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NAVIGATION
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THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST PETS AT HOME IS IN NO WAY PERSONAL AGAINST STAFF MORE AT THE COMPANY AND THE WAY THEY TRADE.
PLEASE ANYONE WHO HAS A COMPLAINT TO MAKE MAKE SURE YOU COMPLAIN TO THE HEAD OFFICE AS WELL AS THE MANAGER OF THE STORE CONCERNED. TEL: 01614863598
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Hi Val,
I adopted a lovely black rex dwarf female rabbit from
you at the end of last September, who I've named Mrs Rabbit. I'm really
sorry it's taken me so long to send you some pictures of her. She's
doing well and seems a happy bunny.
Sadly, the same cannot be
said of Benjamin, who I adopted from Pets at Home about a week before I
adopted Mrs Rabbit from you. After taking Benjamin for a check up with
Margit, it transpired that he had a chronic bone infection (one of the
worst Margit had ever seen, in fact she thought it was a malignant
tumour at first) and very sadly, the kindest thing was for him to go to
sleep a few weeks ago.
I made a complaint to Pets at Home -
locally and to their HQ, because poor Benjamin had been sitting in his
cage in their shop for 6 months without ever having had a vet check
him. His notice said he was 'grumpy and best not suited to children'. I
am convinced it was his infection which caused him pain, that's all,
and he could have been treated for it over those 6 months. I couldn't
believe how negligent PAH had been. PAH did refund the cost of
Benjamin's initial consulation and treatment (£220 - Margit had to do a
biopsy to find out if he had cancer) and said they would look at
improving procedures in the shop. I'm very sceptical whether anything
will change though and I worry for the other animals there.
Laura
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Hello after reading your letters about P@H I feel I must add
my experience.
I purchased a British Giant rabbit from the pets at home store
in Fareham, everything I could possibly want to know was explained to me size
she would get to, she was correctly sexed, vaccinations, neutering,correct
feeding life expectancy,and whether or not to introduce a companion
[prefererably after neutering as it would need to be a male] I decided to get
her a mate and went back to the store to ask about a suitable breed, the girl I
spoke to told me she was not sure but her manager had a giant rabbit and a
smaller breed and she would get her to talk to me, it turned out the manager
also had a British Giant partnered with a Dutch, I asked about the size
difference and was told that although a lot of organisations said no she had had
no problems but to introduce them slowly on neutral territory. I chose a male
velvet rex [again all information was given] I was given a free health check
for him at the vets [as I had been with the Giant] he too was very healthy and
the two are inseperable. Although I don’t doubt the letters you have received
I have found the staff at Fareham very knowledgeable interested, polite and
helpful so not all stores are the same.
ALI
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Hi,
I just came across your page of letters issuing compaints and concerned
about Pets at Home and, unfortunatley, was hardly surprised. I used to
work there for 6 months whilst at University but quit because I hated
it so much. I used to work at a family run pet shop who bred their own
animals in excellent conditions etc and so was really shocked in the
difference as to how pets at home was run.
Firstly, it is not surprising that so many people have reported
purchasing animals, only to find them ill shortly after bringing them
home. Pets at Home stores buy their animals on bulk, (to meet expected
demands at any given time) from breeders that the store use. The amount
of animals required are ordered online via the companies stock order
intranet. No-one who works there (except presumably a small number of
people at head office) are allowed details or addresses of the breeders
used. The reason I was given was apparantly to prevent staff from
giving these details to customers who would purchase directly from the
breeder and the compnay would loose money. However, it begs the
question as to what conditions they are being bred under etc. Could be
pretty bad to produce that amount of animals that can be ordered at
will (sometimes up to 30 8 week old rabbits from one store).. hmm...
The animals are delivered all together in a lorry to the store.
Sometimes, large quantities of animals, presumably scared bunched close
together. The drivers do not know anything about animals and (at least
to the store I was working at) gave them food that they should not be
eating eg grapes, cucumber etc to hamsters. Not really surprising that
so many people seem to have reported incidincies of wet tail etc when
bringing small animals home.
Secondly,
as a large chain retail business one must assume that some people
working there will be of lower abilities/less motivated than others. A
lot of staff I worked with were brilliant, they were knowledgable about
animals and genuinely cared for their wellfare. However, others were
simply incompetant. You might get away with that in say a clothes
outlet, but it is not fare when animal wellfare is involved. The
training you are given involves working through 2 booklets and then you
are allowed to sell animals/sex them/offer advice to customers
regarding any query with little to no supervision. Could perhaps be ok,
except that only 2 chapers in each book (out of about 6 - 8) are
actually devoted to animal care. 1 chapter for fish and the other for
small animals. I hardly believe this would prepare the average person
to be able to competantly offer advice or inform people on how to
correctly care for a variety of different animals. I was alright,
having had the experience of 2 years of training at a previous pet shop
but some of my colleagues to put it simply, did not have a clue.
