching the Dragon. The last fact to consider is the rate of depreciation of the UVB output. Zilla states that all UVB lights lose about 10-15% of their UV output in the first 3 months and at about the 8th to 10th month are down by about 40% and the amount of usable UVB will have dwindled to become virtually useless. The point is that this particular kit does not offer sufficient UVB throughout the terrarium for Bearded Dragons.

Baby spent most of his time under the heat source, as do most Bearded Dragons, where he never would have received enough UVB radiation from day one. There is diagram that I created which visually explains the UVB lighting output and pictures of Baby as the disease progressively worsened. I also have copies of the numerous correspondences I've had with Zilla as well as a letter from my vet and copies of the x-rays of Baby. I desperately needed to see this issue reach resolution so that Baby doesn't have to die in vain. I love animals and when I bought Baby, I was prepared to make a commitment for at least the next 10 years to care for him and experience the joys of owning a Bearded Dragon. I was deeply hurt when he died and utterly disgusted to learn of the design flaws within this kit. I would have preferred to see this issue resolved at the store level, but now I am taking further steps due to the fact that I have received an insufficient and unprofessional response from Petco.

I have been to the store numerous times to speak with the manager who refused to help me in anyway. I was given an email address for a man named Dan who I was told to email with my complaint. I emailed Dan several times only to have the emails bounce back to my inbox as failed to deliver. I again complained to Petco about it and they told me that Dan received my emails but they refused to give me a phone number for him. I emailed Dan again and asked him to respond and confirm that he received my emails. Dan responded and told me that he did in fact receive all of my emails. He stated that he was busy and in the process of relocating but that he would like to talk to me. I responded back and provided Dan with my contact information and the best times to reach me. I never heard from Dan again. I also tried submitting a complaint via the Petco website.

Shortly after that, I received a letter from Petco saying they would reimburse me for the cost of the kit. To this day, I have not received any money from Petco nor have been contacted by anyone. All of my emails to Dan and the Petco website came back as failed to deliver. After all my failed attempts, I decided to take Petco to court. My court date was November 9, 2010. Petco never showed to the court hearing so the Judge placed the case in default and ordered a judgment against Petco for the amount I was suing for.

Ultimately, I would like to see the Zilla Deluxe Bearded Dragon kit redesigned so that it is more efficient to sustain the life of a Bearded Dragon or have Petco implement a training program to properly educate their employees about the animals they sell so that they can give customers the right care instructions for the animals they are buying.

I never quit a job before. I am not going to sit back while these poor snakes are dying. They are not fed properly either. Their cages never have been cleaned. The entire reptile section is infested with mites and no one cares but me. Maybe because a lot of people hate snakes. But they are beautiful creatures that are misunderstood. This makes me, being a huge snake lover, insanely mad. I am going to keep emailing and calling everyone I can about this. Please help them. Like I said, I will not stop until this is fixed.

When I recently went in to get my last check, the GM told me I overreacted and that no snakes had mites. That they were little black dots. Yeah, little black dots. He's obviously covering his own ** because other employees told me he knows I reported him. The store also smells horrible because no one wants to clean the ferret cage. Also, other employees told me they never cleaned the snakes so the GM lied to me. I hate PETCO. They should not be allowed to sell animals. They sell animals knowing those animals are sick.

This has to stop. A vet doesn't even come in there to check on the animals. They don't even call the vet when an animal is sick. The backroom, the "wellness" room, is fully stocked with sick and neglected animals. All they care about is dog food since dog food is 50% of their sales. Screw PETCO. Animals do not come first.

This has to stop before someone dies! There are old people in there between 60 and 70 waiting for the good price and nice vet that cares so much for the pets that he gives shots for. Someone please, in the name of Jesus Christ, do something not only for the ferrets but us people there taken and making us sick as well! Please do something even if it's wrong. Nothing could hurt. God help us please! Will you just go check it yourself? You'll lose what you had for lunch! So help me and swear in the name of God to be true!

I went to pick my dogs up and was told that my beagle/terrier mix's nails had been cut to the quick a couple of times, but they put quick stop on it and they were fine. She was acting weird, flinching away from me and had her tail between her legs the whole time. The German Shepherd was acting fine. I got them home and decided to go over them a little better to see what kind of job they did. My German Shepherd hadn't been washed at all. She still smelled like dirty dog and had dirt on her belly. I ran my hands through her hair and she shed in my hands. Her three nails that looked like they had been cut were split/crushed. The rest hadn't been touched. I realized that my beagle/terrier mix had gone under my bed in the time it took me to look at my other dog.

I finally coaxed my beagle/terrier mix out of hiding and was shocked at what I saw. Her nails had been split, cracked, crushed, whatever you want to call it. There were a couple that were cracked clear up to where the nail meets the paw. She was blowing like a horse, through her nose, really hard (severely stressed). She had obviously been bleeding and when she walked to me, it looked like it was painful to walk. I guess the short trek across the parking lot had undone some of the quick stop because one of her nails had been bleeding on my carpet. I immediately called the store and spoke with a manager. He wanted me to bring my dogs back in the store so he could see them before giving me a refund! I agreed to bring the German Shepherd as my little dog was shaking and I didn't think it would be best to force her to walk on her painful paws.

As a second though, I snapped a few pictures of her coat (not washed) and her horrible nail job on my phone, loaded up my German Shepherd and made the 5-mile drive across town back to the store. My dog and I went in and had to wait twenty minutes for the manager. When we were finally seen, he (a manager in his early twenties) didn't want to refund me for the dog I hadn't brought and told me that the one I had would just be rewashed. He seemed surprised when I brought out my phone and showed him the carnage that was my dog's nails. I also told him I was not only getting a full refund, but I was taking my dog to my vet and they were billing the store directly. I wanted it in writing right there that PETCO would pay for a vet visit about the nails for both dogs.

