I just applied for a job..

[Venoma]

in a pet store :)

They have a white capped pionus there who seems to be very picky about people - one of the employees told me it took her 4 months to have the bird warm up to her. I let myself get bitten.

They had 3 baby Military Macaws in a tupperware BOX - I believe they belong to the owner and she's handfeeding them, the owner was there today - this store does not sell large birds so there would be no other reason I could think of for them to be there. I had no idea how BIG macaw babies were. Wow.

The puppies (I don't approve, but I still want to work here) were all over the store when I came in because their kennels were being cleaned - picked up a happy little Cocker Spaniel with fluffy feet :D and scritched the head of some fluffy mini-dog, I can't think of the breed right now.

I also have bought fish from here - they keep their fish well, other than the bettas - they have a variety of lovebirds, I saw an Aussie Cinnamon/pallid, a DD Aqua, a pied aqua and a few others in an appropriately sized cage. They have a small store but manage to stock variety, it is clean and reasonably priced.

I really hope I get the job :omg:

[butterfly1061]

Good deal! I hope you get it. You have enough knowledge to throw out some ideas and maybe help out more than "running a register" :p

Did you know there's a birdfair in Valdosta next weekend? :)

[Katy]

I used to work in a pet store. Not the greatest job. I don't really agree with the way animals are kept. We had everything from large macaws, GCC's, amazons, and budgies. We had very few lovebirds. Playing with Charlie (the macaw) really got me interested in birds. He normally takes about a year to warm up to some people. He loved me after about a month. I still go into the store quite often to visit and play with him.

I don't think petstores should sell animals other than small animals(mice, hamsters, rabbits) and fish. They are kept in such awful condition. Especially the puppies. They sell these inbred pups for $1000 or more each, and they aren't worth it. They are in most cases sick. The staff knows, but don't often properly treat them, and then sell them knowing they're sick.

I left the store after a few months. The birds are kept in tiny cages with little or no toys... It's not right :(

That being said, don't let me discourage you from working there. It's a good experience to see first hand what happens behind the scenes at a petstore.

[Christine9]

Good luck! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :) Hope you don't have to wait too long to find out if you got it.

[Janie]

Kristin, is it Pet Land? That's the only pet store I know of that sells dogs. The Pet Land here has stopped selling the larger birds (I think) but still has lovies, keets, tiels, etc.

Good luck, I sure do hope you get it! :)

[Venoma]

Nope, its a local chain called the Panhandle Pet Supply. The puppies are kept at the very front of the store in cages where you can see them and their feces, if you so desire. I understand you had a very poor experience with your pet store, Katy, but not all pet stores are this way - I again, don't approve of pet stores selling cats and dogs - this one does sell puppies but I see nothing amiss in the animals themselves or the conditions in where they are kept, especially as when I came in they were bouncing all over the store and being cuddled by the employees.

I am 26 years old, I have volunteered previously at the local animal shelter, I am in no way, shape or form under any illusions about the pet industry - that being said, I -want- into animal care at any cost and I'm looking at this to get my foot in the door. There is no veterinary program of any kind in the area, there is no school I can do a correspondance course with that does not need another course taken locally which is not available (got my hopes up with that one :( ) so I'm really hoping for this. I'm overqualified in the customer service dept for this job so I hope that's my way in.

[Venoma]

Oh yeah! I knew of the birdfair - already have plans and a friend lined up to get out there and scope out some new toys and try not to bring any babies home with us - we love making things and are interested in seeing if there will be a local market for homemade toys :)

[linda040899]

Good luck in getting this job, Venoma!
I agree that there are a few pet shops that do a decent job with their pets. We have one here locally that sells birds but will not buy unweaned from breeders, as they don't want the responsibilty for handfeeding! Unfortunately, there are far too many that don't do such a good job and they ruin it for everyone else!

[linda040899]

we love making things and are interested in seeing if there will be a local market for homemade toys
If you opt to make bird toys, consider doing an Imagestation Album of what you have and posting it in Photo Gallery. I'm sure most of us here would be interested, as safe toys can be hard to find. Shy did this with her Cozies.

[butterfly1061]

Kristin,

It's too bad UGA's Vet School doesn't do any courses at Valdosta State. That would be great! Ever consider moving up this way to go there? I had a friend who went and he's now a vet in Florida. Somehow he got most of his education paid for - not by his parents or him. I can't remember how, but I can find out. Vets are hard to come by and it sure would be nice to know someone as dedicated as you in the field. :)

[Venoma]

The HOPE grant pays for a lot of tuition if you qualify - I have seen programs in other parts of the state, but my husband is finally on the way to his dream job in law enforcement after years of trying and I can't ask him to move now to give up on that so I can retrain.. with his income. Yes, I put myself second. Some vet offices here do hire and train vet techs and assts - I'm really hoping to get in one of those eventually - Wild Adventures also hires animal care workers for their zoo animals but they prefer folks with some sort of experience in animal care. So it all comes back to experience for me.

And on re-reading, thanks for the compliment, Jackie :)

[Janie]

Jackie, do you know one reason vets are hard to come by? I've been told there are 28 schools for veterinary studies compared to hundreds for "human" doctors! I've talked to three young people in the last few years, all excellent students who had to give up their dream of being a vet because it's too hard to get into vet school since there are so few. Easier to get into medical school!:rolleyes: I think that is nonsense. Heck, no wonder there are so few avian vets! My dog vet had a 3.9 when she graduated from GA and said she doesn't think her grades would have gotten her in if she were applying now.

Kristin, they'll be lucky to get you and it will be a good stepping stone! :)

[LauraKGN]

Hi! I worked as a Vet Assistant when I lived in VA. Basically, we could do everything except give vaccinations/take blood ourselves, since we weren't licensed. I learned a lot, though! We assisted with appointments and even surgeries. I got lucky, I didn't have any experience in this area when I applied. You could defintely try this. Vet Assistants don't get paid as much as Techs, so many vet offices are happy to hire them! :)
Janie, you're completely right! Vet school is really hard to get into. I've been thinking of trying to go, but there also aren't a lot of pre-vet programs in this area.