The
company has these 'values' it promotes but in short, they drive hard on
customer care and little else is supervised. Customer care being
whether or not they leave the store happy, not 'how can we sell the
healthiest, happiest animals to promote long term advantages etc'. They
have mystery shoppers who come in regularly to check to see if the
staff can talk to customers/advice them appropriately but, as far as I
saw, had no inspectors to ensure the animals at the store were being
treated well.
Like I said I quit after 6 months, even though I
needed the money. They even treat their staff badly, at least the
managers did at mine, but I don't see that as being as bad because you
have the option to leave. The animals obviously don't.
You
probably already knew this but thought I'd write it anyway after
reading all those complaints. I think your site is brilliant by the
way, excellent work. I am looking to get a new rabbit when I finally
get a flat (hopefully soon) and will definately be considering adopting
one from you.
Thanks
Jo |
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seeing as i cant
find any way of writing ont he pets at home page ill write my comment
here instead. after reading all the comments i was shocked but i do
have to say... at the time of buying my rabbit from there... she was
sexed correctly, i was explained to about EVERYTHING.... including
injections i needed for her. the man who served me was extremely
helpful and she was completely healthy.... and still is. i notice you
have not posted a single positive comment about this shop which worries
me as i find it hard to believe after my good experience with this
store that not a single person has anything nice to say in opposition
to your campaign? after all its a bisiness they are trying to run ans
yes i appreciate there are alot of bad stories but clearly not all of
the stores and staff are the same and you are not making this clear to
people. and frankly thats not the way to get your point accross by
simply bad mouthing the whole brand. with all the stores and all the
customers i think its very unliely you have onoly been told bad things
about the company. as i know for a fact my experience was fantastic and
i had no problems whatsoever.
BECCI
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| Hi, I own two giant bunnies, both of which i purchased from my local
pets at home store in wolverhampton. I was absolutely appalled when I
read some of the emails people have sent in and feel genuinely upset by
it. The reason I purchased my first bunny was because he had been there
alone for months! But i have to say, when buying him the staff were
great and asked many questions to ensure they felt I was capable of
having him, they still now recognize me and ask about my babies and
have always given me advice and guidance I wanted. One of the staff
even commented how nice it was to see someone buying a giant rabbit who
can actually look after them rather than just wanting one for the
novelty. From the advice of so many others I will not be spending any
more on these poor animals, but I just wanted to comment that not all
stores seem to be as bad as others. I will say in the past week both
rabbits have had to be treated for snuffles but I believe this to be
something quite common (I was initially devastated and blamed myself)
but both are on the road to recovery and I don't believe it to have
been from pets at home.
Sophia
NOTE FROM ME
This to me is onother prime example of why not to buy pet shop buns. The staff had no idea they were both suffering from snuffles, something they cannot be cured of. And will in the long term cost this person a lot of money and heart ache in the future.
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I wanted to add my experience of Pets at home, Chingford (NE London) branch. Having been given an unwanted rabbit I felt he needed a companion & was told that you could adopt a rabbit from Pets at Home as I would never buy an animal from a pet shop or breeder. When I phoned the store asking if they had any rabbits to adopt I was told that they had a lot of albino ones ‘in the back’. When I asked where they had come from the salesperson admitted that they not been purchased as babies (presumably because they were not cute enough) & were now up for adoption. Which certainly confirms the views previously expressed that this adoption scheme is just a scam to get rid of their surplus of stock.