We went into the groomer's station and I pointed out the extremely dull clippers that were used on my dogs and the dry sinks. It was obvious from the dry, matted hair that no water had been run in hours in those sinks. Yet others had picked their dogs up before me. Hmm. When I started to take pictures right there for my lawsuit, he issued me a full refund. And what a coincidence, my vet suddenly happened to be PETCO-approved. I took both of them that day and explained (with a signed receipt) that they were to bill the Alton store directly. I don't know if he paid it out of his own pocket, petty cash or if the store took care of it, but I didn't receive a bill. My little dog is very vocal. I wonder what kind of person would keep cutting a shrieking dog's nails when she was obviously in pain?

Now in order to have him groomed for about $70.00 is costing me $176.00 because he has to be sedated. There lies another problem because he could die from sedation. During the short time he is sedated, he has to be shaved because it is nearly impossible to try to brush him out in a short hour. The loss of hair on his body also requires us to put sunblock on him and not let him out during the day because he could go blind. Of course, he no longer goes to PETCO and it would be wise for others not to use them either. God only knows what type of abuse your animals are going through.

We believe she hit him with the brush. Three of my friends who have used PETCO have had similar experiences with their animals and no longer use PETCO. The manager said he refuses to fire her because he has got no other complaints.

I came upon a male canary, which appeared very sick. He had lost most of the down feathers on his wings and breast, and was sitting in a substantial pile of his own droppings. He appeared stressed from the way he was panting, beak wide open and one leg splayed off to the side. In my experience with birds, the lameness came from breast tumors, but I could not find any evidence that cancer was affecting this bird. Finally, the fish displayed at the front of the store were swimming in tanks coated in algae. The structure that held the tanks themselves had a substantial amount of algae-tinted water dried upon the sides. I'm quite concerned with the animals here and hope my email complaint to the PETCO store will be heard.

In the middle of our conversation, another woman in the department very rudely interrupted our conversation. This woman stated that PETCO does not groom any dogs who are over age 10 and that they could not groom my dog. The two women got into a bit of an argument and the original woman who I was speaking with told me not to worry, she would groom my dog. This was very upsetting for me as anyone who has an animal they love can certainly understand. Sand was already nervous at being taken into the store and now people are arguing.

I sought out the store manager and relayed the incident to her. She assured me that she would speak with the groomer after my dog was groomed. So the groomer wasn't going to do something to my dog. I was told it would take about an hour to groom my dog, so I went to another store for an hour. When I returned, my dog had been shaved down to the skin. I was horrified! All in all, my experience with PETCO grooming department was traumatic for me and my pet. In my part, I am very disappointed and angry at myself to have chosen a cheaper place to groom my dog that at the end it was really more expensive in all levels.

The "manager" or "team leader" woman just walked over and took him out of the tank and into the reptile room. She rolled her eyes as I expressed concern as if I were inconveniencing her for notifying her about the poor injured turtle. She left me feeling very uneasy about his care as there was no apology for his injury, no thank you for letting her know and nothing said to me about how he would be taken for an exam. Then yesterday when I returned to Petco, I checked on the turtles again. The one that had been injured was put back in the tank with the large cut still visible and now another one had an injured leg! The second one has its toes on its back foot that were all cut and were bleeding! And yesterday, I think there were more turtles than the first time.

I was talking to my friend about the situation and when the closest employee that was working in that section appeared, he must have heard me talking because he just walked over and looked in the tank. When I started to explain to the young man that the another one was injured and the other one should not have been put back out with visible injuries, he just shrugged his shoulders, laughed a little bit and asked what I wanted him to do about it! I think he should have gotten the manager but he did nothing! I said to him, “Fine, I am going to buy the one with the injured neck!” I have a turtle tank and I didn’t have enough space for both injured turtles in my tank at home but I couldn’t leave him there again.

The employees and management obviously could care less about the animals well being and it just makes me sick! The aquatics employee just laughed some more and left to get me a box. When he returned, he boxed him up and just handed him over, it was just that easy. He didn’t offer a care sheet, talk to me about proper housing, lighting or even what to feed him! Thankfully, I already had everything I needed and know what they need but what about other customers?! What is happening to all of the pets being sold? Are customers being educated on the pets they want to purchase so they go to a safe and forever home that is not only right for the pet but also the owner? I do have to say at the registered checking out, the employee there did ask if I wanted a care sheet and had me sign off about salmonella.

Overall, Petco Bel Air has gone so far down hill I do not think I will be shopping there ever again! I will also be letting everyone I know about this experience so that they do not support this store. It is so sad, as a former employee that used to love working there and always thought everyone their really cared about the animals to now not even want to go in for my bird food! I hope that someone in corporate finds this information helpful and feels something should done to help Petco Bel Air become the clean, organized store it should be with employees that truly care about the animals and their well being.

In any event, the treatment was so bad I decided to make my major purchase of an aquarium from your Edgewood, Atlanta store where I ran into a pretty rude man but purchased anyway. I did go in on another day and I ran into a very friendly fish person whom my family really liked. One of our fish died and I had reason to return back to the Stonecrest store. I walked on with my PALS card and the manager informed me that without a receipt, I would not be able to get a refund on the fish. I asked about PALS and she said, "We don't use that anymore." I said, "Cool, I had a receipt." I went to the car to get it, but the rudeness continued. Though my fish was not there, I was never given the opportunity for a refund. He said he would write "come back later" on the receipt. I noticed a sign that said a refund was an option and still was going to buy one. But as I walked up to the counter, the manager (the one with the long hair) was so rude to me I just got a refund and left.

