Petsmart flyer!

[Itsapitty]

Imagine my surprise when I opened up the Petsmart Sales flyer to find a section on the Banfield Pet Hospital with a picture a veterinarian and a pit bull! Nice!

[Kingsgurl]

He's on Banfields signage about their new hours in our store too. Nice looking dog. Looks like Martin actually

[heather]

Awww..... Very cute!!

[dawnapbt]

maybe they are trying to woo the bully breeds since Petsmart excludes them from their boarding / pet hotel.

[indianas_mom]

I'm glad they used the photo in the advertising...BUT...

Pit Bulls are banned from their grooming salons in Ontario since the ban went into effect.

The explanation they gave a friend is that a Pit Bull must be muzzled in public due to Bill 132, and they will not groom a muzzled dog because the dog can not pant with a muzzle on. They say dogs always pant when they are nervous at the groomer's.

They won't even do a quick nail trim.

People who use muzzles know that a dog CAN pant in a basket muzzle.

[pibbles and bits]

I love jefferspet.com's catalog, because they use bullies in most of their pics

[Kingsgurl]

I'm glad they used the photo in the advertising...BUT...

Pit Bulls are banned from their grooming salons in Ontario since the ban went into effect.

The explanation they gave a friend is that a Pit Bull must be muzzled in public due to Bill 132, and they will not groom a muzzled dog because the dog can not pant with a muzzle on. They say dogs always pant when they are nervous at the groomer's.

They won't even do a quick nail trim.

People who use muzzles know that a dog CAN pant in a basket muzzle.

They don't use basket muzzles to groom. They have very strict policies regarding the length of time the dogs can wear the safety muzzles. 20 minutes, no more. Since the LAW in your area PROHIBITS them from removing the muzzle, even when the dog is stressed, they can not groom your dog. Blame the law in your area, not PetSmart in this instance. All the groomers in my store LOVE Pit Bulls, as they are generally the least difficult to handle.

[heather]

I know that Petsmart has decided not to allow bully breeds into daycare, but I thought that they WERE allowed in boarding and obedience. What is the truth? If this is true I won't buy anything from them. With all the pit bull owners out there we could definately make a difference.



Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 9:21 PM
Subject: Petsmart excludes pit bulls from Doggy Day Care





L A TIMES.COM

PetSmart takes heat for excluding pit bulls from doggie day care
Newsday's pet columnist and blogger Denise Flaim writes in a recent post that the pet supplies retailer PetSmart has been the target of online complaints about “breedist” requirements at its doggie day-care facilities.

Its PetsHotel and Dog Day Camp programs do not welcome any dogs with a “bully breed” classification, which it defines as “American Pit Bull Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bull Dogs, Bull Terriers or mixed breeds that have the appearance or characteristics of one of these breeds.” It also retains the right to reject individual dogs of any breed.

“I will no longer patronize them in any way -- and have written them to tell them so,” wrote one irate cross-poster. “On the Web site, there is a ‘contact us’ capability to send an e-mail. I thought a good name for them would be PetStupid, and told them that was what I would call them from now on ... ” Animal House

[BullyBud]

The explanation they gave a friend is that a Pit Bull must be muzzled in public due to Bill 132, and they will not groom a muzzled dog because the dog can not pant with a muzzle on. They say dogs always pant when they are nervous at the groomer's.

I really think this is a terrible interpretation of the law. While the retail store is a public place, the back of a grooming shop is not. Its for staff. Is the general public really back there? Correct me if I am wrong......

With their logic every pit bull who stays at the vet in a cage would be muzzled....even while they are having procedures in the back.

That would mean that when a dog is in the exam room at a vet it must be muzzled.

That would mean boarding kennels all over Ontario muzzle pit bulls during their stay.......

The grooming shop I know of in Ontario does not muzzle pit bulls......When I went in they had one on the table getting its nails trimmed "muzzle free".

I also thought their pit bull "ban" was for day camp only not boarding. If its boarding that ticks me off, its ridiculous- but I dont think thats the case...I would like to hear what Kinsgirl says about that.

As far as the doggy day camp, I am glad they dont have pit bulls in day camp if they think their staff is not trained or educated enough to properly screen dogs or to handle dogs in a group setting without preventing altercations........but I think that would be a sign to me, as a dog owner, that I would go to a place with better qualified staff.

[akroninger1]

maybe they are trying to woo the bully breeds since Petsmart excludes them from their boarding / pet hotel.

as a former employee of PetsHotel & a bully momma... i must correct you there hun.

Bully breeds are allowed to board and go to day care. they're adored more often than not (dog handlers know it's all media BS)

they are NOT allowed in Day CAMP. which is like a dog park. loose dogs, handfull of toys, FUN!!! yeah.... except that instead of each 1-2 dogs being owned and watched over by 1-2 ppl... you upwards from 6-12 dogs watched by one person armed with only a lead and a water bottle.

so, i don't feel bad my girl isn't allowed. she'll never start a fight... or even finish one. she will snap when mounted though. and if she broke skin on another dog? even if IT started it?.. can you IMAGINE the hellfire and brimstone not only PetsHotel would get for 'allowing' it to happen? but MY dog would be the villain! b/c she's a pit. the other dog owner wouldn't care their dog repeatedly tried to hump my dog and she got annoyed.

granted, they could state it better in their web page... they could make it more obvious that's it's not so much that they're 'banned' b/c they're 'bad dogs' , but for the safety and well being of ALL dogs and owners involved.

i take my baby to day care often - it's a great way for her to meet and interact with new ppl and socialize. they LOVE her there! she's signed up for 2 extra individual play sessions... equalling a total of 1.5 hours of one-on-one play with a dog handler in her own play room throughout the 8 hour day.

don't boycott them for covering their butts, when most of us here don't take our dogs to off leash dog parks for the exact same reason. ya know?

