THE PET PROFITEERS: The Exploitation of Pet Owners--and Pets--in America

The only just punishment for these cat and dog traffickers would be to stick them in the tiny, disease-laden, excrement-carpeted cages where they so often keep the pets Americans most favor. Improper feeding, failure to inoculate, and phony health certificates are s.o.p. for all but the most conscientious breeders (where to find them is another story)--but even those who raise bassets negligently in their back yards are saints compared to the pet store owners. (The latter are not above disposing of unsellable pets via the garbage compactor or the deep freeze.) Trainers and groomers traumatize dogs, boarders advertise a coop in New Jersey as a free run in the forest, most canned dog food is water, and--surprise--eats don't like fish. Sentimental owners spend thousands to keep pets alive in ""geriatric centers"" while thousands of strays, ""unteachables,"" and abandoned pets are destroyed each year. The author's crusading zeal is at times overdone, but it's obviously justified.