A few days ago, my husband's daughter went into Salisbury Super Pet.
The store had a sign that said, "Friendly Rat With Cage, was $79.99, Now $29.99."
My stepdaughter put her hand by the side of the cage, and the rat came up and bit her! It was a nasty bite which bled quite a bit. She called my husband, who came to the scene. He took pictures of the sign and the rat, as well as pictures of the bite (which was treated at the PRMC ER), and asked to speak to the manager. He was informed that he was speaking to an assistant manager. When asked what his name was, he replied, "Ryan." When my husband asked, "What's your last name?" the kid answered, "Ryan," refusing to give his last name. My husband then picked up a business card showing the last name and asked how to pronounce it. The kid picked up the phone, called owner Dennis Traum, telling him that something was going on and that he was giving him a "heads up" about it. Mr. Traum arrived, and before my husband, who was being very calm and rational, could even finish explaining that the
rat had bitten his daughter, Mr. Traum ordered him to leave. Mr. Traum called 911 and told them he was going to "have to get physical with this guy."
So, my husband and his daughter were waiting outside when two police cars arrived. They explained what had happened; Mr. Traum came out of the store, and even though it was he who had called 911, the police ordered him back inside the store. After all, his 911 call had included a threat against my husband. The rat has since been picked up by an animal health agency and destroyed. Mr. Traum has banned my
husband from entering the store ever again. Small loss; "Friendly Rat," indeed!
I've heard many bad things about this store in the past, such as their allegedly selling sick animals and I know better than to believe everything I hear 100%. But this is a story I do believe 100%. I've seen the pictures, and having dealt with Mr. Traum in the past, I have found him to be a very unpleasant individual. I know that I would never give this store any of my hard-earned money.
111 comments:
One small correction, which I found out later: She was not actually treated at the ER; she went there and told them she had no money and asked for advice on how to treat the wound.
Also, there should be an employee at Rent-A-Center who will remember my stepdaughter walking in with cupped hands full of blood asking to use their bathroom. (She was asked not to drip blood on the carpet.)
Mr. Traum, when he arrived, had no idea that one of his animals had bitten a shopper. He simply ordered my husband out of the store and would not let him speak. I believe that my husband may attempt to get a copy of the 911 call including Mr. Traum's threat against him. Look out, Dennis. I do believe you've been BLOGGED.
This story kind of reminds me of a situation years ago when I bought fish from their store. Within a few days, they both died because they did not tell me that I could not put them in the same bowl together. One ate the other and both bit the dust! The clerk knew that I was putting them in one bowl when I bought them and never warned me about it.
What was strange - everytime I would go in to the store to talk to the owner, he was never available or never in the store.
selling sick animals is indeed true. we went to lunch near this store and my little girl wanted to go see the pets. So we did. Before we knew it she had talked us into buying a kitten. FREE WITH 20.00 OF SUPPLIES.. Well we figured since it was a pet store we were safe. so we did. The kittens seem to be fine. but however as we got the kitten home we noticed it was very sick. We took kitten to the vet and she had an upper resp infection... It was bad really we really thought the kitten was not going to make it. My 6yr old was very very upset.. we all were. It took us 100.00 and 2weeks later to get her healthy. I called the pet store and they said oh well... They have a vet that comes in to check these animals out so then why are we getting sick animals from them?? I was very upset with the way the store handled this issue. I will never step foot in this store again and I hope the word gets around, makes you wonder how many others are or have gone thru the same thing.. it is sad to know that these animals are really being neglected.. when will someone do something?... My kitten is now doing great, and very healthy now.. she is a real joy to have in our family... At least this is one animal less they have that is now safe from them
two points:
1. i really hate one sided stories. People looking to slam a business have no way to tell a story objectively.
2. This store is one of the few places you actually can interact with animals. Go anywhere else, and you will find everything behind glass. Welcome to lawsuit happy america, where all the floors must be level and wheelchair accessible, there can be no sharp edges, lit brightly. Heavens forbid if there is a tiny hole someone could stick their finger into and get hurt.... A jackpot for the 'victim' and a closure for the business.
Does anyone know where they get there puppies and if they are from puppy mills?
10:08, what do you find one-sided about the obvious wound on my stepdaughter's hand from a "friendly" rat?
It is not true that you cannot interact with the animals at any other pet store. Ask any associate at PetSmart and you will have the animal of your choice in your hands. Animals are behind glass there to protect the animals and keep them healthy, and also to protect the public from themselves. I don't have to "slam" Salisbury Super Pet. It's been done for me over and over again. Try looking up customer reviews on this store; look at the comments above. I can also tell you that my stepdatghter also took advantage of the free kitten with $20 of animal supplies some time ago. This kitten also turned out to be sick and died shortly thereafter.
Just go around at random and ask people if they've dealt with this store. I promise you, you'll get an earful, and most of it will be negative.
BTW, if you want a healthy cat, go to PetSmart and adopt one from the Good Shepherd Cat Sanctuary. You won't be sorry. The fee includes neutering, and the cat will be healthy.