LIZ |
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i have just read your pets at home complaints page and was to discover many shocking stories as mine had been... 2 wks ago i purchased a baby guinea pig, when she was being put into the box i noticed that she has a lot of flaky skin on her ears the her assistant assued me that it was ok... when i got her home and checked her over i noticed that from her ears right down to her shoulder blades all her skin was peelin off in huge flakes on both ears...i rang the store who said bring her in the nxt day.. i spoke to the manager before bringing her in and she said that the instore vet could take a look at her or i could get my money back... as we had already been quite taken with her i got the vet to look at her.. he diagnoosed mange and gave her a ivermectin injection and was told to come back om the 21st which is 14 days later..... 3 days after i noticed a bald patch onher face and caled the companion vets at pets at home they said it was perfectly normal.. the next day my guinnie had ripped a large hole in her cheek where it was bald i noticed she was very hot to pick up and she was barely taking any fluids... i manage to get an appionment for the nxt day and my carer took her in and the vet gave her a fucidin cream... she became worse and by sunday her eye was sinking in i managed to get hold of rescue centre who took her and syringe fed her the rescue centre send she may not survive the night...if she did she would tak her to the vets herself..... which she did the vet said she was seriously underwieght and that she had RINGWORM not mange... my guinnie had also become incontineant and still not may survive as she is very seriously ill as the ringworm had been left to ravage her little body......now i noticed yesterday my other healthy guinnie is now showing signs of rimgworm to and is being treated accordingley..... WHY OH WHY ARE PETS AT HOME SELLING GUINNIES RAVAGED WITH RINGWORM THAT IF NOT CAUGHT IN TIME CAN LEAD TO A VERY PAINFULL DEATHi know its been a long email but i just wanted you to know how terrible the condition of my baby guinnie was she is now in the care of the rescue centre if she survives
thankyou for taking the time to read this |
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Good afternoon,
Please could you publish my story on your website to warn future buyers.
My boyfriend and I bought a Syrian hamster from our local Pets At Home store at Southend Airport Retail Park on 04/08/09. It was the only Syrian hamster there, all others were Dwarf hamsters. I chose the Syrian hamster as it was the only lively looking hamster there - only now do I realise why.
We bought a cage for the hamster, wood shavings, toys, runner ball, etc. First of all, the store failed to point out that the cage in question was for Dwarf hamsters ideally - had we of known we would have gotten a bigger one. Second, we took the hamster home, after jsut 1 day she showed signs of illness. Her cage smelt pungant and she wasnt coming out of a night time. By the 3rd day I picked her up and noticed her underneath was smelly and brown and looking very sore. After doing some searching on google I figured she had 'wet tail' which is a case of severe dioreah in animals so I immediately took her to the vet where she was prescribed the antiobiotic Baytril. Despite giving her the antiobiotic as prescribed she still deteriorated and by day 7, exactly one week after purchasing, she passed away on the way to taking her to the vets to be put down. She could barely stand on her legs, she could hardly breathe, it was horrific to witness.
We later found out from the vet that most of the hamsters bought to her are from Pets at Home, and most of them go on to die.
After further investigation on the internet we found that wet tail is often caused by stress and E.Coli and the symptoms take around 7 days to show, meaning we bought her when she was sick. We also found out that it is best not to re-use any of the sick hamsters belongings again and wet tail is highly contagious.
When I called the store, I spoke to the manager who advised we COULD use the cage again (although I find it hard to want to follow their advise) and that we could get a refund for the hamster but nothing else. We were also told that we should have returned the hamster when she became sick, we would then get a refund and they would make her better (though I find that hard to believe), if the hamster does regain full health then we can buy her back. This was never literated to us at the time of buying and we have spent money on vets bills in the time. Had I of even known half of the things I do now I wouldnt have taken her back just for them to shove her in a cupboard to die.
I sincerely hope that the stores get what is coming to them, no matter how big or small an animal, its cruelty to let them suffer in this way.
If you are reading this PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANYTHING from any Pets and Home branch. |
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Hello,
I
naively bought my first rabbit from a pet shop, but would not do that again and
now I adopt from rescues. I visit Pets at Home to buy food, straw etc. One
day in our local branch in Nottingham I
witnessed a disturbing event which I really wished I’d complained about. A
couple were buying a rabbit. When asked by the member of staff if they wanted
a hutch, they told her no, that the rabbit would live in a pet carrier and that
they would let it run round outside IN THE EVENINGS AFTER WORK. I was
absolutely appalled that they were then sold this rabbit!
Kind
regards
Wendy Westby
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Hi there i have read all of the information on this
site and i am contacting you as we purchased four female rabbits from pets at
home and hutches spent a fortune! Nine months later my young son came running in
from the garden in tears and to my horror discovered nine dead baby rabbits.
Suddenly it became a complete nightmare found one male that was sold as a female
and phoned pets at home in a rage unfortunately my brother worked at
the store as assistant manager and he was the only one able to deal with it. He
contacted head office and they gave us two free hutches and i thought that was
at least a way of saying sorry. Three weeks later my brother has been sacked as
he failed to make it clear that it was his brother who was the irrate
customer and accused him and myself of some sort of scam and theft although
theyhave not bothered to contact me. I am furious that they have deflected the
issue of their incompetance and i have an unemployed brother and 14 baby rabbits
i am considering in going to the local papers and getting the locals to boycott
the store as i have not heard from head office. Do you think this is a serious
issue that they should be dealing with!!
