Why I'm Not Mad at Petsmart

The other day a story ran in The Huffington Post entitled Why It Matters That Petsmart Discriminates Against Pit Bulls.   And, as it was intended, it has gone viral and pit bull owners and lovers across the nation are vowing to boycott unless/until pit bull type dogs are allowed in play groups.

I've been a pit bull mom for over 10 years. I've participated in rescue for just as long, focusing on pit bull type dogs because they are my favorite. I'm not the most active or the most well known advocate for these dogs, but I do more than a lot of people, and I think that makes what I have to say worth listening to. You don't have to agree, but I would like you to just consider the points I'm about to make.

Pit bull people are angry because Petsmart does not allow pit bulls in their doggy daycamp. It's the only service in their stores pit bulls are not allowed to take advantage of. They are allowed in training classes. They are allowed in the grooming salon. They are allowed to accompany their families in the store as they shop. Pit bull rescues are welcome to bring their adoptable dogs there to try to find families. They carry pit bull themed merchandise that people like myself are happy to buy.

Petsmart is a big company with deep pockets. And they are generous enough to give donations to rescue groups, award grant money for spay/neuter and other important programs. They are just as generous with the pit bull rescues as they are with all the others. And for those reasons, I'm willing to accept that they don't want dogs like mine in daycamp.

Petsmart's reason for excluding our dogs from that one service makes sense to me. It's for safety reasons. Does that mean I think pit bulls are unsafe?  No. What it means is that I believe that play groups, much like dog parks, are dangerous in general. It's an activity that the people in charge have very little control over. If we, as owners, are not even in the room during play time, that means we have ZERO control over what happens to our dogs while they're in there.

Speaking of the people in charge...I don't want to talk about them negatively. They're nice, friendly folks and they love animals.  That's why they work there.  But, they are not skilled. They might go through a training course, but they are not experts in dog handling or behavior. They're just people who make a low hourly wage in exchange for being outnumbered in a room with a bunch of dogs that don't belong to them (which means they don't know them either).

Why anyone would want to put their beloved pets in a situation like that is beyond me. If I want to socialize my dog with other dogs, then I get together with people I know who have dogs. I seek out groups of people who want to have regular play dates. I bring them to rescue events where they will interact with lots of people and see the doggy friends they've made while working to prove to people that they're not monsters. I do NOT leave my dogs in the hands of strangers who might wind up being in over their heads if the dogs in their group that day get into a disagreement. Dog parks and play groups are, in my opinion, tragedies waiting to happen. It's impossible to set your dogs up for success when you decide to allow them to participate because you don't know the temperaments of the other dogs or how closely their owners will pay attention.  There's way too much room for error and we, as people, are not immune to making mistakes that could cause harm to our own dogs or the dogs of others.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and mine is that Petsmart should not be demonized for creating a policy that they think will keep their playgroups safe. I'm personally grateful that they've made that choice because it eliminates one place where dogs like mine can get into trouble, even if another dog starts it.  

I hope that this boycott does not gain momentum enough to impact Petsmart financially.  If that happens the first thing to be negatively affected will be the charitable programs. Is it fair to jeopardize the help thousands of other animals need just because pit bull owners want their dogs to go to play group?  I don't think it is.  And I hope you don't either. Please don't participate in a boycott. Look at the big picture and see all of the good this company has done.