I had a similar experience at this store. There was a parrot for sale and the sign stated his name and that he was "very friendly". It was also misleading that his cage door was left open so that he could climb outside of his cage at will. Even with my cautious advance, he still managed to strike my fingertip and I felt the pain for at least an hour or two. Besides that, I would love to see this store clean up its act since it is one of the only two decent pet stores we have left in Salisbury. The saddest part of this store is the fish section by far!! On any given visit, I can usually spot at least 10 or more dead fish spread amongst the bevy of tanks. If I can spot them through a single walk thru, why can't at least one of their many employees do a frequent walk thru to identfy and properly dispose of them?? It's also troubling the amount of disease that you see in their fish tanks. This is especially true of ich or "white spot disease". Said disease is caused primarily by fish being stressed to the point that their immune system weakens and allows the ich to overrun their body. It is a highly contagious disease which means that it usually results in a breakout in the entire tank. So the next time you visit, see how many dead fish and/or fish covered in white spots that you see and you will realize how poorly handled their fish section is.
I could go on about how their puppy section always reaks of feces and urine or how they frequently manage to overcrowd the cages and tanks but you'll immediately notice both on your next visit. One last thing that always strikes me funny and is misleading to the uninformed customer.....the next time that you are in there, take notice of most, if not all of the for sale signs. There is always a "was" price and a "now" price on everything. This leads the customer to believe that they are getting a deal when in fact the "now" price is always the starting price. See the picture included at the top of this article as "exhibit A".
I find it hard to believe. with the width of the bars on the cage, that the rat reached through the cage and bit the finger. Is it possible that your daughter reached into the cage?
Don't we teach our children not to approach strange animals unless you have the owner's permission? The sign said it was friendly. It did not say stick in your hands to test the friendliness of the rat.
It's a rat for goodness sake. It has sharp teeth. It's a strange animal. Can someone say "DUH"?
YES, THEIR PUPPIES COME FROM PUPPY MILLS!!!!!
99.99% of all puppies sold in pet stores do, regardless of what they try to tell you.
Educate yourselves, buy from respectable and respected breeders, who do not breed for profit, but to improve the breed.
Please contact your local kennel club or someone you know that deals with purebred dogs when looking for a puppy of any breed - they will be more than happy to help you.
Breeding dogs is taken very seriously by real breeders. A Labrador alone must undergo seven different genetic tests before it should be even considered for breeding, and then it should have a title of some sort as well.
SOrry to ramble, but puppy mills just make me want to scream!
Sondra Bozman Daisey
All I can say is if these facts are true, and my child was bitten by a rat, and the pet store owner threatened he was going to "Get Physical" with me....well, he better immediately start dancing and doing a karaoke version of Olivia Newton-John or I would consider that an invitation I would be unable to refuse.
Read the sign, Fool! It says the pet is FRIENDLY!
i remember dennis as a jerk even back in the 80's when he was head lifeguard at the elks. some people never change.
@ 10:54 AM
That picture is at an angle how can you tell how wide the bars are, rats have narrow snouts and can easy bite things out of their cage. My pet rat nibbles things that are near her cage easily!
Anyone else notice how filthy the cages are in SuperPet?
Dear Grannydragon,
I just read the post about healthy cats at pet smart. We purchased one of those healthy cats. We brought it home an it to had an upper respiratory infection (which is contaigous to humans and other animals in the home) it is the equivalent of kennel cough in dogs. So we bring this kitten home only to find that it is sick. I have 2 doxies who love cats and kitten. They then catch the kennel cough from the cat. I now have 3 sick animals and 3 high vet bills. The kitten also had ring worm we found when my kitten started losing fur and one of my doxie was losing fur around her nose. The doxie was nuzzling the kitten in the same spot the ring worm was in Then I had 2 more vet bills. I can back all this up with the bills from the vet located in pet smart, Banfield animal hospital. I also did some research on the people who had the cats there. They are not affiliated with pet smart, they rent that space. I'm not stating a name because I can't remember exactly the name of the organization and do not want to put the blame on the wrong one. The run a no kill shelter in Delaware. They have had several investigations. One of the houses they have is where they send the cats and kittens who have feline lukemia and aids to live and die. Now I agree with no kill if the animal was just abandoned for no reason and is able to live a healthy long life. But lukemia and aids leaves the animal to suffer for a long time. I don't agree with allowing it to suffer. Iknow that I will catch Poop behind some of this, but this is how I feel and is exactly what happened. I do have vet bills to prove it. The reason we got the kitten from pet smart is because we checked out the kittens at salisbury super pet and they were all sick and obviously had worms. We didn't want an immediate vet bill other than shots. Now I feel bad, like I should have taken all and got them all to the vet, but unfortunately I am not rich.
I have just called a few friends and we are going to spend $$ at Super Pet today!!!! They deserve the business!!!
Ms. Caruso. I can't help but think given your last response, you should have been the one "to take one for the team" instead of a child. If you are going to show delusional judgment, why don't you go REALLY big and cover yourself in gravy and perform 'Riverdance' in the African Svannah exhibit of the National Zoo?
BTW..just out of curiousity, most places in the civilized world try to exterminate rats because they are generally considered vile, disgusting, aggressive {FAR FROM F'IN FRIENDLY!}little varmints. You guys know "Ratatouille" was just an animated movie, right?
"put her hand BY THE SIDE" of the cage and the rat came up at bit her"
It's a blantant attempt to take the blame off of the child and realistically it makes ZERO sense.
That phrase in itself makes one suspious as to other aspects of this story, such as the father being calm and rational.
Ok, lets try this again.