Many Thanks for your time
Samantha
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I
have been reading through your letters on Pets at Home. We have a
store in Taunton and I regularly visit it, not to purchase anything,
but to check up on the animals. I have frequently been in the shop
when the water bottles are either filthy and green with algae or they
have no water at all.
On one visit, when the rabbits had no water so I went to the front desk
and mentioned it to a member of staff. He said that the bottles would
get filled up at the end of the day. I told him that this was not
acceptable given that it was 5 pm and that would be at least another 3
hours until the animals got water. When I asked to speak to the
manager, the lad eventually called someone over who filled up the
bottles. I wish I could say this was a one off, but the staff don’t
seem to have any training in animal care and it falls to members of the
public to make sure that the animals are being cared for.
Pets at Home needs to set an example of good animal care and not a laid
back approach of the animals will get fed and watered at the beginning
and end of the day, and if they run out of either in the meantime then
they will just have to go without.
I also think they should not be allowed to sell the tiny hutches that they have.
I also don’t understand why customers are allowed to take their dogs up
the small animal area, which results in the animals scattering and
being terrorised.
I am writing to you, because there seems to be some strong feeling
against this shop, and I am sure there are others that are just as bad.
Can we work together to put pressure on them to improve their
practices?
Best wishes
Kate |
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Hi there,
I run a small guinea pig rescue in the north east
and I am very concerned about the way Pets at Home are trading animals.I am
currently being flooded wit guinea pigs that were bought there and are no longer
wanted and litter after litter of unwanted babies that have resulted from miss
sexing and being sold pregnant.
I have now asked all my adopters to boycott this
store and buy from stores that do not stock animals. I am also upping my
publicity so people become more rescue aware.
I have started to do more research on Pets at Home
and understand that they buy their guinea pigs in bulk from an animal farm. It is
probably where they get their other animals from to. I am trying to find out
more about this farm and how the animals are bred. I wondered if you knew any
more about this. Along with other small rescues locally we are trying to pull
together some more information to start publisicing this more.
Many thanks
Layla |
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Pets at home adoption Scheme is full of their own mass
produced animals/Don’t fall for their fraudulent signs. I have seen lone
full grown gerbils & Rabbits for example in there one week & next week
see them in the adoption pens. They put up the signs saying owner had too many
or owner no longer wanted them.
It is a place to put their animals that get too old to sell
or animals that have been sick and got better maybe.
I cannot understand how they get away with selling badly
bred mass produced animals & a Rescue/adoption centre.
I remember a member of staff telling me that a certain
rabbit was not very friendly so they put him in adoption as it was easier to
get him sold in the adoption bit.
I avoid them like the plague as it’s so easy to feel
sorry for any animal in P@H.
They Must be shut down and I think Trading Standards are the
people who should go in if they put up fraudulent signs.I am going to contact
Trading Standards about our local stores as it’s not right.
I feel like taking a mini camera into our stores as proof
that.
They sell sick animals, animals are not cared for properly,
animals are bred in some stores, staff cannot handle or sex animals properly. They
produce animals without any consideration about health or temperament. The list
is endless.
Shut them down.
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CHARLTON STORE/ THE WORST?
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A rabbit came in today that goes to prove to me that the charlton store is one of the worst.If your running a shop are you not supposed to know what you selling?
it seems no you dont need to know a thing just sell sell sell.  The bun that came in was supposed to be a french lop but was a british giant. You would have thought that with all the rabbit books they sell someone would have looked it up if they didnt know. Even worse is the thought that the breeder that sold him to them didnt know either.
The member of staff there wasent even interested in giving any advise on what he was being fed either. The customer was just told the food stuff is over there. Perhaps i will take in a poster of rabbit breeds so they dont have to look far to know what their selling.