Now as I was watching my fish, the light on my aquarium went out. It just sputtered in my face and had a burning smell. The heater never seems to get the water warm though. I was just bearing with this because frankly, I'm not sure but I am. So I'm like looking on the internet for the receipt because I had such a nasty experience at my local PETCO. At this time of the month, because I am a regular person, I cannot afford to drive all the way to Atlanta to get my stuff replaced. I know Atlanta will replace it because it's not all white, but it's white enough. I know from my experience that only in black neighborhoods do people act rude and nasty, and chain stores refuse to return merchandise until regrettably they get a bad reputation and go out of business.

So in ten years or less if this behavior continues, no one will shop here and they will go out of business. Probably the whole mall will go out of business. In any event, I watched the light go out and I'm on the internet. My PALS number is not associated with anything because the salesperson just handed it to me, so I have waited until the morning and called customer service where I explained that I have had problems returning merchandise with PALS and wanted to make sure it was on there. She said it was, but told me to associate my contact information with my PALS number, which I did. She also told me to call the Lithonia PALS before I go, which I did. She told me where did I have the receipt. I said on the screen. She said, "Be ready to show it with the SKU number." I then logged onto PALS and there was nothing there.

I called back customer service and the same customer service started getting somewhat upset and would not give me information. She said she had to ask her supervisor. She did finally admit to seeing the transaction, but said it had no receipt information as to what I purchased, which seems ludicrous considering you give credit for pet food purchased and it has to be noted. I then became very agitated and finally ended the conversation, but told them I was going to call the president of the company. I called and the operator asked who I was and told me, "We can't just connect anyone to our corporate officers." I have called Gucci and gotten as far as the secretary. I have called Daimler Benz and got the department and the person I requested. However, PETCO offers no such courtesy and no concern for people or pets.

In any event, I left my number with the corporate office and have yet to be called back by anyone. I have concerns for the pets and know they need light. When I purchased close to $100.00 worth of merchandise for my $2.00 fish, I expected the equipment to work but it does not. I am having a very hard time getting customer satisfaction. There is a PetSmart in the next county. I sure wish I have clunked the money out to them. They are very nice and have better fish than Stonecrest.

Because I didn't want baby rats, we took her back. I didn't say anything about her biting because I didn't want them to poke at her like they did with my previous pet. I already got attached to her even though she was mean, so I was sad to give her back to people who are going to abuse her again. So never go to the PETCO in Coeur d' Alene! If you want to get a pet, go to the PETCO in Spokane Valley. If you don't know where it is, go on the freeway towards Spokane; get off on the Sullivan exit and take a left; go down until you hit Sprauge. It's on the left, right on the corner, but that's only if you're coming from Post Falls or Coeur d' Alene.

We went there just to see how the pets reacted when we held them. They were so sweet, didn't nibble, cuddled up to us and have wonderful personalities. They are comfortable in their new home and we love them. The customer service there was amazing. They actually knew what they were talking about, unlike the one in Cd'A. The one in Spokane was absolutely amazing. Great customer service, very helpful and kind people, clean animals and they weren't sick or mean. Please don't ever go to the one in Cd'A! Go to the one in Spokane Valley. You will be amazed! Just wanted to tell people about my experience and hopefully get more business for the Valley PETCO. Thank you for your time.

We went back to Petco and spoke to the man that had actually given her the bath. Much to our surprise, he advised us that they had a problem with a particular product that had actually caused dogs to get infected in the past. He went on to tell us that the skin would flake off the dogs. He said that due to this, they had stopped using the product for a while; but for some unknown reason, began using it again. We were told to take the dog to the vet to get antibiotics and Petco would take care of the vet bill. But there was an even more surprising part. This same employee also told us that they have also had problems with their spray bottles. He said that the bottles aren't washed properly and they had a problem with fungus growing inside the bottles. This could have also been part of the problem. So we went to the vet who confirmed an infection.

When we tried to bring the vet bill back to Petco, we had a difficult time reaching the manager. Each time we visited, she was either in a meeting or mysteriously unavailable. When she was available and we were able to speak to her, she twice denied receiving any fax from the vet, despite us knowing that the vet sent the fax. When she finally made sure she received the fax, the manager said that they would not pay the vet bill. She then said that there have been no other reported incidents in the past and there have never been any issues with their products or with their bottles. We have tried several times to get this resolved with the local store, but that got us nowhere. Eventually, we called the toll-free customer service number. Several times, we were promised a call back. And each time, we would wait 7-10 days. And at the end of the 7-10 day waiting period, we would call back and were again promised a call back.

We finally received a call back from the district manager today who simply said that they have "protocols" in place for cleaning the bottles. She didn't address the issue with the chemical that caused the problem as well. When I informed her that we have good evidence to show that those procedures weren't followed, and we were made promises, she said she could not do anything about it and would have to have someone from "risk management" (or something like that) call me back. I am thinking about taking this to district court to get them to pay for the vet bill as promised. We have the statements from the vets to help our case. But on top of that, we also have the conversations with the employees on audio tape. We have the employee talking about the fungus in the bottles plus the product that caused the same exact issue in other dogs that have been taken to Petco for grooming. We also have the manager denying that there have ever been any problems in the past.

We live in a "one-party-consent" state so I know there are no legal issues with the recordings. If this does go to court, we will also be able to use those items in court. And since this is a civil case and not a criminal case, we really only need a preponderance of the evidence. I feel we have a really strong case, but was hoping to avoid having to go to court. We have tried addressing this by every avenue we could find, but it seems like we have reached a dead end; and it seems like we are just being strung along with promises of calls that never come. Is there something else we should do or should I just go ahead and file the paperwork for court? Thanks for your help! Consequences: vet bill of just under $300, plus constant cleaning on the house due to flaking skin. I had to isolate the dog from others. Due appeared in distress during the several weeks it took to heal.

