What happens to the animals in pet stores when the animals get a little old for adoption/purchase?

i own a pet store now and we've only been open for like a year now and when the dogs get to old at this store then we drop the price until they sell, but other pet store owners that we've talked to about this kind of thing have only had it happen like one or two times and they just send them back to the breeders or the supplier that they got them from like lam-brier or hunt corp. and they usually sell them to legal breeders so that they can use them to breed the next generation.so don't worry. i haven't heard of any yet that euthanize them.

It depends on the kind of animal and how it was acquired by the pet shop. They don't really have a "sell-by" date. The pet shop owner will usually not tend any veterinary needs of the animals. Their main intent is to have animals for as short a time as possible to keep feed costs down. Standard practice for larger animals is to return them to the place they came from if they are sick. Smaller mammals can be used (either live or frozen) to feed snakes and other reptiles that the pet shop is selling. Very small animals are usually not a problem because they don't take up much space and can stay longer. If they are injured or die they too become food for other animals in the shop or are simply discarded with the trash. If a larger animal or an expensive one is at the shop so long it becomes more expensive to keep it fed usually the price is marked down so it will sell quickly. On holidays and weekends most states require someone to still make sure the animals are fed/watered/cleaned whether the shop is open or not. If there is a medical need that is very simple and inexpensive to treat (like a case of fleas on a puppy) the shop owner may want to treat it.

I worked in a pet store for 2 years and we had this breeder how has black lab pups like twice a year... they start out really cute and cuddly-at 6 weeks old- but if they do not get adopted they get really BIG! We had some that were 6 months old before they left. They just stayed in the cages day in and day out until someone got them, and not a lot of people were interested in them cuz they were soo big and had soo much energy!! As pups they would run for about $500, by the time we sold them they were on sale for like $250 and still no one looked at them cuz we had smaller and cuter dogs! We also had Persian cats that happened to and some mixed kitties. It is a sad situation, and that is one reason why i quit working there. We kept all the animals until they were sold.... We loved them soo much but felt really bad for them cuz they were always stuck in the cages! We let them out when we were there in the morning, but that is like 30 minutes a day!

Pet Stores usually buy their "stock" from Puppymills / Commercial Breeders for next to nothing, and try to sell them for a pnenominal price (profit). They do not know the background of any of the litters they buy, that is why most of them are "ACA" registered (bogus). As the pups get a little older or bigger, they keep reducing the price until someone thinks they're getting a great bargin! WAS $989.... NOW $300 (or less). Most of these pups are poorly raised and are not in the best of health. Even at $300 they've probably made a $200 profit for a sickly pup.

Froggie- with you being in Missouri, I'm sure you've seen and/or heard alot about these puppymill dogs. I'm so glad to hear you do not sell puppies or kittens. I know a breeder up there that I almost got duped by. I was going to buy a puppy from her. Supposedly born on July 8th. She just wanted to handle everything over the phone or via the internet. I don't buy sight unseen, so when I tried to set up a weekend to meet her, sire and dam and see the pups to pick one out, she refused to answer my calls or emails. Well just yesterday, I saw one of her advertisements for a 4 wk old pup with the same mother. That means she bred the dog her very next heat........ and she has 6 females. New litters CONSTANTLY. Pugs, puggles, yorkies, "miniature" beagles, dobermans........ amazing! Someone needs to shut these breeders down.

Am a pet shop owner and our store policy is to place free for adoption any animal we've sold that is returned. We will not knowingly let rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and other returned pets be fed to snakes. We cannot say this about some shops that have been around in the past. Hunte-who is a wholesale supplier of puppy mill dogs, is located right here in Missouri. We know a lot of breeders who sell to Hunte. We do not sell dogs/cats because we know the conditions they come from before customers get them. Hunte pays $150-$250 for a dog and they pay less during the summer months, to the breeder, Hunte, in turn, sells to a pet shop for $300-$500 and the shops, a lot of them in places like Florida, sell dogs from Missouri puppy mills for up to $1500. Customers find out as early as one year about health problems associated with ill bred animals. Please remember that you read this and pass it on to anyone who wants to buy a dog or cat from a pet shop.

Pet Shops In Scotland ( Where I Live ) Are Not Allowed To Sell Puppies And Kittens , Their Only Allowed To Sell Hamsters/Guinea Pigs Etc. Only Small Animals

They get euthanized or turned into puppy mill producers. If they are lucky, they might get turned over to breed rescues, but it is very difficult to home a dog who has lived in its own filth for months, was pulled from its mother too young, and who never has been inside a house before. I don't ever buy anything from a pet store that sells live animals, especially puppies and kittens. Like there aren't 10 million animals that die in shelters in this country alone every year. Adopt a shelter animal or if you need a dog for a very specific working purpose, get one from a very responsible breeder.

From what I have seen - when the puppies get older the pet shop will reduce their price. I have seen them for 50% to 75% off. As long as the pet shop can make money they will keep the animal for sale.

Well, in pet shop's they used to put sick animals in the back to die which in my opinion is VERY crule.I just hope they do this with dogs and kittys that are too 'old'

In our town whenever the animals do not get adopted they are taken to a woman that keeps them and we have like "adoption days" at a local hardware store and they are always adopted. I believe that the ones that do not get adopted are either reduced in price or are given to the local animal shelters where they are either adopted out or eventually go to heaven....