Pocono News Section

Pet Store Gets Eviction Notice

Pet Store Gets Eviction Notice - Friday, December 12, 2008 at 2:20PM EST

MARSHALLS CREEK - A Pocono shopping center continues to lose small businesses. The Marshalls Creek plaza already has three empty store fronts and it may soon have one more. A pet shop that's been there for eleven years may have to shut down.
The suffering economy may silence the song birds in the store. "We don't know what's gonna happen. We don't know where to place them or who to give them to," said Manager Diana Batson.

The Animal House Pet Center received an eviction notice this week. Batson said the owner fell several months behind on the rent. She explained, "What my boss was doing was making sure the animals were taken care of. His employees taken care of."

The notice says they need to move out by January 7th. But Batson doesn't know what will happen to the animals. "We always try to make sure pets go to good homes," she said.

Store managers are especially concerned about the babies. They have several hamsters just over a week old that aren't ready to leave their mother. Plus there are exotic creatures like a pink tarantula and a scorpion that need special care.

Batson said it's just not fair that small cats and dogs might have to suffer while the government bails out big companies. "It makes me sick. I just think everybody forgets about the small businesses,' she said.

Regular customers like Barbara Mancuso are trying to help. "I would try and take them but I can't - I have enough," she said.
So she dropped a few dollars in a donation bucket to help the owner catch up on rent.

Barbara and Diana hope others might be able to help bail out a small business and keep the birds chirping there.

The store has four full time employees who would lose their jobs if it closed.

The store manager did not return an Eyewitness News phone call.