I had to open up a CareCredit card, because I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket. A day or 2 passed (meanwhile having to administer antibiotics with a syringe 2x a day, force feeding him by mixing canned cat food in water then feeding with a syringe, and also forcing him to drink water with a syringe). The past Sunday (Superbowl), I walked into my bathroom and my kitten was laying on the floor barely breathing. I had to rush him to the Emergency vet in Carrolton, TX. They took him in the back, hooked him up to an IV to pump fluids into him. His temperature was at about 85 (supposed to be 100), so the vet said I had to leave him overnight and could not bring him home or he would die.

He initially brought me a bill out for about $700. I definitely could not afford that. So I then called the head volunteer with the rescue and told her that I could not afford this. She yelled at me saying, "Stop talking and maybe you would understand that you could have saved money if you would have just listened to me and brought him to my vet!" I was left speechless considering this was supposed to be a volunteer and she was screaming at me while I am taking care of a dying cat that they sold me! Also, the vet she wanted me to go to was not even open on a Sunday! So, that day my bill was about $240. I had ** pick Rodeo (kitten) up from the ER and take him home with her to administer home care (which she said she knows how to do) until he was better. I called her repeatedly and I did not receive a phone call back informing me of his condition.

I requested this woman to send me his vet papers to show shots given, etc. I specifically asked about testing for leukemia and she said that none of their kittens/cats are tested for that. All that is given is a distemper shot and that they are neutered. She tells me that KittiCo. is strictly a Spay/Neuter Clinic only. However, if you look at their site, they do not specify anywhere on their site that, that is all they are (Kittico.org/spayneuterprogram). Even the title of the organization is KittiCo. rescue! They do not state that this is all they are. When I did ask for her to fax his shots over, she responded and said, "Why do you need them? Do you have to have them today? Can you just go to Petco on Saturday and get them?" She also made a comment that that is why their adoption fee is only $60, because they do not have them checked for anything or have a vet to make sure they are in any condition to be adopted out.

I believe what this organization is doing is failing to provide necessary care for animals in their custody. This cat was picked up, possibly healthy (albeit stray), put in an unclean environment and anesthetized for surgery, lowering its immune system. He was already not eating on day one when you brought him home, meaning, he was extremely ill already at that point and should not have been adopted out without indicating that he needs immediate medical attention for his illness.

When people get involved in rescuing animals, they need to make sure they are doing more good than harm. This cat and, more than likely, many others coming out of this organization may not have suffered, had the organization simply ran a cleaner operation, one that responds to the reality that most stray cats come in with respiratory illnesses. One other thing that stands out is that I have only been dealing solely with a veterinary technician.

Where is the doctor? Who is treating this cat right now? What trained and licensed doctor is monitoring this cat's condition? When he left your care, he was in grave condition. Is this animal just sitting in a rescue volunteers home, suffering or is he being cared for by a doctor who has his best interests in mind? Are they overstepping their abilities and putting animals in harm's way? Are they even being neutered/spayed by a licensed veterinarian?

Perhaps this group is overwhelmed. This is no excuse. If you look at it at the level of just one cat, each cat should have humane treatment and receive necessary care while in their possession or they should stop taking in animals to limit the number of animals, bringing it to a manageable level. See the TX State Penal Code.

I am not only looking into shutting this inhumane organization down so no more cats are harmed, but I want my incurred vet bills reimbursed. This organization or Petco for that matter, has no right to be selling cats/kittens without properly taking the steps needed to make sure these animals are healthy. I am appalled that this poor kitten has to go through this painful process. Instead of putting the money forth and testing this animal for leukemia, this vet tech is administering antibiotic! Unfortunately, I received a phone call, actually a voice mail, from her assistant (not even the person who was supposedly taking care of him), informing me that Rodeo had passed away the night before! And I didn't hear about this until yesterday at 6 pm!

I spoke with the General manager at Petco on Belt Line Rd, in Addison, TX, and demanded some sort of reimbursement, considering he is allowing this rescue to operate out of his store. He told me that I would have to contact Petco's attorney! Then finally he said to drop off my bills in a sealed envelope and he would take a look at them. I am left speechless with how Petco and this Rescue sells and maintains care of these animals. If anyone knows how I can get them to reimburse me, please help!

On Thursday, January 21 we took our new puppy for her second round of DHLLP shot. When we took her to the Banfield hospital at the Petsmart on Rosecrans in San Diego, they told us her temperature was 104.9, and that she needed immediate attention. We were told we could either take her to the emergency room, or they could give her fluids to help the temperature decrease, and bring her back later if she still had the temperature. We decided to take her to the emergency room, since her temperature was so high. When we took her into the emergency room, her temperature had risen to 106 degrees. At the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital located near Hotel Circle in San Diego, we were faced with $1,000 in overnight, medicine and laboratory fees. We agreed to paying for these items, since we were told she needed the fluids and medicine to control her fever.

We called on Friday January 22 at 6 AM, to find out that her temperature had not decreased, and that she wasn't responding to the medicine. In addition, she had fluid in her right lung, and was now battling pneumonia. We were then told that she would need to stay at least 3-4 additional nights at $1,000 a night. In addition, our concern was if she had distemper, because her blood work came back with an extremely low white blood cell count. They told us to do the distemper test. She would definitely have to pay extra for that, and that she would have to stay the night again. They told us the medication they had given her would cause cartilage damage to her when she was older.

We had to make a decision by 10 AM as to bring her home as sick as she was, or to leave her there and accrue more charges. Under the impression that she needed more treatment (that we could not afford on such a low percentage of her surviving), we chose to put her to sleep (another fee). When I contacted the shelter, she informed us that we would receive a refund for her adoption fee of $250, and she would do everything to speak with the committee at the shelter to try and pay for half of her vet bill. We received $250 for her adoption fee on Sunday, January 24th. I was told today, February 9, that we would not receive anything back from them for her vet bill. We had our puppy for 4 days, and tried to do what was reasonable to keep her alive, and it didn't work. We were sold a very sick puppy that should not have been sold in the first place. We now have a $1,045 vet bill and no puppy.