Correct response: Approach the person in the store and say 'My daughter put her finger in a cage and got bit by the rat. Can I have some tissues to stop the bleeding. Bad idea on my part for letting her do it'.
Wrong response (yours): 'Where is the manager. What is your full name. Write it down right here so I have it correct for my lawyer. It's not my fault my child is out of control'.
You lament the lack of compassion displayed in both this story (and the rent-a-center story, which you also offered), yet demonstrated that you are only interested in finding the jackpot.
fail.
The solution: become a human being again. Next time, try "Excuse me, can you help me". It works so much better than "I'm going to sue you".
I bought a hamster from them a few years ago. 2 days later it became very ill and sluggish. I called then store to bring him back, but they said that it had to be DEAD first. Well he died and back to SSP we went. When I asked for a refund, they refused and said I could only get store credit!! They made such a big deal about it that I wrote the owner. To his credit he mailed me a $20 gift certificate.
Who gives a sh@t about a rat or that little scratch. Get a life.
Maybe it would be more productive to try to find out what can be done to set this right. There was a sign that siad that the animal was friendly. Would an apology from the store owner and payment for the child's medical treatment be acceptable, for instance. If there is a problem with the fish tanks (and I don't know that there is) would a plan from the store owner to remedy the problem and some follow up be good for the store and potential customers...same with the cat/dog area. This is a local store that has been in business for some time. While I have never had a bad experience there, I haveonly purchased supplies. I would like to see some good come out of this. The owner could take a leadership role that could actually help his business in the long run and take the first step to resolution. Extend your hand and hopefully it won't get bitten (pardon the punn).
Doug...just changed my acoustic strings and you have given me my song of the day to dismember with your last line..."Rat Scratch Fever."
Friendly pet rat. That says it all. The owner should be held liable. He deserves to be sued. Shouldn't the child that got bit get rabies shots? I wouldn't trust that these animals have gotten shots or even seen a vet. I know plenty of people that have gotten sick animals from this store. I give the husband cudos for not actually knocking this man on his behind.
10:08 THE WHEELCHAIR COMMENT WAS NOT NECESSARY! PLEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO ENTER BUSINESSES! GET A GRIP!
Last year my wife and son got 2 free kittens if you purchased 10 bucks worth of stuff. The cats are great now but when we first got them home, we took them to the vet for their shots etc' and the both had respitory infections and bad cases of ear mites.Proved to me there is no such thing as a "free" kitten. They are great pets now, spoiled to the core but just expected a pet from the "pet store" would have at least been in better shape. I'm sure it was a litter that some one had dropped off instead of having them put to sleep. Since then , we have always gone to PetSmart to get our products. Nothing personal against the owner but figured if they didnt take care of the pets in the store we would just shop elsewhere.
Let’s set the facts straight.
First, my daughter did NOT stick her finger in the cage; her finger was on the out side of the cage touching the bars of the cage.
Second, we were not “pretty upset” and when I calmly tried to inform the store owner, he would not let me get a word out – the first thing out of his mouth was leave and that he was going to have to fight me.
Third, it’s obvious how stupid you are; no one said the individual that has “no money” is planning on buying an animal. What if she was going to ask to have one bought as a gift for her? YOU ARE STUPID – YES STUPID
Forth, what “major disturbance”, except for Dennis Traum being MAJORLY DISTURBED; it comes from years of poor customer service and being tired of the complaints.
Fifth, I have not entertained the thought of any lawsuit, I only wanted to collect the information for a report of a bite and make certain that my daughters’ health is not going to be effected by a diseased animal.
Sixth, my daughter is 22 y.o.a. and was there to by food for her Bata-fish. She doesn’t have money for emergency room costs as she helps out a family owned cleaning business which does not supply health insurance.
I took photos to document the situation BEFORE Dennis Traum got rid of the evidence. I’m sorry you are so stupid to think of that.
And a little education here… I was concerned about what diseases’ that rat might have and that evening, researching the web, I found out that rats almost never carry rabies.
Wow how times have changed! In the late seventies as child I would always go to the pet section of the Mcrorys (not sure how to spell it, my mom and grandmother called it the ten cent store). Anyway, one night I put my finger in the hamster cage and yep, it got bit....the worker there came rushing over and asked if I was ok, and at the exact same time, both my parents said its just a scratch he was just being stupid.
Yes, I ahve experienced the sick animals and fish from SSP. Joe, I am surprised you defended the friendly animal sign. Isn't everyone missing a huge point here. ANIMAL. Not civilized human being...ANIMAL.
Reese Bobby said...
BTW..just out of curiousity, most places in the civilized world try to exterminate rats because they are generally considered vile, disgusting, aggressive {FAR FROM F'IN FRIENDLY!}little varmints. You guys know "Ratatouille" was just an animated movie, right?
11:47 AM
So, point here..animal...rat...stick finger in cage...finger get bit...now child learned not to stick finger in cage....come on people...animal is an animal. They get scared and react, get over it. If you have an issue with how the employees treated you, ok.
Instead of demanding his last name, did you ask? Did you say yeah my kid did a stupid act and got bit, or did you jump off about the sign?
Lesson learned..right..I bet she will never get bit again.
Great-stupid poor white trash kid sticks finger in cage-rat bites. Rat is then put to sleep, or worse.