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Hi i just thought id let you know , I
adopted a female rabbit from pets at home in slough, we were told she
was 7 months old and that the family who had her before couldn't keep
her due to moving to a smaller property, my daughter fell in love with
her, so on paying a £10 donation to them we took her home. After about
a week of having her she started acting weird, as once being a rabbit
breeder myself, knew the signs that this was not normal for any rabbit,
we were not told that she needed spaying, and that she wouldn't grow
very much to what she was when we bought her,
well..........................., we have had her for about two months
now and she is a lot bigger than when we got her, she has now also
started biting us when we go to feed her, she lunges at you when u put
your hand in the cage to stroke her, and she makes the most horrible
grunting noise too, for my daughter who is only ten, who most
desperately wanted a rabbit, is now petrified of touching her, she wont
hold her as the rabbit has left her with bruises up her arms where she
has constantly bitten her, so we are now left to try and care for the
rabbit. We only got her a rabbit as we had previously bout her two
guinea pigs (so called brothers ) from the same place, only for one of
them to live for a month and then the other one died 6 months later,
and thinking back on it i bought both my rats from there , one
amazingly died after having her for a month and now the other one i
have has a tumour on her leg, but as she is very old she hasn't got
long left to live anyway, but its the rabbit that concerns me the most,
These people should be shut down for selling ill health animals, and
should tell you the exact reason why these animals are up for adoption.
from Amanda Rogers.( angry parent) |
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| hi i would like to add to your pets at home page too. i went into my
local pets at home store in wales during the week as we had decided to
have rabbits once again. our 16 year old cat had recently passed away
and we thought a rabbit or two would be a wiser option as we now live
near a road. i was annoyed to see one rabbit in with guinea pigs . it
was being bullied and having its fur pulled. The guinea pigs
wouldnt leave it rest either. i pointed this out to one o f the young
boys as a little girl watching was also getting disturbed. the boys
said this happens and is normal and that they had had to remove him
from the rabbit enclosure as he was being bullied there. i then went to
find the manager as i had read that you shouldnt keep rabbits and
guineas in together. I spoke to the manager and told him he shouldnt
have the rabbit in there to which he said you are right ( so if he knew
this why was he in there) . he had it removed and taken to a cage out
the back somewhere. i went back the next afternoon to check if it had
been put back in but luckily it hadnt. subsequently, due to this and
what i have read i have taken on a rabbit from a rabbit rescue called
mitzy. also i will not being buying a further pet items from them ... |
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Hi
I have just discovered your websit and am
appauled to read all the emails you have received regarding Pets at
Home.
I have a story to tell about a rabbit I brought
from there "adoption centre" at our local store in June 2008. I was told
that the dear little fella that i brought had be brought in as the person who
owned him had to move to a flat and could not keep him. He was 2 years old
and sold to me as a dawrf lop, he soon grew into a much
larger bunny. He was fine for a while and then he started to chase our
cat and cause a few problems between them. I took him to the vet to have
him castrated in the hope that he would calm down. After his op, there was
little difference in his behaviour towards our cat, so the cat just kept out of
his way (my rabbit was let out in the garden during the daytime) I have to say
he was a sweet little thing and caused me no problems when cleaning his hutch or
feeding him. Anyway, I took him every 6 months for his mixy jab and the
VHD and he was spoilt rotten.
Just before christmas 2008 I took him for his
mixy booster and the vet noticed that his face was swollen on one side. He
prescribed a course of antibiotics and we were to return again on the 28th Dec.
The medication done nothing and on our return visit he was booked in for surgery
for an abcess on his jaw.
Sadly he was so poorly, that after a
conversation with the vet I decided that he should be put to sleep to save any
futher suffering. I had him for just 6 months, and estimate that I paid
out over £350 in vet fees during this time + food+bedding &
toys.
So after reading some of your other letters I am
now assuming that my poor boy was in fact one of these poor rabbits bred by
an animal farm. I am really angry that I was not given the full story,
that my poor boy suffered so much in such a short time. I miss my rabbit
so much he was quite a character and very loving. My only comfort was that in
the 6 months he was with me he had the most fantastic life any rabbit could ask
for with loads of love and kindness.
I am now looking for another bunny and trust me
I won't be going back to Pets @ Home.
So please if you are looking to give a bunny a
loving home, visit you local rescue centre's and give another rabbit a chance of
a better life.
BT
Bedfordshire |
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hi, i
was most interested in ready your pages regarding pets at home. i
bought 2 rabbits for my children from pets at home. my daughter wanted
a female white lop, hence we got a mini lop white with grey/beige
patches. we decided whilst there to buy my son a black netherland
dwarf. i asked if they were female on 3 occoasions to be told yes they
definately were. i held them and checked their eyes and nose etc. the
white one (we called honey) fell asleep on me and i couldnt resist.
anyway they were getting along fine until recently when i went to
clean the hutch and found babies. my 2 female obviously werent. i
immediately seperated them and complained to pets at home to no avail.
anyway 2 weeks later dandelion my black netherland dwarf was dead in
her hutch leaving me 4 beautiful babies. i am now hand rearing them and
they seem to be doing well. however i then took honey to the vet to get
checked and he has an infection, snuffles. hes on anti biotics and now
living in my house, hes doing well and i wouldnt change him as hes the
most lovable friendly bunny ive ever known. i am so angry though as i
ended up with babies, an ill rabbit and a dead rabbit. PLEASE NO ONE
BUY RABBITS FROM THERE thank you liz
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Hi Greenwich Rabbit Rescue
I'd just like to comment on something that was raised in one of the letters about Pets at Home, where it was recommended that people buy rabbits from Pets at Home to give them a better life. THIS DOES NOT WORK.