Now on each transaction, it may be a small amount but over a year this can be quite a large amount of money per customer. And imagine the thousands of consumers that they have and you can imagine the ripple effect (and additional profit) this illegal transaction is having on their customers. I contacted the office of the CFO (Michael ***) and spoke with his assistant, who assured me someone from the Corporate Executive Offices would contact me, which they have not! Also to verify the information, I contacted the GA Dept of Revenue and they also concurred that Petco is illegally charging excessive sales tax.

A week passed and the rash got larger on her eye and on her wrist. She developed sore throat again. I went to the doctor again and they said she has strep again. They gave Ilea more antibiotics and sent us to a cosmetic dermatology. They said my daughter has a fungal rash and it was from an animal. So I went online to the CDC and saw rat bite fever. My daughter has all the symptoms. I was mad. I called my doctor again and they said she had a different strain of strep throat. So I called PETCO and spoke to the assistant manager. I told them what happened and that I wanted a refund for the rats. She said I have to have the receipt or talk to the main manager on Thursday.

I called the Dept of Health in Peabody. They told me to call the Dept of Agriculture Resource Division Animal Health in Boston. They said when you get scratched from a rat, things like that might happen. So then I got a call from the regional manager from PETCO. They are going to reimburse me my $175.00. But what about my daughter and her strep throat and rash that is all over her wrist and face? And my time going to all these doctors? Will this happen to other kids? Do they check these rats before selling them? I just don't want another family to go through what I did.

When I complained to the manager, Christine, she told me that she never had any problems with Renee before and insinuated it was my fault and, "It sounds like it was a personality issue." I have worked customer service in the past and I have never been treated this dismissively. I would think that Petco would want to know if their staff was treating customers disrespectfully instead of making the customer feel bad for voicing their opinion.

Ms. ** appeared to know what she was talking about which proved incorrect when I picked-up the dogs around 3:30pm. She told me that she couldn't bathe one of them because he had a lot of knots on him but isn't that what I was paying for? She said she was going to give me a bargain of $62.00 for both of them which made me more agitated. I found her trying to insult my intelligence when I got there at 3:00/3:30pm and she was still trying to get the knots out of my dogs. What did she save them for last? I remind you I got there for the morning hours and most of the dogs that were groomed that day were gone.

I asked Ms. ** what exactly did she do for this great discount of $62.00 on both pups? The hair was not trimmed around the body and they both looked like two rag muffins. Lalo (the black one) still had hair covering his eyes and their butt area were done very half-** as if they didn't know where to start or where to end. I was furious because I don't think Petco pros were there, and I truly believe these people were fill-ins - for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I think the three women on this shift know very little on how to groom dogs especially Shih Tzus. I wouldn't mind it if they told me they wouldn't be able to do it because they had too many customers that day. However, when I did confront Ms. ** on this she stated it wouldn't be a busy day.

I called the manager of the store and asked him what he thought of the cut on my dogs or did he notice that there actually had been a cut done on these dogs. My suggestion to Petco is if you are going to have a skeleton crew during the holidays and charge high prices for these services, at least hire people that know what they are doing and not these amateurs who try to con you for the almighty buck. It's shameful how people try to get over one another. For this amount of money, I could have gone to a professional salon and had these two pups done really well. Lalo is still walking around with hair over his eyes and when they drink water, they still get it all over them because Ms. Dizzy didn't adhere to what I asked her to do.

When the manager arrived in the aisle, she was very unfriendly as well and unwilling to sympathize with our situation. She said she didn't know which brand or bottle we needed. We pointed out to her the bottle sitting on one of their own aquariums (it was a super-size bottle) and told her that was exactly what we needed. She said, “We only have what is on the shelf.” We asked if we could buy the big bottle, or help us find the smaller versions of the product on the shelf. She basically started to walk away.

At this point, we were very upset as we were wasting time in saving our fish. We finally found the product, but they only had 3 very small bottles left. We called after the manager and asked her if she could check if they had any more of the product in the back storage. She yelled down the aisle that what was available was there and that was it. We asked if she could scan in the product and see if another location had more of the product; again, she refused.

Extremely upset at this point, we took the three bottles and proceeded to checkout. We told the manager that we were upset with the service levels and would be sure to post on Yelp.com about the service we received that day. We just wanted to buy the products and leave. The manager followed us to the checkout and yelled at the cashier to not check us out. We looked at her in shock and asked why we couldn't buy the product. She claimed that we were rude and that she wasn't going to sell us anything. The total sale would have been $8.47. We asked her if she realized that over $8,000 of beautiful Koi fish were in danger, and she stated that she didn't care. We begged her to please let us buy the product, at which point she ran to the cashier, grabbed the product off the counter and put it under the register. My partner raised his voice and asked her again to please let us buy the product.

The manager then turned to a male Petco employee wearing a grooming vest and told him, “Take this guy out and kick his ass.” My partner and I stood back and were in total shock. My partner asked the guy, “What are you going to do?” The guy ripped off his vest Hulk Hogan style and said very loudly, “I’m going to break your body dude!” I started to cry. My partner walked away from the register and towards the door. All we wanted was to save our fish, not be threatened to be beaten up and refused product. I walked towards my partner and together we walked out the door. We were in complete shock and scared. Our luck, as we were pulling away in our car, a police car was coming the other way. We flagged them down and asked them to hear our situation.

The police were upset as well and went into the store to talk to the manager. When they returned, they said the manager claimed that we threatened them with a gun! Well this was just horrible. We would never do such a thing and don’t even own a gun. The cops took our side. They said that Petco has the right to refuse service to anyone, even though they don’t have it posted on the window as legally required. We asked the cops if we gave them money to buy the product if they would do so, and the manager refused them as well. The police asked if we wanted to press charges. We told them that we just wanted to save our fish, and we were shocked that people working at a pet store would refuse to help save an animal’s life. We got home and within 1 hour, all of our beautiful Koi fish were dead.