I have been shopping at SSP for years and years, mostly supplies and fish. everytime i go in there, it may take a few minutes to get some assistance but there is always someone i can talk to who knows their stuff.
It is also my belief that if you are there to purchase an animal as a pet, you should have some knowledge of the animal you are buying. Who in the world would go to a pet store and buy an animal without examining it????? You most definitly should not be in care of an animal if you can't tell that the cat has ear mites or is sick. And with the responsibliity of being the owner of a pet, comes the responsibility of taking it to the damn vet. You can't afford pet bills? Don't own a pet. You can't affort pet bills? Don't buy a sick animal. Yes animals may get sick after you have had it for some time, but i think that would be no one's fault at the pet store you purchased from. Get a grip people. SSP has been open for years and years. If the owner, who i have met once, was such an incompetent business man with rude employees and never took responsibility for their actions im sure that the business would not be open right now!! oh and btw. whenever i have an issue with a fish that i have bought, they take care of it. Like when i bought a 25$ pirannah and it died after MONTHS of having it, i went into the store to buy a new one. I told the employee what had happened and they refunded it. Its called MANNERS people. And fiy, 22 year old girl got bit by a rat in a pet store.. is embarressed she acted like a 12 year old and is lying to you! she stuck her finger in that cage!!
oh and another thing. She went to the PRMC ER??? Isn't sbynews notorious for bashing PRMC and their ER? How can they do thier job correctly and in a timely matter when they are dealing with irresponsible 22 year old girls who have a rat bite on their finger?? Puh-leaseee.
Hey...don't twist my words. I defend the owner in this situation at all; NEITHER BY:
1) This guy's original dubious decision to try to sell rats for a thirty spot, when most places will spend at least $2 per head to kill them. Ron White of the classic "Blue Comedy Tour" recently did a new routine where he talked about how NYC said there were 100 million rats in the sewer system their. This brilliant stand-up philosopher asked the question we all wanted an answer to-if you were going to count them; why didn't you just kill them, too?? {One....thunk...two...thunk...three...thunk,etc.}.
2) 1:17. Do you often get your jollies over children getting hurt due to mixed messages sent by adults?
3) Seriously, are you really trying to sell rats for 20 plus large. Why not try selling malaria-laden Panama Canal mosquitos 12 for a dollar; or 23 for two dollars??
4) Pick a fictional screen name so we can discuss this further so I don't have to insult otherwise reasonable people with your CYA gibberish.
5) If I had a phone, I would have a .......{SHAFT!! Shut your mouth!}.
I believe a tetanus shot is needed. The health dept could help you out on that at little or no cost.
TO EVERYONE WHO THINKS THERE IS A LAWSUIT OR THINKS THE GIRL PUT HER FINGER IN THE CAGE.
She did not put her finger in the cage. I witnessed what happened and that story is true. There is no lawsuit you need the information about manager and store so that you can contact the Rabies control center. They have already exterminated the rat and tested for rabies. The person who was bit does not have the money for frequent hospital visits. But that doesn't mean that they have absolutely no money whatsoever, they drove themselves to the hospital to have the wound evaluated and ask for advice concerning cleaning deep into the wound.
Hey1:03 you daughter sounds so stupid. Does she mix the Beta fish together so they can kill each other? I anyone has ever head of a rat being able to bite someone outside of a cage please let us know
2:00 PM
You don't know if someone is lying or not. You weren't there.
Reese Bobby, get of the horse you rode in on. This is about someone being bitten by an animal. No wonder we loose businesses in Salibury. People like you keep trying to tear them down by your negative comments
2:28. I think that is an outstanding idea. Perhaps the Health Department/Animal Control could even visit the store first thing Monday morning for a full evaluation of what appears to be, based on comments here, a questionable facilty?? Your attempts at blatant spin, and damage control are only making you look insensitive, even more insensitive as alleged when the incident was actually happening BTW..
2:41. Any chance you, and your kin, are watching Hee-Haw re-runs down by the see-ment pond tonight?? Try to grip the crayon {and the banjo} a bit tighter between your toes next time!!
I also witnessed this, she didn't provoke or stick her finger in the cage, it was held near the outside of the cage and the rat stuck his nose out to bite. I was looking at puppies when I saw her look around for someone and rush out when there were no employees nearby. It was bleeding quite bad and I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to wait for an employee to come and help.
Facts are facts! A child was bitten by a rat! I hope the Health Dept. goes and investigates... but please wear a mask, the place smells terrible. Went there once last year for fish food. The key word here for those who "don't get it" I went once!
Read this before you think that a cage can stop a rat from biting objects near it.
Quote concerning introducing a rat to a new rat:
While you are doing this you may want to also place the cages close together so they can see and smell each other, but don’t put the cages so close that they can touch each other. Rats will find ways to bite each other through cage bars if they are determined enough to do so.
anon 2:57 said that he/she witnessed the event and that the person did not stick her finger in the cage. But in the next sentence, this "Witness" was "looking at puppies when I saw her look around for someone".
Which is it? Did the "witness" see the hand get bit or was the "witness" looking at puppies?
Should of called this post"Smashing Pumkins"
After all arent we all just RATS in a cage.
I have been dealing with super pet for the past ten years with fish only. I have never met the owner but he has some great employees. I have always had good luck with his fish. I have had 2 die on me and they always replaced them. I have 2 silver dollar fish that are 10 years old.I will continue to buy my fish from him.