Pets at Home will just use the (exorbitant amount) of money you give them for one rabbit to buy more, putting them through the same misery and veterinary problems that all the thousands of others have endured, and at the same time encouraging the nauseating 'factory-breeders' to overbreed and keep in disgusting conditions yet more death-sentenced animals.
Although it may sound evilly coldhearted and more than a little contradictory, the best thing you can do for rabbit welfare is leave the rabbits where they are. And get up on your campaigning high horse and write letters to anyone and everyone - Pets at Home, your MP, animal welfare organisations, and you really can start saving rabbit lives.
Yes, those particular animals may well die at the petshop, but they will NOT have died in vain - if petshops and factory-breeders realise that the demand for ill animals is no longer there, then they will have two options: either take better care of the animals, or stop trading in live beings altogether.
And if either of those things happen, you can be sure that you have saved countless animal lives and helped make the world a better place.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. |
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without prejudice 22.9.07
Pets @ Home
I was in your store in Blackheath, looking for dog biscuits. The stores improvements are very impressive, congratulations. Whilst eye catching for PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS - ANIMALS AGAIN IGNORED !!!! your profit, your money maker !!!
Whilst I congratualte you on the PRESENTATION of your company, if people purchase animals from your store then unfortunately, they purchase problems.
Your staff are not generally able to sex rabbit, nor know how to adequately care for them. Their are none if any toys something to stimulate them being contained in a small space, often for months.
I was most concerned their is a giant rabbit in store again - this has no toys no stimulation and just lays their, not adequare space - mo ome knew in store specialised breed needs experience.
I have myself had problems with this store. Foolish son purchased a male rabbit and guinea pig "keep them together" staff Blackheath - Not what the AWF animal welfare fund states.
Then after my rowing with FOOLISH SON he purchased another pig & rabbit and was informed by staff at your store PETS AT HOME fine to put animals together resulted in SERIOUS INJURY surgery for the rabbit proce £240 son - VAST SUFFERING FOR POOR RABBIT.
I want NOTHING FROM YOUR COMPANY MONETARY beacuse this cannot compensate poor rabbit suffering....a promise to stop this cruelty, informing customers honestly, informatively ALL STAFF - regards to animals & behaviour etc.
Whilst looking at animals in store small confined spaces, no execise,handling,stimulation of the mind - IS DISASTER !!! not surprise when child gets rabbit home and handles it for the x ammount of times that day it nips them - and either dies in cage due to child not wishing to handle it or ends up at local animal rescue - hence your company causing more misery - BUT MAKING PROFIT FROM ANIMAL SUFFERING.
Your company makes VAST ammounts of money selling these poor animals that either die, become ill,tossed aside . I for one think it is disgracful to cause "legalised suffering to animals".
I shall be informing my MP & Trading standards of the practise of your Company,and the way it treats,takes care of ?, ensures animals are happy,, healthy when leave due to living in correct environment.
I am not and have never been an animal activist - but after STUPID SON purchasing bunnie,pigs from your company - Feel you need to know that ALL STAFF need guidlines, trainning on animal care, stimulation and your companies priority needs to be directed at animals in YOUR CARE whilst waiting for rehoming.
I am not a professional qualified in animal care - only someone that has fallen in love with Rabbits & Guinea pigs and find your companies treatment of them disgracful, If I lacked care,execise,fresh water, stimulation for my animals RSPCA "WOULD HAVE RIGHT TO REMOVE ANIMALS"
WHY IS A STORE THAT SELLS ANIMALS, MAKES MONEY VAST AMMOUNTS, NOT ALSO HELD RESPONSIBLE ?
J O';Brien
MP S HUGHES
TRADING STANDARDS
RSPCA |
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Hi I too would like to add to the debate on Pets At Home.