As Monday was a holiday, on Tuesday, I called Petco corporate office and explained the situation. The CSR typed everything that I stated and promised that a district manager would be calling me within 72 hours. 72 hours go by and no one called. So I called corporate customer service again and explained that I never got a call. I was told that Christopher (the district manager) would call me that night. Again, no one ever called. Today, September 18, 2009, I called and demanded to speak with a supervisor or someone who could help me. I was passed to Ryan who read my case and offered to contact Christopher again. I said that there must be someone else we can speak with, considering Christopher, the district manager, obviously didn't call me back the first two times. I asked him what the escalation policy is at Petco, and he could not tell me. I asked that someone call me back or that I would be posting my story on the Internet and also call the news stations. Again, he told me that I should just be patient and wait for someone to call me back.

My life was threatened, I lost $8,000 in beautiful Koi fish, and I am just supposed to sit and be patient while someone decides to call me back? Finally, I told him that I would be talking to the press, and asked who at Petco handles Public Relations. He gave me the name Tonya. But Tonya was not in the office today and would be left a message to call me tomorrow. I have never dealt with a company that was so unprofessional and unwilling to help from the store front all the way back through corporate headquarters. I should have pressed charges immediately and went to the press that day. I am left with no choice but to wait to see if someone named Tonya will call me, and until then I am posting my story online.

He is now on Enpril and Lasix twice a day for the rest of his life. These meds cost $260.00 every other month to support him. It is truly heartbreaking and makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how careless PETCO has been with regard to my sweet rat. PETCO sells chronically ill animals with poor genetics. It is nothing short of vile when an animal is bred and sold with complete disregard for its well-being. This sweet, little rat has cost me thousands in less than 2 years of purchasing him from PETCO.

PETCO has refused to pay for any other treatment other than the $70.00. PETCO, be responsible for your actions! The health and genetics of your animals are your responsibility! Stop selling sick animals which suffer with a number of genetic defects! Matter of fact, stop selling animals all together!

I bought a bunny about a month later. He was fine for a few days, then he developed diarrhea. So I took him to the vet and she told me he was ridden with parasites. I paid another $100 for the meds and visit, only to have him die hours later screeching in pain. Now since I don't have my receipt, I can't get my money back. Even if I got my money back, I would not be satisfied. The pain the animal felt and the pain I felt is priceless. I am extremely upset and will go to any limits to ruin this business's reputation.

I went to ask her another question. She had left and was back to the manager and other girl who were both employees. The store was very crowded and usually people around will ask if you need help. I had been waiting at the fish department. They were very busy. It was 20 minutes I waited. I asked to see the manager and she and the 2 other employees came out of the manager room. I said I’d like to see the manager, she said “I am.” I was quietly trying to get her alone away from her friends to discuss the issues this didn't happen. I asked her about the tank and why I had to wait for help so long. She said “We are busy.” I said I can see that she had a typical young attitude, stayed with friends the whole time. I asked if there was another manager I could speak to. She said no.

Now I’m really upset because of her inexperience and attitude. I didn't want to cause a scene as the store was crowed and many people would have heard me, and I had my 12 year old granddaughter with me who was getting tears in her eyes. I said “I spend a lot of money here. You can check records since you have been open.” She said “So?” I said “Then I won’t shop here anymore.” She said “Don’t.” Now other customers are hearing this. I was holding my tears back. If I got the tank which was $117.00 and $50 turtle item I put it back and got in line. She never came up, just stayed with her working peer group. So I had to raise my voice to be heard. She had already blown me off. I asked if there was a complaint form I could fill out she said “Nope.” She said there is no official form I can fill out. I said no this is while I was about to check out with just chemicals for my 4 fish tanks. Then while twiddling something, she yelled back up there is a phone number. I said “Fine, what is it?” She hesitated and said “I don’t know.” I again said “I would not shop there anymore.” She said “good”, no eye contact at all.

I felt bad for customers with children who had to hear this because she would talk but from a distance. I apologized to the ones nearby they understood and where shocked themselves. I’m sure, beside myself, you lost other customers that day. My granddaughter was about in tears. I am 57 years old and an RN for 38 years working most of it in management. Even in medical settings patients and family are consumers as well. I am on disability because of several serious medical problems including asthma and emphysema. So in the car I had to use rescue inhaler triggered by her causing such anxiety. Diabetes, again sensitive to stress.

I called Wednesday after I cooled off and talked to the manager on duty, another young girl but professional and at least played understanding. She didn't know what had happened so I asked if the fish specialist could check the tank I was talking about to see if it was one on 30% off during the sale over then. She didn't know what was going on. She said yes, it was the manager I was talking to. Her name was Angela. She was very nice but could do anything (Saturday night, last day of sale - I also had fish specialist another one check yes it was on sale) on Thursday. I talked to Jesse, one of the direct managers that work there. I told him the story. He said, “So what do you want me to do about it?” I said “I would like the tank for 30% off.” I was there during sale and was refused the sale price and thought that Angie who was the manager should be spoken to about customer relations, not just for my sake but the other customers who had a discussion with her. Jesse said to call Peter for an answer Friday after 11 or so.

I went to Waltham from Fitchburg home to help my mother who is 82 and is very sick. I called Peter when I got home about 4:15pm. The manager that answered was the girl I had problems with the previous Saturday. I tried to talk to her saying I didn't want to start trouble for her just to be spoken to and if she could recall any part of my conversation that upset her. She said no. I said I was willing to let things go and she was, I don’t know, very difficult to talk to. She’s like a lot of kids who gets stubborn so she said she would call Peter. She said Peter said I could get 10% off. I said “I thought I should still get 30% off.” I was there when I was supposed to be. I missed last 30% off the tanks by a day so I waited for this as my income is limited. But I have 3 dogs, a cat, 3 fish tanks, and a turtle, plus I feed birds year round. They just don’t care. So not only did they lose me as a customer, I know my friends and family and some people in the store won’t be going back.