Ask yourself an age old question or two when dealing with animals.One,have I had dealings with this animal before?Does he have teeth.If you answered no to both questions then chances are he won't bite you.If you answered yes then chances are much better of you being bit.Just because the sign say nice animal does not mean he won't smell sominthing on your finger the he might want to eat.Just because the sign in my shop says beware of dog does not mean he will bite you.In fact I dont have a dog in the shop.Come on people thing is here the young lady who stuck her finger next to the cage was not exactly using her brain either.I have customers tell me all the time their dog won't bite but I always use the logic if he has teeth there is a chance he will bite you!
Billy Corgan is a wanker. Tis post is more comparable to UB40's "There's a Rat in Mi' Kitchen." That's nasty, baby..
to anon 3:01.
Fact are facts? The fact is this was not a CHILD but is an ADULT.
We have got to party Reese, you are on the edge of personality disorder or neck deep with sanity. This is sheer entertainment for you isnt it? Crazy B@stard.
How can a rat be friendly?
Too much anthropomorphism.
Only good rat is a dead rat.
Bobby Reese,I'm not spinning anything. I wouldn't know any of the parties involved if I fell over them if that is what you are insinuating, though I have been in that pet shop several times.
I call things as I see them, always keeping in mind that there are 3 sides to every story. His side, her side and the true side.
I mentioned the tetanus shot because I was bitten 30+ years ago by a friendly rabbit. I was hand feeding the rabbit and he mistakenly nipped my finger. A tetanus shot was recommeded.
if you look closely at the picture of her finger you can see a cut on her outside finger also. maybe she had all of these cuts before she entered the store and this is all a big scam. i do not believe a word of it.
Are both hands in the picture the same girl's hand? If so, I would be just as worried about the cuticle infection she seems to be sporting on the other hand. Honestly, the rat bite looks cleaner than the other wound.
Lawyers, you cant hide Cletus.
2:57
you witnessed this event. you said you were looking at puppies when you saw her run out of the store. if you were looking at puppies how did you see her get bitten? you either saw it or you didnt. from what YOU said, you were in the store, in the same area doing something altogether different. you are a liar! did the cut you in for some of the action?
we need some answers on the other injury. something is fishy.
let me tell you what brother. i met dennis and his family back when i was doing some contract work at the civic center. one of my associates was having some issues with his pet snake damien. even though he was no vet dennis was glad to help out took care of my good buddy jakes pet snake.hes a good man and i just wanted to offer my support and a shout out to an all around good guy. please continue to make salisbury the place i fell in love with back when i was touring the world, brother!
I have a variety of pets.. birds, dogs, and fish. I bought a couple of parrots from Super Pet and they were as healthy as can be. Not a single problem with them. I spent ~1500 or so for them a few years ago. I have never met Dennis, but the employees there were very helpful. I held the birds on my hand before I bought them, but before doing so, I informed the employee that i am an experienced bird handler, would accept all risks, etc. In fact, the parrot was a bit resistant to the employee's attempts to get the bird out of the cage, and I offered to help and successfully got the bird out of the cage without incident. I have no problems what so ever with the bird area of Super Pet.
The dog area is a different story. I am not a big fan of puppy mills which is what I consider the dogs from Super Pet. I also don't care for the way they are presented to the customers in makeshift playpens crammed together. I'm honestly a bit surprised there hasn't been an incident occur with them. Parent lets their kids go absolutely apesh!t crazy grabbing at the puppies in these makeshift playpens and parents need to exercise some control over their kids.
Onto the fish department. Over the years, I have had both freshwater and salwater fish, including a reef. The display and care of the fish just don't do anything for me. The tanks are poorly lighted for the most part and the fish just don't look all that healthy to me. The fish related supplies are also grossly overpriced for the most part. Check other places and the internet and you will see what I mean. That being said, I have never bought a fish from them and tend to go to either Petsmart (freshwater), Pacific Aquaculture (aka Dr. Macs in Mardela), or mail order.
This brings me to the pet rat situation. Just because a sign says "Friendly Pet Rat" doesn't NOT mean its friendly to YOU! It may have been friendly to the previous owner, or the employees, but it hasn't met YOU yet. You might be giving off a bad vibe or something, who knows. The rats, if I remember correctly, are kept over on the same side as the puppies.. just to the left of the makeshift playpens on the left side of the store. Animals on that side of the store spend their ENTIRE day having kids going apesh!t over the puppies and having kids poke their fat little fingers in cages. Meanwhile their parents stand there oblivious to the entire situation wondering how they are going to say "no" when the kid wants to buy it or figuring out how they will afford it.
I'm not trying to defend SuperPet, but parents need to exercise just a little more control over their kids while in that store. Last time i was in there, someone's kids (2 of em) had shoes with the built in wheels on and were treating the place like a roller rink!
Sorry for rambling a bit, it just needed to be said.
