In my experience most of the chain stores provide subpar care to the animals. They hire minimum wage, inexperienced employees and put them in charge of animal's lives. I've also seen plenty of privately owned pet stores with conditions just as bad or worse. There are also a ton of bad breeders out there that couldn't care less about the animals, just about making a buck. We've seen some of them on this forum in the past and some are still here today (you know who you are). Breeders who sell kinked, sick or emaciated animals are all around you. Choose wisely...