I bought my dwarf lop from there some months ago and when we went to the vet for her first jab it was discovered she had some warts on her neck so they were removed when she was spayed. The warts appeared again on her genitals and now on her claws and nose. She had been diagnosed with Atypical Myxi or Lumpy bunny syndrome the vet thinks she had this when I bought her as I had her vaccinated almost immediately and because of the lumps on her neck. I love Tosca and wouldn't change her for the world but Pets At home should take precautions to ensure all the rabbits they sell are healthy!
I was also disgusted as I have been into my local store on four occasions now and they are selling rabbits but cages that are not big enough to house them!!!!! I bought the biggest cage they did (the often don't have this in stock) but Tosca has grown to 6.5lbs and on our last trip to the vet (we go once a week) she thought Tosca could do with putting some weight on, as she is a big rabbit. I now have abandoned the cage from Pets At Home and Tosca lives in a dog pen although she has run of my house! I have a further complaint with Pets at home as they had a rabbit from a local rescue centre for sale. It was in a pen I would only see fit for a hamster (don't think I am joking) the food bowl was empty and it was right at the back of the store where no one could see it. I complained to the manager but went back the following weekend to find the same situation!!!
Sara & Tosca |
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Today i took in a very large cross breed rabbit that was coming in because it was biting the child of the household and had got too big. The lady had rung to say she had gone to Pets At Home to get a small rabbit for her handicapped son. She had been given this rabbit as a netherland dwarf, but it had got way to pig and was biting. When they came i was shocked, the rabbit was huge its weight was7 lb. The netherland dwarf shouldnt go over 2 lb in weight. Needless to say it was far to big to be on the little boys lap to be petted. The boy was heartbroken at giving up his beloved rabbit. Is it to much to ask that the staff at least should know their breeds and how big they will get. This boy has lost his pet because the staff dont know what they are doing. Everyone already know they carnt sex rabbits or stop them getting pregnant , is there no end to their incompedence? . Perhaps to make it easy for them they should buy a breed poster to put on their wall so they can see what rabbit is what. Its not rocket science for god sake. If i were that lady i would have reported them to trading standards.
The rabbit they were sold was not as they say fit for purpose.If you ask for a rabbit that is small they should be able to sell you one that is going to be small, if you buy a young rabbit that turnes out to be pregnant you have been duped. There is an easy way to stop there rabbits and piggies getting pregnant but they carnt do it, put a lid on the pen so the males carn jump over to the girls. Wouldnt you think that was easy? Ive mentioned it to them a few times but to no avail.They have collored the pet market and have no intentions of learning there trade properly and to hell with the poor mugs that suffer in the process. The rabbits they sell are massed produced and come from i beleive Devon. Massed produced animals of any kind are not handled enough before they get to their destination to make good pets. A baby rabbit should be handled from the day it comes out of the nest. If this is done and its handled every day it will be very tame and friendly. [ have you ever tried to pick up one of their rabbits?] Because there is not the time to do this when your mass breeding the result is an unfit for purpose animal. Children are very easily put off rabbit if they struggle and kick when picked up. This can put a child off an animal, what a shame they end up being scared of them. Its not the rabbits fault but these rabbits all end up in rescue centwers because they are not friendly. Why should rescue centers have to pay to take on all these rabbit?.The vast majority of rabbits that come into me are not friendly, so the children have total gone off the idea. What good is a pet that you carnt cuddle and stroke? I know how much i have to pay out to keep these rabbits and reabilitate them if i can. Why carnt Pets At Home at least litsen to good advise?, its not just coming from me but rescues all over the country and the ordinery pet owner. Please Please think before you buy a pet from there. There are some good rabbit breeders out there that could sell you a proper pet and know its parents and can assure you that its not got bad teeth or pasturella or be pregnant,and is friendly and been well handled ,and the size , you can see the parents. A lot of people now will only buy puppies and kitten's from a breeder for that reason .You can see the parents and talk to someone that hopfully knows a little about their animals. Alternativly go to your nearest rescue and give a rabbit a second chance.
VAL [ trying to pick up the peices]
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Hi there
I came across your website in a magazine over the weekend, and after looking at it today, I wasn't suprised to find such bad feedback on Pets at Home.
I am a total rabbit lover and four and a half years ago I went into Pets at Home just to have a look at the rabbits when a tiny golden coloured doe hidden in the corner caught my eye. She was absolutely beautiful and I just had to take her home with me. I called her honey and she was 'my baby'. As we bought her in November, we were advised to keep her indoors.
However, for the first few days she was home, she wouldn't move out of the corner of her hutch and looked petrified. She also wasn't eating anything, not even hay. I thought it may have been due to fear.