Kevingar
5;28. Mr. Bollea; I just watched a youtube clip of a little, un-juiced, gerbil lawyer putting you back into your little hole during a live tv interview while you were trying to evoke sympathy by showing up at the hearing on crutches. Hey, old fella'....stick with trying to slug it out with your own wife; who is clearly still kicking you in the hizz-azz. Wooooooooo-Brother!!
all this because a RAT bit your daughter?? its a rodent whether the sign says friendly or not suck it up and put a band aid on it. some people now-a-days got nothing better to do then cry and throw a fit, no im not talking about the little girl -kt
Man them fingers are nasty looking if I was the rat I'd bite you too.Why dont you just go get a manicure so you can get them nasty looking fingers cleaned up and quit your useless crying.
hey if that girl starts craving large quantities of cheese, sprouts a tail, grows some unusual whiskers...... you got a big problem!!!!
hey, what about a couple years ago when they were trying to sell and alligator? Do you remember that? That was illegal.
anon 9:32 maybe why he is never there is that he probably soaking up in his profits and partying.
A couple things--
ANY ANIMAL WITH A MOUTH CAN BITE!! Just because you dont use common sense around an animal doesnt make it someone elses fault.
I have bought 2 dogs from this pet store and had no issues, so just so the world knows good things come from this store
The "assistant manager" is actually the store manager...way to lie in your sweet little blog
anon 1:03 WOW your daughter was really smart!
I was in the store when this "incident" happened..i love how your husband is described as "being very calm and rational" considering i watched all 4 employees in the store asking your raging husband if he could state what was wrong and he just yelled about knowing the managers last name...so they had no idea what happened, also maybe your photographer should have taken a picture of the cage the rat is on..its a ferret cage and the ferret cage has a sign that says "PLEASE DO NOT PLACE FINGERS NEAR CAGE, ANIMAL MAY BITE"... guess you left that out because it doesn't go with the dreamworld you live in
i have a problem with the fact that you had the rat "destroyed"...
the people at the pet store were trying to find the rat a good home and save it from being fed to something...your daughter came along and stuck her finger in his face...now he's dead...
talk about jerks...
that "kid" manager has more sense than your genius daughter
This doesnt have anything to do with the rat because this whole thing is rediculous, but the best way to find out if a dog is from a puppy mill is if the dog has a breeder. If that information is not available then bam you have a puppy mill. My parents have a Yorkie from there and it is purebred and from oklahoma..and its healthy
A few years back i bought a husky from super pet, I went in there when the puppy first arrived at 8 weeks old. The price for the husky was 999.99 at that time. Well i am a husky lover but i have never spent that kinda money on either of mine and there purebred. So i kinda fell for this pup, so i figure i would stop in every once in awhile to see how the pup was doing and if the price drops. Well 3 1/2 months later i went in super pet and the pup looked terrible very skinny, and scared wouldn't come up to people. This is a good sign of abuse! Price is 799.99 now, So i went to a employee there and asked her if the price was going down anytime soon i still couldn't afford 799.99 at this point and i felt really bad for the pup. It needed a good home and it was getting treated good there, remember i followed this dog closely week after week!The employee said she would ask dennis if he could drop the price for me and she would call me. She called me a few days later and said if the pup wasn't sold within a month he would reduce it to 600.00. I told her i thought that was crazy this dog needs a home and i'm the only one who cares. The OWNER obviously is a greedy person, it was money over the pet's best interest in this case. So i went in week after week, she got skinner and skinner and then the month was up and i purchased her for 600.00 still more than i ever paid for my others but i felt as if i was doing the right thing. I was really dissapointed with this pet store and refuse to ever refer them or buy from them unless i see another incident like this in there. I had a very large vet bill, becuase she had worms, respitory problems etc... about 1500.00 all together over 3 months for her treatment. Today she is doing well. I and i wouldn't have changed a thing other than wishing she had never made it in this pet store to begin with. This store needs to take better care of the puppies, they charge top dollar and i think they can give them a better enviroment. I also know i am not the only one in this town who has experienced a situation like mine with this store. I feel for the animals there, there should be better checks and balances in there from our local officials! This is an unfortunate situation, but the OWNER should know better then to advertise any of his pet's friendly that to me is a liability in it's self. It gives fuales ideas! All animal like people have an aggresive side and this is the OWNERS responsibilty. There is a responsibilty of parents i agree, but the Rat shouldn't have been in a cage with slots for hands, fingers etc... It should have been in the glass type aquarium. I feel for the victim and the animal. It is truely ashame, Hopefully this opens some eyes here in this town and officials will watch this store closely!
I took my two children into Super Pet and bought them each a panda hamster about 4 months ago, i had them each read about hamsters before even going into the store. The sign on the cage said very friendly!! We got the hamsters and got home and after my daughter ate dinner she went to take her hamster out and he bit her. And my daughter defended the hamster saying that she had food on her hands. We still have the hamsters and both of my children love them. This is how pet buying should be.
hey his last name is mellow
umm of course they said that grannydragon. Who wants some random girl, who just got bit by a rat, bleeding on their carpet? haha why would you want to pet a rat in the first place? well at least we can all agree we are happy to see that there is one less rat in the world. love the wording about it too, "destroyed". great
anyone dumb enough to buy a pet rat deserves to be bit by a rat.
@9:56 PM
Liar Liar, Pants on fire.
Dennis don't make comments to try and pride your store. If you were really there you would know who the photographer was. By the way people, stop reading between the lines. This is about how the situation was handled. :) Why doesn't someone look at the security tapes if they really wanna see who exploded in anger.
newsflash - animals bite, even friendly animals. thats why you should teach your children not to go poking their fingers in cages that have animals, they get scared when something is invading their home. i don't blame the store one bit. i would bite someone if they were poking me too!
