What I Said
This is the text of my letter to PetSmart, the largest chain I shop at:
Director of Public Relations
PetSmart
19601 N. 27th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Dear PetSmart,
I am a loyal customer with three cats. I’ve always appreciated the way your company promotes pet adoption and lets the pets into the stores.
That’s why I’m sure you will share my concern about the corporate behavior of the Four Paws company regarding their Pimple Ball with bell. I know a recall has been ordered, and this defective product will finally be out of the mouths of dogs, where it has created terrible injuries, and even resulted in the death of one dog.
However, it has come to my attention that Four Paws knew of the dog’s death in July, 2005. And yet they did nothing, and continued to market and sell this defective toy to well-meaning owners and their innocent pets.
I think three years is far too long for a responsible company to wait before taking action. Four Paws is demonstrating a contempt for their customers and an indifference to their pets.
This is further demonstrated by Four Paws’ continued reluctance to take responsibility for their negligence, and, at the very least, compensate the affected dog’s owners for their considerable medical expenses.
Please suspend your corporate relationship with Four Paws, and remove their merchandise from your shelves. I don’t want to buy their products, since I don’t trust them. This mistrust would extend to an merchandiser who, knowing of the potential dangers their products might contain, would continue to offer these products to their valued customers.
I hope to hear from you soon regarding the positive action you are taking in response to my concerns. Until this matter with Four Paws is resolved to the satisfaction of the affected pet owners, I will not trade with any company who continues their business relationship with Four Paws.
Sincerely,
(name and address redacted for the web)
And here’s the text of the press release I sent to American Humane and the ASPCA, via email:
Contact (name and email address redacted for the web)
FOUR PAWS BOYCOTT CONTINUES, THE FIGHT FOR DOG JUSTICE
WereBear, webmaster for The Way of Cats, a blog about promoting pet understanding and care, has called for the continued boycott of Four Paws, a pet merchandiser whose “Pimple Ball with bell” was the subject of a recall Friday, August 29, 2008.
This action was prompted by the sad story of Chai, a ten year old lab mix who lost his tongue, suffered terribly, and was left permanently maimed due to a defective ball which had only one working air access hole. The design of the ball was to have two holes, to prevent such injuries as Chai suffered. Instead, this defective toy had only one, resulting in the dog getting his tongue lodged in the ball and leading to a complete amputation.
While this defective toy has been recalled, it has now been documented that a dog had died as a result of this same defect three years earlier. Yet Four Paws continued to market and sell the defective ball, knowing a dog had died as a result of their negligence.
Since this is such an egregious case of corporate irresponsibility and indifference, pet owners are being asked to contact their favorite pet stores. We are asking them to remove all Four Paws merchandise from their shelves, and suspend all business operations with Four Paws, until the company has recompensed the owners of dogs who have been injured.
The inaction that left this defective product on the market for three years, knowing that a dog had to be euthanized because of it, is inexcusable and must be addressed.
Read Chai’s story here:
http://www.thechaistory.blogspot.com
For further information, visit:
The Way of Cats
(link to action page)
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