[dawnapbt]

If it was about safety, they wouldn't have that set up PERIOD. What about Jack Russell Terriers? Akitas? Huskies? German Shepherds? and all the OTHER breeds that have a tendency for dog aggression?

After all, dogs are dogs, and dog parks aren't a bad idea JUST FOR PIT BULLS. They are a bad idea, period, for most dogs and dog owners.

maybe they are trying to woo the bully breeds since Petsmart excludes them from their boarding / pet hotel.

as a former employee of PetsHotel & a bully momma... i must correct you there hun.

Bully breeds are allowed to board and go to day care. they're adored more often than not (dog handlers know it's all media BS)

they are NOT allowed in Day CAMP. which is like a dog park. loose dogs, handfull of toys, FUN!!! yeah.... except that instead of each 1-2 dogs being owned and watched over by 1-2 ppl... you upwards from 6-12 dogs watched by one person armed with only a lead and a water bottle.

so, i don't feel bad my girl isn't allowed. she'll never start a fight... or even finish one. she will snap when mounted though. and if she broke skin on another dog? even if IT started it?.. can you IMAGINE the hellfire and brimstone not only PetsHotel would get for 'allowing' it to happen? but MY dog would be the villain! b/c she's a pit. the other dog owner wouldn't care their dog repeatedly tried to hump my dog and she got annoyed.

granted, they could state it better in their web page... they could make it more obvious that's it's not so much that they're 'banned' b/c they're 'bad dogs' , but for the safety and well being of ALL dogs and owners involved.

i take my baby to day care often - it's a great way for her to meet and interact with new ppl and socialize. they LOVE her there! she's signed up for 2 extra individual play sessions... equalling a total of 1.5 hours of one-on-one play with a dog handler in her own play room throughout the 8 hour day.

don't boycott them for covering their butts, when most of us here don't take our dogs to off leash dog parks for the exact same reason. ya know?

[Kingsgurl]

Hey Dawn. You should come down to my Hotel and check it out. Let me show you the playrooms, the dogs that are in them and my bully play room too. That room is the most fun, small groups of dogs whose owners all know each other now. I'll go over our screening process too and you'll see several labs as well as other dogs that are no go for Day Camp on any given day, marked for individual play.
It's actually very different than I thought before they built this one here, and I really would love to show it to you.

[akroninger1]

If it was about safety, they wouldn't have that set up PERIOD. What about Jack Russell Terriers? Akitas? Huskies? German Shepherds? and all the OTHER breeds that have a tendency for dog aggression?

After all, dogs are dogs, and dog parks aren't a bad idea JUST FOR PIT BULLS. They are a bad idea, period, for most dogs and dog owners.

well as a company, once a dog has shown aggression, we are allowed to ban it from day camp too.

i didn't say their policy was 'across the board fair' but it's understandable.

it's not as though they take in the bully breeds and then just stick 'em in a kennel with no fun. they get to play, but only with a dog handler or with other dogs from thier own household...

i agree, in my tenure there i had more issues with ACD's/BC's/labs starting fights (hell even a beagle we had to ban from group play b/c it would huddle in a corner and not let ANYone come near it... if you did? it'd start snapping) than i had in my playtimes with bullys.

the thing of it, and what it boils down to, is when a dog owner came to get their dog, and had to be told, "your dog got in a small scrap today with another dog, he/she has some small cuts but we've already taken care of it." they WANT to know what happened. if they're told, "it was a lab/dalmation/weimaraner/beagle" they'll be upset, but they won't go into hysterics and go to the media, ya know?

tell them the dog their dog fought with was an APBT/AmStaff/Staffie/etc... and they'll be crying for heads to roll ALLLLL b/c of the media and the pet owners' already skewed view on the breed/s.

does that make sense? again, like i said, it's why most pit owners refrain from going to dog parks that they don't know the owners' of. b/c god forbid if dogs are being dogs, and scuffle - OUR dogs get the blame 99% of the time. i don't call me crazy but i'm ok with thier policy - my girl can go and have fun and not be put in harms way. i know that if not for the fact that i hadn't grown up with big 'mean' dogs... and know how to handle them... i wouldn't have known what to do when fights did break out in group play.

[dawnapbt]

Hey Dawn. You should come down to my Hotel and check it out. Let me show you the playrooms, the dogs that are in them and my bully play room too. That room is the most fun, small groups of dogs whose owners all know each other now. I'll go over our screening process too and you'll see several labs as well as other dogs that are no go for Day Camp on any given day, marked for individual play.
It's actually very different than I thought before they built this one here, and I really would love to show it to you.

I wouldn't mind seeing it, but I do not agree with a policy that does a blanket ban on one breed when, in fact, OTHER breeds not listed tend to have dog aggression (and some even strong DA tendencies than the APBT!) and when such traits show individual variation across all breeds. It sends the wrong message, and it is a policy catering to stereotypes and false assumptions.

[Kingsgurl]

It's not one breed, it's all bull dogs, with the exception of english ones, so that covers quite a few. However, it isn't just about those breeds tending to show more DA, it's about fight style and play style too. It's about protecting the dogs in our care, sometimes from other dogs, sometimes from pet parents sold on media bias. I use my glass playrooms to run my bully room quite a bit and use it as an educational tool for pet parents shopping in the store.
I agree about blanket statements, which is why I invited you down to see how mine runs. Do you know where it is?