SIGHTS
Rows of pet food and treats, toys, bags of litter, clothing, dental and hair care products, leashes and other training devices, stacks of colorful dog beds of different sizes, boxes of crates and pet carriers, scratching posts for cats, glass-sided viewing displays running along the outer wall for puppies (sleeping, wrestling, jumping at the glass, tails wagging) and kittens (mewing, batting at plastic balls, jumping on one another and play-fighting), an open-topped hutch containing rabbits or ferrets (eating, burrowing into the shavings, hiding under bridges or in hidey-houses), a section for fish supplies (tanks or bowls, lightbulbs, water features and fake plants, colorful gravel or glass stones, water treatments, salt, nets, filters and hoses), smaller terrariums for different breeds of animals (containing food and water dishes, exercise wheels, wood shavings and toys), a penned-in area with a gate where customers can visit with puppies or kittens one-on-one, large bird cages for twittering cockatiels or brightly-plumaged parrots, smaller cages with green or blue budgies and other exotic small birds, reptile tanks (for snakes, lizards and spiders), an area with low light filled with fish tanks (goldfish, tiger, tetras, catfish, lionfish, clownfish, piranha), a shelf full of small containers for beta fish, tanks containing sea horses or turtles, a grooming department with dogs being bathed and trimmed, special displays and seasonal items, bright sale signage, a dog tag engraving machine, a checkout area, patrons with dogs (or other animals) on leashes
SOUNDS
Dogs barking or howling, the click of nails across the floor, food cans or crinkly bags of dog food being dropping into a cart, animals bumping against metal pens, customers cooing at the animals, kids jumping around in excitement or racing around the store, bubbles cascading through fish tanks, wood shavings rustling as an animal burrows into them, the hum of motors in the fish tank area, birds squawking and biting at the metal bars of their cages, the rattle and squeak of a plastic wheel as a mouse or hamster runs on it, bells dinging, shoes squeaking on the floor, rattling shopping cart wheels, beeping and chimes from the checkout counter, till tape spitting out of a machine
SMELLS
Pine litter shavings, dog fur, scented shampoo (if a grooming station is close by), dry dog food and treats, algae, animal feces and urine
TASTES
This setting will typically have no tastes associated with it. However, some pet stores will host children’s birthday parties; in these instances, cake and other treats may be brought in for the guests by the parents of the birthday child.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Soft kitten or rabbit fur, the wet licks and kisses of an excited puppy, gently holding an animal and feeling its heart race within one’s palm, the squirmy wiggling of a puppy, the nip of a puppy or cat, the misty wetness on one’s skin from a dog’s sneeze, wood shavings falling from an animal’s feet or fur, slippery bags of pet food and treat bags, the cold metal of a food can, knobby twists of rawhide treats, bumpy knotted rope toys, spongy balls and smooth nylon leashes and collars, rubbery toys, a cold metal water bowl, the weight of a fish inside a water-filled plastic bag
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Animals escaping their cages—especially a snake, spider or bird
A disease that spreads among the animals
A power outage that puts delicate fish in jeopardy
A customer caught intentionally trying to harm an animal
A guest at a birthday party having a phobia of animals
An animal that has not had appropriate shots biting a customer
Protests by animal rights groups
A store manager’s inner conflict at discovering a litter of puppies came from a puppy mill
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Customers, delivery people, groomers, pet store employees
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Pet stores are a source of joy for most people, and it is common to visit them occasionally for fun, even if one is not actively looking for a pet. Big box stores have a larger selection, while smaller ones may deal only in dogs and cats and carry minimal supplies for exotic animals. It should also be noted that many stores are discontinuing the purchase of puppies and kittens due to the bad press and social pressures associated with puppy and kitten mills, so stores won’t always have these animals in-house. However, some stores run pet adoptions for local rescue groups and are able to make the animals available to the public through these events.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Levi tugged my hand, pulling me past the leashes, dog sweaters, and chew toys, eager to show me what he and Grandpa had found on their last outing together. My steps were slow, and I was still upset with Dad, promising to buy a four-year-old a pet “but only if his mom and dad agreed.” That was my father in a nutshell, always passing the responsibility buck onto someone else. Thankfully Levi didn’t swerve toward the wall of cats and dogs in their glass-sided display kennels; my allergies could never handle something like that. Wood shavings and the ammonia stench of urine tickled my nose as we passed the rabbits and mice, and I tensed, but again Levi didn’t stop. I was starting to hold out hope that this wouldn’t be too bad—that we’d end up with a colorful beta fish or something—when my hand was jerked to the left, toward the reptile section.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions
Resulting Effects: Characterization, foreshadowing, hinting at backstory, reinforcing emotion