Pet Society

As a pet shop employee, you'll be part of a team of people trying to sell pets and pet supplies to the public. You'll keep busy every day doing things like stocking shelves, taking inventory, ordering new products, helping customers, and cleaning up. You'll fill feed bins when they get low, place sale items on special racks, and set up signs and posters. You might have to sweep the floor and lock everything up at the end of the day. In addition to providing often inadequate care to animals, pet shops that sell animals contribute to the already overwhelming problem of overpopulation in shelters and rescue groups. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, sales of live animals in the pet industry totaled $1.6 billion in 2004. In a 2003 survey, only 38% of U.S. pet shops reported that they did not sell any live animals (birds, small animals, reptiles and amphibians, kittens, puppies, or salt or freshwater fish). Most animals sold in pet shops are not protected by the federal Animal Welfare Act. Some states have laws that address the care and treatment of animals kept in a retail environment, but these laws vary widely in quality and scope.