interesting trip to pets at home

[polly]

Today Bruce was getting a lump removed out of his back so while he was in hospital I went to falkirks pets at home to get dog and rabbit food.

I was very surprised to see french lops, rex and english rabbits as usually they only have mutt breeds in their pet shops.

As I went round with all my huge amounts of food the store manager said u must have a lot of rabbits so I said yes I breed them. I mentioned I was surprised to see rex there and she said that she was really into rabbits and got them from a breeder ( I know who it is she told me he advertises in the fur and feather for excess stock) She showed me pics on her phone of her pet bunnies at home and then asked me if I wanted to see the new ones that she had got in.

She had just got mini dutch and nethies but she felt they were to small so she was taking them home with her for a couple fo weeks for runs and plays before putting them in shop she took me round all teh bunnies front and back explained which ones were for adoption and all sorts of things.

WHen we went back through front she told me how she was going to swop the buns over so that the ones out the front could go in the back where there are no people and its less stressful. She was also saying how she hated the fact that mixed breeds were being sold and how the ability of a rabbit to breed should in her opinion reflect the price so a nethie should be more than say a dutch because its a different litter size.

She has had to fight very hard to be able to sell pure breed rabbits over the mass back yard breeds that pets at home tend to favour! SHe even left the comapny for 2 years because of it.

I was telling Tracy earlier and she said what a difference as it would help to get rid of back yard breeders if pet shops went down this route. She was very specific about the rabbits what they needed and who they should go to. as in she said the rex were a grown ups rabbit or older child def. not for small children. and how large rabbits are really better in the house as opposed to stuck in a hutch.

I am going to email their head office tomorrow I was so impressed she trains all her staff in the different breeds and what they need! If only more pet shops were like this

 

[mouse_chalk]

That's great! She seems to be really making a difference there.

We have similar at our local P@H- Sam, one of the managers there, is awesome. She refuses to sell a rabbit to a home that doesn't have adequate sized housing, doesn't understand the risks/costs involved etc. She says she tells them all the negative stuff- like chewing, spraying, vet costs, spaying/neutering, etc etc, and if they still look interested then she knows she's onto a potentially good home. We've been there when she's refused to sell rabbits (or other animals- including fish!!) as presents for children, or to 'impulse' buyers, etc etc. She's trained all the other staff to do the same as her as well. Other local branches will refuse to take in 'adoption' rabbits, saying there's no room (the company I think has a rule that it must take back a rabbit purchased from the store if the owner wants to return it) but she will take them all in, and the 'rejects' from other stores. She also keeps any vunerable bunnies, any potentially sick ones, etc, out the back away from stress and noise. She takes them to her own vet often as well- recently, she had a bunny bring in a lady, that she said she 'found' but was covered in feaces all over- all up her back and everywhere. She had lost tons of fur and was covered in painful sores all over, and was horribly overweight. She was taken to the vets, cleaned up, treated, and put on a better diet in a big exercise pen with lots of room. She's since been spayed, lost lots of weight and pretty much fully recovered and is just waiting for a forever home (yes, our heart strings have been tugged at a lot!).

I know there's a really long way to go still but it comforts me a lot to know that there are some people out there who care about the animals and what happens to them. Our other local stores are crappy, so we refuse to go there at all now. Like you, I just wish there were more pet shops like this!


On a side note, I hope Bruce is ok and recovering well!

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

mouse_chalk wrote:

recently, she had a bunny bring in a lady, that she said she 'found' but was covered in feaces all over- all up her back and everywhere. She had lost tons of fur and was covered in painful sores all over, and was horribly overweight. She was taken to the vets, cleaned up, treated, and put on a better diet in a big exercise pen with lots of room. She's since been spayed, lost lots of weight and pretty much fully recovered and is just waiting for a forever home (yes, our heart strings have been tugged at a lot!).

Ahh Jen so that's so cool that "she had a bunny bring in a lady" h34r2

:laugh:

It's nice to hear about good pet shops that really take care of all the pets and make sure they go to good homes.

 

[CKGS]

ROFLMAO- Bunny bringing in a lady! I needed that laugh.

 

[hartleybun]

:rofl:great typo!

pets at home, exeter, seems to be getting its act together too. i was given a thorough interrogation the other month when i went to get another fish. the guy asking the questions was one of their fish experts. luckily i passed

the exmouth branch also had specific bunny breeds when we went in last week. there was a photo of the bun with basic information about weight, age and size. their set up was spotless and the buns looked healthy. the same goes for the other animals too. progress!

 

[Becca]

Thats really good!
At my pets at home the other day there were two tiny little REW's and one ginormous lop house rabbit...

The big one was for £75.

I'm glad your pets at home has a nice lady like that!!

 

[mouse_chalk]

Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:

mouse_chalk wrote:

recently, she had a bunny bring in a lady, that she said she 'found' but was covered in feaces all over- all up her back and everywhere. She had lost tons of fur and was covered in painful sores all over, and was horribly overweight. She was taken to the vets, cleaned up, treated, and put on a better diet in a big exercise pen with lots of room. She's since been spayed, lost lots of weight and pretty much fully recovered and is just waiting for a forever home (yes, our heart strings have been tugged at a lot!).

Ahh Jen so that's so cool that "she had a bunny bring in a lady" h34r2

:laugh:

:shock:


:embarrassed:



I can't believe I did that!!! That'll teach me for posting late at night whilst on lots of painkillers and strong antibiotics!! LOL!

 

[Kel4mum]

I went into Pets@Home for the first time on Wednesday,in Harlow,Essex, and I must say I too was very impressed. I was listening to a lady selling a rabbit to a customer and she also gave them a lot of info, they were even promoting the importance of different types of food, i.e Timothy Hay, pellets, and their nuitrion values etc. So I say thumbs up to PETS@HOME!

 

[paul2641]

If only pet shops in Ireland were like that all they care about is money.

 

[jcl_24]

Think my nearest PAH store could take some lessons from those colleagues. The buns seem to be mostly mixed breeds. The set up looks clean enough.However the poorone thing that occurs to me is the way they still keep their Giant Rabbits in what look likesmall glass houses .

Jo xx