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Features > Pet Supply Stores Join the Iams Campaign
Pet Supply Stores Join the Iams Campaign
Joy Drawdy, owner of Earth Pets Natural Pet Market in Gainesville, Florida,
was worried when she learned that Iams had been bought out by Procter
& Gamble (P&G), a corporation with a history of animal tests.
“When I found out that Iams had sold to P&G, we immediately
pulled it off of our shelves. But we didn’t know how bad it was
until we went to the PETA Web site IamsCruelty.com.”We Felt Betrayed For years, Drawdy had bought Iams for her own dogs and for the dogs and cats she adopted out. To learn that this trusted company had been involved in cruelty shook her faith in the pet-food industry. “I think what shocked me most was all the lies. We so trusted that company. We really thought that we were doing a good thing for years. We fed that food to our dogs and cats. We felt betrayed,” she says. “For so many years we sold that food. We told people it was a good food and a good company—and we believed it. Now that I know how Iams has deliberately hurt animals, I won’t even accept donations from that company.” Growing Pains at the Store Drawdy’s store went through some growing pains at first. She worried that she might not be able to continue her business in an ethical way. Like many consumers who want to find pet foods made by a compassionate company, she felt overwhelmed. “How could I sell the stuff once I realized what these companies were doing, when I realized what bad things go into these products?” she says. “We began to look into the industry. When we realized how evil it could be, we didn’t know if we wanted to stay in it.” Drawdy’s customers—many of whom had purchased Iams for years—shared in her disappointment. “They felt so much guilt. They said, ‘I can’t believe I fed this food.’ People get very emotional.” Supporting Ethical Businesses—and Succeeding! Ultimately, Drawdy found her way. “We ended up closing our whole store when P&G bought out Iams, and we began to look into the industry. We decided we weren’t going to sell food from the companies that abuse animals. We opened a new store selling only products from ethical companies and are so much more successful now than we ever were,” she says. “After deciding we weren’t going to sell food from companies that confine dogs and cats to laboratory cages, we looked around and found some really wonderful companies, and we’re supporting them now.” For Drawdy, change has been good. Patrons of her compassionate pet-supply store even include employees of major chain pet stores and veterinarians’ offices. “Customers love that they can count on us,” she says. “People are very appreciative of the fact that they can shop here without having to worry. They thank us for doing the homework for them.” Thanks to Joy Drawdy and the many companion animal food manufacturers that don’t test on animals, consumers with dog and cat companions can rest easy knowing that their dollars are promoting compassion over cruelty. Great work, Joy! Joy has formed a coalition of companion-animal professionals in her hometown who are speaking out against Iams' animal testing. See who's signing on to ACT Against Iams (Alachua County Together Against Iams Cruelty) at ActAgainstIams.com! |
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Iams Continues Cruel Experiments on Animals
Update: Iams Stops Using Chicks in Tests!
We Want Empty Cages, Not Slightly Nicer Cages
