Swords & Dreams Reptile Rescue

Swords & Dreams Reptile Rescue has been a long time customer of ours. The owner, Tom McNeil, has helped thousands of animals in his many years in business. He truly has a love for the animals and for educating the public on the proper care of such animals.

Within two a period of two short weeks, Tom’s business was both burglarized and smashed by a driver that fell asleep at the wheel. He lost many animals, but vows to rebuild so he can continue with the love and passion that drives his business and life, reptiles.

Here is the link for the news reports on Swords & Dreams Reptile Rescue.

Sorry, I don't know why the link didn't show up... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRAcjEB9TPo

O' MY God I never thought I'd see the day that this dump made it in Fauna WOW. Don't feel anything for this man his place is a reptile grave. He had a 3 1/2 foot alligator in a 55 gal tank the first and last time I was there! (about a year ago)It had a cat litter pan as a water source . I'd like to see the permit for that gator as well there illegal in Milwaukee but he don't know and he don't care . A total dump 6ft Iguana's in 55 gal with heat rock's and pine shavings for crist sakes Rocky's girl friend worked in a more updated place . This is what a pet shop in the 1870's looked like. Watch Milwaukee's Craig's list thats where this guy makes his living taking in for free and selling high (not a reptile rescue but a ghetto retail store). This place will soon be in the News or a Discovery channel special watch and see. Watch the video look close it's really sad I hope for the reptiles in the Milwaukee area that this place never reopens.

has anyone else here been in his junk store .I was only there once about a year ago and It took all I had not to call the ASPCA while I was there the last time.but I'd hate to give the rest of use the bad press like that. But this place was as bad as the puppy mill at the 7 mile fair just south of Milwaukee.
So anyway anyone else ever been inside this place in person and if so what did you think about it and when where you there last ?

I can't speak for how they keep their store or animals. I can only speak about my business dealings with them. They have always paid in a timely manner. They are one of the very few customers we have ever offered terms too. Tom is very knowledgeable about the care of the animals he has ever acquired from us. He has always asked questions and would call if he needed to know something about an animal in question.

What happened to Tom’s store was quite a tragedy. I understand that the rebuild took some time and there may have been some issues with regards to housing as they were renovating and moving things around. However, it is my understanding they have been able to rebuild and modify their existing store to better house and care for the animals.

Also, I question why you would not have spoken up if you saw something that was not being cared for properly. Regardless of my business dealings with any customer, if I were to see something so alarming (as you stated) I would not hesitate to question them on their husbandry. To do nothing is an injustice as well.

I have emailed Tom with regards to this thread so he can personally respond to your allegations.

If you can't speak for his store or his animals then there not much to talk about is there. I think the video speaks for itself 5 foot Iguana in a 55 gal tank which is the only damage I see except for the out side of the building all the real damage was to the place next door. there might of been a broken 10 gal on the floor there as well.

However, it is my understanding they have been able to rebuild and modify their existing store to better house and care for the animals.

I sure hope for the animals sake that you are correct .

Has anyone else been in this place really inside not just talk to him on the phone?

Anyone who runs a rescue is constantly having large iguanas, monitors, pythons, sulcatas etc. dumped on them. Timing is rarely opportune in such situations, and if Tom has nothing else available except a 55 for a 6 ft iguana or alligator, it still may be a better option (at least temporarily) for the animal than being taken to animal control where it will certainly be euthanized. There is a story behind every animal that ends up in a rescue, and there are enough of them out there in limbo that no rescue has to shop for them on Craigs List. Corey, from your report it appears you have only been there a few times or base your report from the videos. Toms facility, like many rescues, is a work in progress and things are constantly in a state of change.
Rescues in general commonly get surrenders that are in poor shape due to prior neglect or improper care, so their presence at Swords or other rescues is unremarkable at best. These don't magically recover overnight. I have had the opportunity to visit the facility numerous times in the last several years because my parents happen to live in his neighborhood. While there were flaws at the beginning, since the building was renovated after the accident, it has improved 100%. Tom has the full support of the local herp community for which his store has become a gathering and meeting/networking place. Many of us regularly provide whatever assistance that we can. After the accident his friends stepped up and fostered animals he did not have room for while the store was being repaired, including the alligator,and assisted with their rehoming. Since then the store was cleaned up and better cages were obtained. The store looks much nicer and the animals have more appropriate enclosures. Animal density has been reduced and their care is better.
Tom may not know every detail of the husbandry of every species he may end up with, and he may not always do everything exactly right, but with a little help from his friends he has been doing okay. Tom's store is licensed and inspected by the West Allis (This is NOT Milwaukee and no permits are required for alligators or anything else) Health Dept. and he follows their sanitation recommendations. Corey's critique is outdated. He should see the store now. Maybe he can post some pics of his own set-up for us to critique, or open his facility to the public every day so it can be inspected and publicly critiqued at every window in time. Maybe he could offer some positive support instead of spewing vitriolic negativity that helps no animals. Corey, Your threat to report Tom to ASPCA indicates AR sympathies. ASPCA = H$U$ = PETA. Are you an AR troll? Maybe this is not the right website for you.
Swords is not a cookie cutter Petco, PetSmart, Pet World, etc, as well as many of the industry shows, which are the ones you should be attacking since they are the source of things like cheap baby iguanas, burmese, sulcatas, that ultimately end up dumped in rescues.
Now that the condition of Swords has improved and most of the problems are corrected,
the store performs a valuable service to the neighborhood in the form of presenting the face of herpetoculture to the general public. Tom's patient one-on-one approach to interacting with the public and educating them about herps is what nearly every other pet store in the area fails to do in their haste to serve the bottom line. Milwaukee County Animal Control is owned and operated by PETA. They are weapon-wielding gestapo thugs that have formally declared war on the exotic pet community in this county through high-profile commando attacks and animal seizures and serve as the militarized face of the HSUS lobbyists that are in our state capitol EVERY DAY lobbying legislators for more restrictive animal legislation designed to eliminate our rights to keep/breed/sell every type of animal. The demystification and subsequent "normalization" of herpetology and herpetoculture to the general public that occurs every day at neighborhood outlets like Swords and other local rescues is a service to the entire Reptile Nation that money can't buy, and helps to defuse all of the media hysteria over reptiles that we have been seeing in recent years.
What Tom and others like him do helps make it possible for all of us to continue with the hobby we love. We need to recognize the value of what they do and also to help them do it better, rather than attacking their efforts.

anyone else who has been in this store and who is not this man's friends or family care to comment.

If the conditions are better then that is great. No rescue should take in animals it is unprepared for, either in care or in caging. If permits are required for any species and the rescue/store does not hold that permit they should NOT take in the animal. It gives all reptile owners/rescuers a bad name for a RESCUE to keep animals illegally or in improper caging.

That said, it would be nice to see updated pics of the place, since it's in great shape now. It would help the herp hobby to see a well run store/rescue.

I have set a side time next week to go back down there and check out the New and Improved swords and dreams. I hope it is as good as bob says.