@8:40 AM
newsflash-
no animals got 'poked' as you say
If the girl approached the rat with any scent of food on her hand it's an animals instinct to want a taste too. Kids should be cautioned by their parents when approaching an animal. Friendly or not. animals seek out scents & we as parents need to make our children aware of these dangers.
@10:22 AM
No food scent. Not a kid. Missed the point. Reread everything and try and figure it out.
10:22
I'm sorry but this isn't about the scent of food. It's about a business owner not properly advertising and caging the rat. If this was any of your kids on this blog, you too would see the reality in this. In todays world all business operate with high liabilities. This business should have been alittle more careful and truthful in it's approach to sell this rat. How you handle or cage your pet rat is different in your home, but this business has a responsibility in protecting it's customers and they failed! End of story!
i love how no one takes responsiblity anymore. maybe the rat should have been behind glass but you also need to take responsibility in the fact that maybe your child should not have put their fingers in the cage. no one ever wants to take the blame anymore and just passes it along. i know the family who owns the store and it sounds to me like you flew off the handle and they called 911 because they were worried for their own safty because you were so enraged. if everyone had just tried to communicate by talking instead of yelling maybe the cops wouldnt have had to come. maybe the lesson here is that yes, an animal like that should be behind glass and yes, people should realize it is an animal they are sticking their fingers in to see and not a stuffed toy - animals bite, end of story!
The rat should have been behind glass! Store owners responsibilty beyond that point. Lets remember of few of us bloggers have dealt with this store owner in past and his actions havn't left us with the best taste in our mouths! Oh yeah how about all the puppies that have been sick, look stick skinny and are sitting in there own fecies for hours when you visit the store. Try house breaking one of his puppies not easy beings they sit in it. Guess that isn't the owners responsibilty either!
here's a thought - if you go to the zoo and a sign next to the bear cage says "friendly bear" would you stick your fingers in? use common sense
anonymous 1:30, STOP being so stupid. First of all, the Zoo isn't going to be so stupid as to put up a sign saying they have a friendly Bear.
Besides, there's a pretty big difference between a bear and a rat.
Well look at it this way, people have been holding up signs for the last year that says change is on the way, guess you cant believe everything a sign says. But really, if the sign stated the rat was friendly, I would be tempted to try and see how friendly it was. Maybe try to pet it or something. I dont think there would be any beef if there hadn't been a sign up stating the critter was friendly. I also realize this goes beyond the actual incident, and into how it was handled. If I was the father, and felt I wasn't getting any satisfaction, I would have been one irrate person. Rights right and wrongs wrong. This seems more about principal than the bite.
I am sorry but there is no way that the majority of us are going to pet a rat just becuase it has a sign that says friendly on it. Some of you are just insane, no pet store should advertise any of there pets as friendly for liability issues even if they cuddly and nice to the workers. Listen if my daughter got bit by this or any other rat in a store, i would hold that store responsible. Come on people this story is plain and simple, bad business pratices.
@4:30 PM
Thank you for being one of the top logical thinkers in Salisbury. I'm glad someone realized that this was more of how it was handled instead of what happened.
You guys are losers. Animals bite and animals get sick. Are you stupid? Its a business, problems occur. Get a life!
Great information thanks for sharing this with us.In fact in all posts of this blog their is something to learn . your work is very good and i appreciate your work and hopping for some more informative posts . Again thanks
i got a kitten from there 5 years ago. he never had any problems and he is super healthy. i have never had any problem with that pet store ever.
Really people! First off anyone with half a brain would know that animals bite, especially when they are frightened and dont know you. You have to give them time to get to know you and as you play with them they become friendly towards you. And to the person who was looking at the bird (take this from an eight year bird owner) A bird when it first meets you isnt going to be friendly and not bite. that poor baby dosnt know your intentions! Getting a bird used to you to where he don't bite you takes months and lots of patience and love.
I have never had a bad experience with SSP! The staff have always been friendly and knowledgeable (except for one time which was last night when I bought an snowflake eel.) now I have an eel I know not much about, but anyway over the past two years I have delt with them, they are knowledgeable, friendly and eager to help and even told me if I bring in some of my water from my saltwater tank that they'd test it for me. I have never smelled a bad odor in there and the fish for the most part are usually healthy. And I have had one die on me and I'm not so sure that was thier fault cause this is my first saltwater tank so Im learning......Other than that I have never had one of thier animals be unhealthy. In fact about three months ago my bf and I was given a free ferret from there because the owner had dropped it off saying he didnt want it anymore. From the moment we have had him, we love him to death and he is our baby. So SSP is not bad, it's just ignorant assed people who don't know how to deal with certain types of animals!
Learn about an animal before you mess with it and second off keep in mind those animals dont know you so of course they're going to bite!
Sorry I'm a bit late jumping in here. I just wanted to add that I worked at SSP for years. I knew Dennis pretty well and I can't imagine him getting loud. I've seen him angry, but he just gets quiet. IMO, he's usually a decent guy.
Also, the puppies came from local breeders. We dealt with some of the same problems that animal shelters dealt with - kennel cough, frequent puppy diarrhea, etc. I think it was just an issue of too many animals coming through there too fast. Not excusing it, but really I think that stuff is a fact of life for pet stores.
