Metro Police and Metro Animal Care and Control raided a national pet store chain location Thursday after getting a tip about animal cruelty.
Metro Animal Control took away six rodents from the One Bellevue Place PetSmart store, including hamsters, mice and a guinea pig.
“They sell these as companion animals, and we strongly believe that these animals big or small that if there is a complaint, that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to investigate that,” said Lauren Bluestone, the Metro Animal Care and Control Director.
A PetSmart employee sent PETA and Metro authorities photos and video of the animals, alleging they were sick and not cared for by the store.
“These small animals, whether they’re reptiles, fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, they suffer the same as do dogs and cats, which most Americans are more familiar with and share their homes with,” said Dan Paden, a PETA representative.
The popular pet store is under investigation by Metro police and the district attorney’s office for animal cruelty, and those agencies will decide whether any charges should be filed.
“I shop here all the time. I won’t be shopping here now if this is the case,” said Brenda Post, a cat owner. “They have to have some type of evidence or else they wouldn’t have a raid.”
Customers said they were surprised and shocked to hear about the allegations from the new store location.
“That’s crazy. You wouldn’t think that there’d be such a big deal, but people really care about the animals which is great. It really makes me sad that that happened,” said Erica Van Tassel, a pet owner.
PetSmart Senior Corporate Communications sent News 4 the following statement:
"We are always committed to putting the needs of the pets in our care first. We empower our store associates to do what’s right for all pets, which includes instruction to have any sick animal immediately seen by a veterinarian if needed. There is no adverse effect on a store team that takes every step possible to care for pets. We take these allegations very seriously, and are working closely with the Bellevue authorities to obtain the relevant facts. Additionally, we are investigating the validity of the video, given some of the footage is several years old.”
The animals are now in the hands of a local veterinarian.
MACC said it asked for PetSmart's policies on animal care.
"Moving forward, we will use what we find today and work with Metro Law and the D.A.'s office to determine any potential charges," MACC said in a statement.
PETA's investigation also included stores in Florida and Arizona.
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