I would think in this economy that they would treat someone who has spent so much money since they opened not special, but with respect. My granddaughter refuses to go in with me. She gets nervous when I get upset and can’t breathe. All I wanted was the sale on the tank and when Peter the general manager said 10%, it was an insult to injury. I felt I tried my best to make things better and let it go. But the original child-like manager when I gave her an opportunity to let bygones be bygones refused to treat me with any kind of respect, I had over $200 if I got the tank and $50 turtle item I put back.

I feel since either Jesse didn't talk seriously to her about her management style is why she still had attitude when I was trying to give a little. So she and Jesse should be replaced as managers and Peter never took the time to talk to me even though he was informed of the situation. I also would like the tank for 30%. It’s not a favor or special request. My disability also includes major depression and anxiety and medical respiratory disease. I even had to use my oxygen when I got home. People die from asthma attacks every day and with my COPD which includes emphysema; my health was seriously jeopardized as well as my granddaughter’s (12 years old) trauma of the event. My respiratory reaction, my metabolic syndrome and interstitial cystitis as well as severe gastric problems, all of which I see a specialist for, reacts to the stress and anxiety. This is all in my medical file if needed.

Once examined by the doctor at the emergency hospital, he stated that she was not diabetic. But if there was a stressful situation or trauma for Spunky, the sugar would go up and the fluid would fill her lungs. We had great hope that all would be fine, but I received a call at 2:00AM telling me that her heart stopped. I would like to know what happened to my baby in the 30 minutes she was at PETCO. My husband went to ask some questions, but got a lot of attitude and no real answers.

Later that same day around 7:30 PM, I noticed a red spot on her forehead. When I looked closer, I realized it was a bleeding open wound on the top of her head. A red bow was suspiciously placed over the cut, hiding it. I called PETCO at 7:48PM to inform them of what had happened. Immediately, the assistant manager, **, aimed the blame at my family and I, stating that an incident may have occurred while she was in our care at home and continued to criticize me for not looking over my dog as soon as she returned from the groomers and not noticing the cut earlier. She has lived with us in the same home for more than four years and is more than familiar with the physical properties of the house, which makes an incident at home highly improbable. Shannon continued to inform me that the grooming manager would not be available until Saturday morning.

On August 15, 2008, Mr. Woon ** visited the store with Princess to show the grooming personnel the injury they inflicted upon Princess. Mr. ** continued to demand an apology and for someone to truthfully explain the events that occurred on August 14th that resulted in a bleeding open wound on Princess. Mr. ** received a call from a manager at PETCO, who promised that a representative would contact us again with further information. We never received the call that was promised to us.

On August 26, 2008, I called PETCO at approximately 12:00PM and I spoke with **. She was surprised to hear that we had not been contacted by anyone. ** continued to explain to me that their conclusion was that Princess made an attempt to remove the bow, thereby scratching herself on the head resulting in an open wound. I had responded to ** stating that would be unlikely because Princess wears bows on her head everyday and has never had self-inflicted injuries during the past four years.

On August 27, 2008, after speaking with the manager of the grooming department, **, I was disappointed even further. She continued to stand behind **, stating that the injury to Princess was not their fault. ** continued to say that it would be pointless to pursue the matter further because **, the groomer, would be leaving the next week. So far, we have only heard excuses in an attempt to take the blame off PETCO's hands. I am greatly disappointed in how the representatives of PETCO at the Freehold location have handled the matter.

** and other managers have demonstrated great rudeness and disregard for my family, which includes Princess. If they had just admitted to the incident and apologized on the groomer's behalf, I would have been satisfied as a consumer. This is not how ** or the other managers have handled the situation. Also, I think it is appalling that ** believes that if the employee in question resigns, quits or leaves, then it is no longer PETCO's responsibility to resolve the matter. Therefore, I believe that I must take further action on this matter.

The wound on Princess' head has resulted in a bald spot resembling a buzz cut and not Alopecia that could have only occurred if the hair on that area was cut, which deflates any of the possibilities that the representatives of PETCO have proposed. I am also sure that any pet owners, lovers, media and other interest groups would like to know how PETCO treats pets and their families. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I spoke to the manager, Nick, several times. First, he thought it was the substrate (I purchased from them). Then he said that it was because he thought they liked to be just one to a habitat. The truth was that his frogs were dying also and he continued to sell them stating it was just from shipping stresses. I told him, "No way." I would stop by unannounced and look at their frogs on display. They had the same issues I had, thin skinny frogs. Amazingly enough, they have White's tree frogs fliers right there that state these frogs are easy starter pets!

I told Nick, the store manager, that I was meeting with my vet. I told him what she stated about the inbreeding or virus. I told him she thought it was just a matter of time before I lost the last ones. Unfortunately she was right. My vet recommended Petco to a necropsy. When I told Nick her recommendation, he said he had to email his boss for approval, but he was going on vacation the next day and his assistant would let me know. Of course, I never heard from them. Nick stated that he would replace all 4 frogs with a new batch.

So as per my vet's recommendation, I emptied my habitat (Exottera 18x18x24) bleached it out, boiled all my drift wood, dipped my artificial plants in the boiling water and put all the driftwood and artificial plants in my freezer for 2 weeks to kill the virus - in case that was the problem. After this 2-week period, I purchased new substrate, re-set up the habitat and went back to Petco. Nick stated on the phone that he would not be there when I arrived but that his assistant, Suzanne, would help me. This was on Aug. 22nd, 2008. While Suzanne was helping pick me out some frogs, she told me horror stories of animals they get. She said sometimes they get really healthy ones and sometimes, they get really bad ones. She told me they never know what they are going to get or exactly where they come from. How is this possible? How do you not know if your company is not purchasing from a reputable breeder? Unfortunately, on Monday, Sept. 9th, I lost one of the new 4, with the same exact symptoms!