As far as kittens go, the store takes in kittens from people just dumping them off. The kittens could be sick when SSP takes them in, but honestly, at least the store is trying to find the kittens a good home, as opposed to people just dumping them somewhere.
As far as the rat bite, I don't know what else to say except that rodents have NO other defense mechanism than biting. It's been said previously on here that maybe the rat somehow felt uneasy and bit her. I've had pet rats from there, who were generally quite friendly (took naps on my shoulder, etc), and if I startled them or something, occasionally they would bite. Kinda the nature of the beast.
Regarding the cleanliness, all I can say is that when I worked there, we bleached pretty much everything daily. There are just a lot of animals there. I think all pet stores deal with this issue.
Anyhow, of course I wasn't there when this occurred, but just wanted to share my insight as a former employee.
I bought my first fish there, a betta. It died in under a week because the water in the cup has fungus growing in it an dthe beta had the beginnings of a bad bulge, but I didn't know it (first fish, still naive). I'm not going to get any live animals from there anymore, HOWEVER I will buy non living items there.
Oh also, your daughter got bit by a rat she put her finger near? Hory shet! Rats bite sometimes, maybe you shouldn't offer it the opportunity. "B-but friendly..." Hey, people get bit by "friendly" dogs too, big surprise. Always be cautious, don't tempt Murphy's law. Where are different kinds of friendly, it's all about comparison. They still should have had written on the sign "please don't stick anything into the cage", just as a precaution. They do it with the parrots in other stores.
The good news is that your daughter lived and now she is all the more wiser to keep her fingers to herself.
Ok So I Want To Buy A Puppy Should Not Buy One There? Anyone Have A Bad Puppy Experience?
Ratsnds Me Of A Dog We Had Growing Up .When She Ate She Was Extremely Aggressive Towards Anyone Who Came Near Her Food .She Would Snap At Us If We Tried To Pet Her .Otherwise She Was A Good Dog.My Dad Told Us To Stay Away From Her While She Ate .We Understood The ConsequenceS If We Didn't I Think My Conversion With The Child Would Have Went A Little Like THis That's What You Get When You STick Your Finger In A Rats cage
Also, the service there sucks, all the employees are rude and try as hard as they can to not talk to you when you ask them a question about an animal. My mom asked one boy about one of the puppies he quickly answered my mom then threw her a book about the dog and walked away. He was very rude and ignorant. if you askme the manager needs some new and nicer and respectable workers.
Puppy Mills IS Where They Get Their Puppies
I work there #1 rule is don't put fingers in or near the cage.
Don't be stupid because all animals take trust I know about this and we fed that rat to the snake cause of a kid not following directions
Classicly stereotypical I have 2 rats and have many friends who have rats as well and I was never bitten without being mean
And where do you recommend that we get the puppy's from???
The store gives you all the information about the breeders when you buy a puppy from them along with a coupon to the vet that had been providing vet services since they received the puppy. I know this bcuz we purchased our puppy from them.
Local breeders? You lying! I worked there too and they definitely from puppy mills as all the animals there come from mills. Quit lyin
Thought the mom said it was picked up by and animal health agency and disposed of?
Just people showing their ignorance... My brother had a pet rat and they're actually really clean... Pet rats aren't the same as the big city rats u see running in the streets.. I wish people would do some research or at least have a little knowledge before just spouting out s*** that they know nothing about..
I'm not saying either party has full blame or full immunitty... But I'm almost positive no one mentions sueing anyone... She may have been asking for the manager to b able to use the bathroom because theres no public restroom or for one of a million different reasons.. y do people automatically assume that's why... And as someone stated before even if he finger was next to the cage the rat could have bitten it by sticking it's nose and snout through the bars... With that said without knowing the rat she shouldn't have done that either... And y is it hard to believe dad was calm... Again no one mentioned lawyers or sueing anyone.. so why play the blame game?? None of us were there so why out in our two cents especially if it's criticizing someone that we dont know.. like can't the world grow up? This is part of the problem with today's world... Everyone jumps the gun and make accusations assuming the worst...
I think the big deal is how the owner of the store handled the situation... Yes she shouldn't have been that close to the cage but the owner being an adult and the OWNER of the store should have acted at least somewhat professional... If he had I'm sure his post never would ha e even happened...
Wow this is the first and only comment so far that actually makes sense... Isntead of everyone complaining and blaming why not try to do something for the good of the store pets customers etx... We can't change the past but can work on things moving forward!! Thank you kto who ever posted this!! Honestly at least so far the rest of the forum or post if whatever it's considered is a waste of time and space
Ok once again... This is getting ridiculous... I have been on your "side" for most if this post because I didn't think you were in the wrong but really name calling.. tour old enough to have a 22 y.o. step daughter so I'm assuming your old enough to know better than to stoop that low... Like come on.. what's going to get resolved by posting this? I use to live Salisbury super pet and haven't been in years but a lot of friends and family have been having more and more comolaints.. my sister and Mom got some chicks and a day later one has issues.. so why not use this post to focus on finding solutions and way to improve this store and get it back to where it use to be? Like honestly wouldn't that be better and make this whole incident somewhat worth while? If not why even do this post int he first place? Can't we all grow up and either work together to try and solve so e issues or just delete it and move on with our lives?
I AM IN A WHEELCHAIR!!!! LOST MY LEG LAST JUNE. YOUR A F...... IDIOT!!!
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