Activists Protest at Petco and Demand the End of All Animal Sales

(El Cerrito, CA, March 8) - Members of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) protested at the Petco store at 7000 El Cerrito Plaza in El Cerrito, CA urging the pet supplies chain to stop the sale of all animals across all its locations. In 2019, California passed a ban on the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores, but these protections do not extend to other species. 

DxE members investigated the El Cerrito location last month. Their findings, which they posted publicly on Yelp, revealed signs of severe neglect, such as sick animals, enclosures with no enrichment, and a hamster erratically pacing back and forth, indicating mental distress. 

Activists displayed large banners and loudly chanted outside the store. They also engaged with patrons to raise awareness about the hidden cruelty of the pet industry and encouraged them to not support the chain. 

Petco, which operates over 1,500 stores across the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico, sells a broad variety of small mammals. While species vary by location, customers can easily buy a variety of reptiles, birds, amphibians, insects, fish and more. 

This protest is the start of a larger campaign to end the retail sale of all species. Pets sold in retail stores often experience cruelty and exploitation across the entire lifecycle of the sale. Hundreds of millions are being bred in captivity, often in industrial breeding mills, or taken from their habitats in the wild. Some die while in transport, and in stores, animals are often sold with no vetting process.

Here is a folder of short, key videos from today's protest at Petco in El Cerrito, asking the international pet supplies store to stop selling live animals. Please credit Direct Action Everywhere (DxE). Additionally, photos are here.