I know this topic is quite redundant because most of what I want to write are well known facts. But it is just for me to vent out my frustration on what I notice that is going on around me.
I would just like to write more about the local pet business and how I perceive it. All of us know that pet businesses rely heavily on livestock. The profit margin for accessories and ration is relatively low and most of the pet shop operators depend heavily on selling livestock that may bring up to 100% profit. The other profitable services include grooming and boarding.
Let’s spend a moment to just talk about ethics. Business will always remain simply as business at the end of the day because money talks. The question is, will one survive being ethical? In this competitive environment where pet stores are blossoming like mushrooms, many chooses to cut edges and put ethics on the line.
Although business remains as business, the piece of CAKE also remains as a piece of CAKE. The only thing that matters is who’s having the bigger slice. Or should the cake be split equally? But we know, the heart of men is greedy.
I for one will never be successful if I ever venture into the pet business. I will never want to venture into it in the first place. Why? Because I learned from observation that in a business, there is no place for ethics. When faced with a situation to weight between business and ethics, the scale will always tip to where the $$ is. I do not like to make that decision. I know many people starts off a pet business because they have love for animals. Sadly, the love for animals and money should never be mixed. Just like how Luke Skywalker must bring balance to the force, there will always be a dark side lingering nearby.
I know of pet stores that did not survive because their love for animals are stronger than their love for money. But as I mentioned earlier, it is a business at the end of the day.
So, my advice is, don’t open a pet store if you are an ethical person because it will either make you or break you.
Why am I writing this? It is just because I feel very privileged just being an animal lover and being able to enjoy my pets just as they are. There is no pressure as to whether I will lose my business or not because it is not a business to begin with. I cannot bring myself to the level where I make a living out of other living creatures. But of course at the same time, that does not mean I give away rabbits for free. There should always be a balance. One will only appreciate something if it comes with a price and of value. Mine is not a business yet not a charity.
So if you ask me whether pets from pet stores are worth buying, I would say YES and NO. Why?
YES only for those (pet store operators) with a larger than life heart and as for NO, go figure…
Tru-Luv Rabbitry: Quality Holland Lops in Malaysia 
Talking about ethics and business, i would like to give my opinion about this.
My bf and i used to buy the abandoned animals we found in the petshops. Mostly hamsters and chipmunks. They was abandoned and ‘tak laku’ bcoz they was injured and half-dead. We bought these animals not bcoz they was sold cheap, nobody wants to buy them, but bcoz we felt obligated to save these animal’s life. The animals was injured bcoz of the shop owner attitude, and lack of knowledge, of course. They simply mixed the animals without knowing about animals dominance and territory. So end up, we got injured animals displayed. No one will buy injured animals.. unless the ppl feel pity about those animals.
We found some petshops feeding green apple to a young chipmunk, feeding cats food to hamsters, feeding fresh veges to less-than-a-month-old bunnies.
People said, “We start a pet business because we have love for animals,” but look at the quality of the animals they sell in their shop. They sell baby animals at very young age – rabbits, hamsters, sugar gliders etc. Are they shown any ‘love for animals’? They involve in this business bcoz the ‘like’ the animals, and they know they can make money in this business. Dont talk about love when it comes to business.. Like u said, “Business will always remain simply as business at the end of the day because money talks”, “The love for animals and money should never be mixed..”
I wish we can make something about this.. I hope there’s some law or enforcement to educate ‘these people’. Not to stop them from breeding or selling livestock, but to improve the quality of the livestock they sell.. For me, if they want to sell something, they should know a lot about what they sell. Instead of selling pets, they should educate ppl about caring pets, maintaning etc.
I hate to see abandoned livestock in the petshop. I want to see a better environment for these animals. But, do ppl in this business really care about ethics?
thanks for sharing your opinion. I used to have the same attitude and opinion as you when I was younger. I just purchase the sickly pet out of pity. I soon realize that should not be the way. If you purchase a sick animal it means you are creating a demand for them. As the saying in Animal Planet, “When the buying stops, the killing can too”…
I do not think you fully understand business ethics. In business a person has a self-regarding duty to make a profit otherwise they should not be in business. If you have guilt about making a profit, likewise you should do something else. If you are marking up yor product more than two and a half times you are not gouging. The reason so many people fail in business can be attributed to a confused sense of sympathy and kindness. Please look at my link at http://www.business-ethics.net under sympathy and kindness.
Thanks for the pointer Mr. Bromberg. I agree with you on my lack of business knowledge because I am not from the business domain but I am most willing to learn though.
I believe my post is mostly written based on my personal opinion on how I would not be successfully (or even fail badly) owning a pet business due to the enormous sympathy and kindness I have for my pets. I do not think my post is all about the real business world as per say. Although I would love to venture into business, pets will never be it.
In your comment, I am particularly taken to that statement “If you are marking up your product more than two and a half times you are not gouging” because in the pet industry especially life stock, there is no standard price and therefore, one’s personal discretion may see the pet being marked up not only 2.5 times but maybe more.
Thanks once again. And thank you very much for reading.
Honor, justice and simply doing what is right will never go out of style. The bottom line is only the end all of life if we let it be. Doing what you love and doing it well often generates a profit. Acting ethically is no guarantee of success. Just as acting unethically is no guarantee of success. We don’t fight for the right because we will win, we fight because we must. A few decades ago, the casual torture of animals was tolerated without a second glance but that has largely changed. My vet often gives me free advice. I don’t go there because it’s the cheapest. It’s not. I go there because I think they will tell me the truth and won’t steal from me. Maybe I am rewarding them for their ethics.
Thank you very much southwerk!