I am so angry. I am thinking about all these parents who probably bought their children one of these sick frogs and think that their child did not care for it and it died when the truth is the frogs were already going to die. Knowing that Petco was having the same issue and would not pay the $200 for the test to find out what is causing this angers me when they charged me 20 dollars a frog and I have lost 5 so far and they have lost several that I am aware of. It seems like they would have paid for the test to find out the exact issue and deal with it accordingly.

I will never step foot in another Petco and if I ever hear someone mention Petco, I will tell them my story. Most of the pets sold are for children! Please let people know what Petco is doing and protect our innocent children from the possibility of owning one of these sick/dying pets!

The manager said, "No, I'm sorry, I can't do that." I said, "So, you are just going to let the fish die?" He said "Yes, I will let the fish die before I adopt them out." I couldn't believe this. I do understand that this is just fish, but they are animals just like everything else, and just like every other animal that has a person who loves them ... dog lover, etc., I am a saltwater lover. I will not spend another dollar in Petco until they resolve this issue. I understand that they have to make a profit, but it shouldn't be at the expense and lives of pets.

The one night we stopped to check on him, a manager by the name of Tony came raging up and yelling and throwing the igloo over the hamster, almost knocking my 5-yr-old and me over with the tank's lid as we were kneeling beside the tank on the floor to view the sick little hamster who was in a wet filthy mess of paper towels. They claim the hamster went to their vet. I really doubt that. I think Petco was treating the hamster themselves. My daughter is crushed by losing her hamster and, because of the manager's attitude, she thinks that he killed her hamster. She is scared when she see the store and we will never go back there again and never once did they ever call us to give us an update.

The girl working gave both Bentley and Harley to us. Of course, they were very excited to see us. When in line to pay, I happened to look down at Harley's face and noticed that her eyes were completely bloodshot and the whites of her eyes were swollen so bad that her eyes and the whites were bulging out of her head. They looked like they were going to explode. She started hacking and breathing very weird, so I was even more scared. I immediately started freaking out and took her back to the grooming department where they couldn't explain it, but said that the shampoo may have gotten into her eyes so they rinsed them.

They then said if I took her to her vet on Sunday, they would pay a portion of the bill. I told them they would be responsible for the entire bill because when I dropped them off, Harley was fine and her eyes were not pink, let alone red or swelling. I told them I would be taking her to the Pet ER and that I would be contacting an attorney. Of course, once I said that, they were on board. But still no explanation of what happened to my baby. I took Harley to the Pet ER on Cromwell Bridge Road and they looked at her. They did a die/stain test and said there were no scratches, etc. to her eyes. They said that it was very clear that she had been choked. Bad enough that her eyes hemorrhaged and it caused severe conjunctivitis.

They gave me an ointment that has a steroid in it that needs to be put in her eyes 4 times a day for a week. Then she will need to go for a follow-up visit. The Pet ER doctor kept making it very clear that Harley had been choked or strangled. They said that it was impossible that the shampoo caused some kind of irritation because pet shampoos are tested over and over again to make sure they (and other grooming products) are safe for pets, and especially if they get into the eyes. I have never seen anything like this before. The only thing I can describe is when you watch movies and someone is hung to death and their eyes hemorrhage and bulge out of their head. Who knows, a few more seconds and she could have had her eyes burst or been dead.

Someone would have had to seriously choke her. So what we believe happened was that she was left alone on the table and either slipped, fell or tried to jump off of the table. Because they keep those collars hooked to the tables, we believe she choked herself. If that is what happened and she wasn't found in time, she would be dead. If this is not what happened, then someone was extremely rough with her. We will never take our dogs back to a place like PETCO or PetSmart to be groomed. They are like car washes. They are only worried about getting as many pets in and out in a day for monetary purposes and they made that very clear. They did not tell us what happened and acted like we were worried for nothing. We think they kept them all day to make sure she was alert and in hopes that the swelling in her eyes would go down.

Her eyes are starting to slowly get better with the medicine. But now we have so many things to worry about in the future. Will this experience traumatize her for future grooming visits? Will this cause problems with her eyes in the future? There is still no explanation from anyone. I wrote this in hopes that it would make pet owners aware that they should not take their pets to a place like PETCO or PetSmart to be groomed. I am also hoping that people will pass this along to let others know about this incident. I am going to research to see what other incidents have occurred at that specific PETCO, and I am nowhere near done dealing with PETCO on this horrible experience for my baby girl. Still waiting for payment and confirmation they will pay any future bills associated with this.

Earlier, we had asked to look at a male rat; the girl (Kaylynn) had finally come over and asked which one we wanted to look at. When my roommate said the one under the log, she said, "Oh, the sewer rat." We both explained several times that he is not a sewer rat, but an Agouti rat. She then proceeded to pick the poor thing up by its tail! They use their tails for balance, to heat and cool themselves. Also rats have a natural defense called degloving. When something or someone grabs them by their tails, they can make the skin slide off the bone, leaving whatever is left of the tail, with the bone sticking out!

She then proceeded to pet the dogs without asking (which you never do) and my roommate politely said, "Please do not pet the dogs without asking." She got mad, huffed off and said, "Fine, I'll leave you 2 alone!" Well, that was on the 13th of February. I went out into the mall, used a pay phone and called Petco customer relations right after it happened, and have called at least 1 or 2 other times since. They just called today, and when we were able to call back (they had to leave a message as we were out early this morning), we got the assistant manager (I assume, she did not say, but said she was in management). She got very rude, would not listen, and continued to interrupt me while I was trying to explain what had happened.