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I think I've mentioned once or twice (or thrice or...more) that we have a Pet Valu store near the shelter which graciously hosts a few of our small animals and does adoptions. The store is staffed by awesome people and they take fantastic care of our little guys.

 

The Pet Valu location is remarkably valuable. It gives an entire second room. It also has a super fast turnover rate for lower-risk adoptions (hamsters and guinea pigs), and rats! This handsome boy is Ben, who was transferred to Pet Valu after a month at the East location. While sickness forced him back to the shelter, he was quickly adopted by some very rat-knowledgeable people. He's now been named Kenny and is living the good life!

That's a good example of another valuable use of Pet Valu - other locations can transfer their low-risk adoptions (hamsters, guinea pigs, rats) to our store. This supermodel of a guinea pig is named Molly, and she came to Pet Valu from the Etobicoke location. Look at that face! She won't last long.

This is Maggie, who we presume to be her sister (although they aren't living together).

We have one hamster at the shelter right now, and his name is Harry. Look at his spotted ears! He's a scraggly teddy bear, much like my boy Captain Jack. Harry is the biggest sweetheart you will ever meet. If he doesn't get adopted soon at the shelter, we may send him to Pet Valu, where we know he will find a home ASAP.

Wrapping up the current Pet Valu population, the young girls Callalily and Petunia are there as well. Rabbits are a higher-risk adoption, so unlike the others, potential rabbit adopters must do an interview with shelter staff over the phone.

This is a great example of how pet stores can promote their business and help people add to their pet family without supporting mills of any sort. Everyone knows about puppy and kitten mills, but there are mills for every kind of pet. Pet store animals are usually sick, often pregnant, and frequently inbred. With this program, Pet Valu is getting the business that comes with having animals in the store, but they are also helping a local shelter. That's the best kind of compromise!