Sales of dogs and cats will be phased out at the Petland chain of stores, the company's CEO Robert Brissette confirmed Friday, including the location in Prince George.
Brissette said the move is a business decision in the face of a trend that has seen prospective pet owners simply turning to sources other than the pet store to find a new puppy or kitten.
"Basically, it has got to do with the way people are purchasing their pets these days," Brissette said. "They're purchasing their dogs mainly on social media sites like Kijiji and craigslist and because of that we're seeing a slowdown in sales across all of our markets."
Maintaining that aspect of Petland's business did not come cheap, Bissette indicated, due to contracts with professional breeders, making use of veterinarians and the cost of training and paying a full staff to oversee the kennels.
"We just cannot compete with these lower prices without affecting our standards and our standards are high," Bissette said.
The chain will continue to provide supplies and services for dogs and cats.
"Nothing else really changes," Bissette said.
The phase-out should take about 45 days and Bissette said contracts with breeders will be wrapped up. Existing puppies and kittens will be sold out of the stores and positions for affected employees will be found elsewhere within the company.
