I sent this to the same corporate entities at Petco that I send all complaints to and I am calling Mr. Devine again today (all day if he wont respond and I will keep calling and bugging his assistant until I get some answers).  I hate having to go that route but I think he needs to hear this stuff first hand. 

Original email follows:

Hi friends and family,

In the brand-new Keene, NH Petco, 10 ferret kits were deemed "defective" merchandise and shipped back to the distributor for euthanization. Their defect? The breeder and distributor shipped them too young, and they could not eat solid food when they arrived at the Keene Petco. They were ill and in need of intensive care to survive - but that care was offered and Petco refused it, opting to ship the tiny baby ferrets back to the distributor, whose policy is to euthanize "returns".

How did we find out about this? Ferretwise, the NH shelter located in Marlborough NH, a mere 5 miles from the Keene Petco, was called and asked if she would come and do educational demonstrations at the store (Petco is big on getting free demonstrations and education classes from the shelters that it helps fill up in the first place!). The shelter operator visited the store later that day and came upon a distressing sight...10 ferret kits (which is WAY too many for one small ferret tank), all ill with coccidia and prolapsed rectums. All shipped too young and suffering from being removed from their mother too early and shipped to Petco.

The operator of Ferretwise shelter, a shelter licensed by the state of New Hampshire, agreed to take the ferrets to the shelter and nurse them back to health and save their lives. The manager of the store agreed but had to ask the regional manager, and when she contacted her regional manager, he insisted that the ferrets be immediately shipped back to the distributor.

Petco wanted no part of helping these ferret kits survive, they simply wanted this defective merchandise out of their store. They wanted the credit from the distributor towards another shipment of baby ferrets, and had no interest in saving these 10 babies even when help - FREE help - was offered.

The funny thing is that Petco refuses to believe that the distributor would euthanize "returns". Although Petco considered these kits "defective product" and returned them to the "manufacturer", they insist that the
distributor could not be so heartless as to euthanize them.

The distributor, Animals Etc, has a policy of doing exactly that, which several vets have attested to. Petco refuses to believe this even though their own actions toward these baby animals were no less heartless. They sent 10 ferrets to certain death because they care about credit, not animals.

Please, friends and family, BOYCOTT your local Petco. Shop somewhere else for animal supplies. Do not be fooled by Petco's bright, cheery stores, colorful racks and signs with happy little dogs and cats on them. Behind the scenes is a corporate goblin that doesn't care any more about animals' lives than Sears cares about what happens to its toasters and washing machines.

Please forward this to anyone you know who has pets and shops at Petco. Even if you don't have pets, PLEASE take the time to forward this to friends and family who DO. Keep this e-mail going so that it reaches the people who need to know about Petco's policies - the pet owners that Petco depends on for profits.

Petco does not deserve our money, or our business. And pet owners need to know what "Pet"co really thinks of pets!

Thanks,

Heather
In memory of the 10 "defective" ferret kits