Let us not forget, however, that petstores have a long, dark history of Draconian care regimes. I can tell you that some still do, and some are in need of a serious retraining program! I realize that many stores are doing their best (and I have seen some staff who really know what they're talking about; these people are usually good friends of mine), but I honestly have to say that a shamefully great many peope don't know what the hell they're talking about when it comes to torts and turts. I've encountered Petco personell who can't tell the difference between a male and female russian tortoise. I've seen kids leaving stores with an adult redeared slider and a ten gallon tank on the clerk's recommendation. Whenever I'm encountered with these situations, I find myself in the awkward position of having to explain proper care without offending the store staff (lest we admit that it is more over saving our social graces than the animal's well being). I'm not bothered to offer assistance, I simply think that assistance is for the person who has never kept an animal, not a person whose job it is to keep them. Requiring employees to read InStore literature wouldn't be a bad idea. Forums such as these are also a great resource. Thankfully, situations of animal cruelty and neglect in petstores seem to be a thing of the past.

T.G.

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