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I had a pet rat. I see no harm in having a rat as a pet. It's no different than having a dog or a cat...you take them to a vet to be screened for health issues. Good Pet owners know this.
As far as the story... they signed a waiver. End of story.
Or any pet? Because there is risk in owning animals. Some can carry a disease, some can injure or even kill.
Maybe a goldfish?
I don't like rats, or any rodents and am very allergic. But I have known people who have had them as pets and they are by far smarter and friendlier then a hamster. They are actually very clean, too. I could see how someone who did their research would pick a rat over other rodents as a pet.
I had pet rats when I was a child. They were smart, friendly and affectionate. We lived in apartments so they were good pets to have. I was never bitten.
What is the point of Liability Waivers anymore? It's horrible that the boy died, but unfortunate things happen in real-life that are not always attributable to entities able to pay large sums of money.... (to ease the pain, of course).
What is the point of Liability Waivers anymore? It's horrible that the boy died, but unfortunate things happen in real-life that are not always attributable to entities able to pay large sums of money.... (to ease the pain, of course).
What do you mean 'anymore'?
1) Liability waivers are never carte blanche absolvements of responsibility for everything.
2) The language of each individual waiver delineates what is covered and what is not. And regardless of how some like to gnash their teeth over legal disagreements, it is impossible to create a document which clearly accounts for all eventualities.
3) Some actions have never been waivable, period.
4) A 10-year-old cannot waive his rights. And adults, even guardians, can only waive so many of them on his behalf.
Now, I don't know the particulars of this case in detail (a trait I share with everyone else commenting on this thread). I don't know if Petco is at legal fault or not. I don't know if the family has a reasonable, legal case.
But at least I know that I don't know such things, and am not immediately rushing to complain about the supposed horror of a lawsuit against a poor oppressed business.
I think if you could prove that the pet store knew of a higher risk then there should be, or if they knowingly cut corners with safety standards, then the waiver could be contested. The pet store does have some standards they have to meet.
To those who recoil at the idea of a pet rat, how are they fundamentally different from a gerbil or a hamster?
They are not pets either. Nor are snakes, birds, spiders...
People who keep such 'pets' are doing nothing for the animal. In particular I think it's cruel to keep a bird in a cage.
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