One evening while I was holding her I noticed a lump on the leg, so I took her to the vets. It was there that we discovered that there was infact two lumps that were alot bigger than we first thought that had turned deep purple and black through infection. After the vet drained the lumps, teeth marks were discovered and the vet advised us that she had probably been attacked by the other rabbits. I was appaulled as nobody at Pets at Home had even noticed!!
I nursed her back to health with the help of my mum, and she started to grow as she was finally eating and she became the most adorable, loving rabbit I have ever owned.
I spoiled her rotten, even buying her a pink rabbit hutch, and she lived indoors with me in the evenings as she was house trained. She continued to suffer health problems throughout her life but she always found ways to tell me she was unwell so I could help her as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, she passed away from cancer 3 weeks ago in my arms at home, but she gave me the best four and a half years of my life. She even lay by me while I was sleeping after my grandfather died to let me know she was there.
I do totally agree that nobody should give any more business to Pets at Home as they mistreat the animals so badly. However, people must think about the poor animals that are stuck in that chain of shops and want to save them from the mistreatment they are recieving.
I found 'my baby' for a reason, that reason being to save her and give her the life she desevred and I believe all the rabbits at Pets at Home derserve the same. Forget about putting money into the pockets of Pets at Home and think about the rabbits. We can do this and still make sure our voices of disapproval are heard.
Angharad Fielding. |
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HEllo,I have just come across your website.To add to the letters concerning pets at home from a different angle.
A new store has just opened where we live,my daughter needed a job and applied for a post.At the selection afternoon she was interviewed and had the chance to ask questions.As 'animal people' who have rabbits and guineas she asked about the welfare of the stores animals and was told they only have animals from one source(they didnt mention that meant an animal farm!)she also asked about their age,condition etc and if they have access to vetinary care while they are in the store.She was told they are seen by a vet before going into the store.She also got the impression that the pet care was general rather than the specific responsibility of selected staff.
When she came home she said she didnt like the way her questions were answered and felt the animals were not a priority as hers would have been.She did not want to get the job at the new store and subsequently did not.
As a family we have not visited the store and have no desire to.
Ali |
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THEY ARE NOW TRYING TO SELL CONTINENTAL GIANTS AT PETS AT HOME. FOR ANYONE WHO DOSENT KNOW THESE ARE HUGE RABBITS THAT WOULD NEED A 6FT- 7FT CAGE, THE HIGHT TO COME WITHIN THE RSPCA GUIDELINES WOULD HAVE TO BE ABOUT 4-5 FT HIGH. RABBITS THAT ARE PETS MUST BE ABLE TO STAND ON THERE BACK LEGS WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ROOF. WERE DO PETS AT HOME THINK YOU ARE GOING TO GET A GAGE TO FIT THE RABBIT. GIANTS ARE A SPCIELIST RABBIT AND NOT THE RUN OF THE MILL PET, THEY NEED VERY CAREFULL ATTENTION AND THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY CAN BE AS LITTLE AS THREE YEARS. THEY DONT TELL YOU THAT.
THE BRANCH AT CHARLTON DOSENT EVEN HAVE ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE BREED ON SHOW FOR PEOPLE TO READ.ONE OF THE BABY GIANTS I SAW THERE WASENT EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO BE SOLD. THEY TAKE TWO YEARS TO GROW FULLY AND SHOULD NOT BE SOLD UNTILL THEIR ABOUT 14 WEEKS. THIS JUST PROVES TO ME THAT DISPITE MAKING A SHOW AT CRAYFORD BRANCH THAT THEY ARE WORKING WITH CHARITIES THEY STILL DO WHAT THEY WANT AND STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
 THIS IS THEIR SIZE |
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Dear GR,
I would like to add to the debate about Pets at Home.
We never buy any rabbit (we have several!) from a pet shop but I fell in love with a 'giant continental' at our local store. After going in to see it twice a week (after it had been stuck there for over 2 months) and wondering whether or not I was doing the right thing buying from a shop I bought 'him'.
As experienced rabbit owners my husband and I were fully aware of how the 'boy' would grow and my husband had built an 8 1/2 foot by 9ft enclosure for him.
The shop made us fully aware of the size he could become and said he had not been neutered (at first they said he had!).
When our rabbit went in for castration the vet phoned to say it was in fact a doe! After surgery the vet said they found some abnormalities in her womb and had sent them off to pathology.
By this point I was feeling absolutely awful - I love these bundles of fluff and felt terrible that I had bought from a shop who had made such drastic mistakes.
The results have come back only to suggest that our poor girl had already had some sort of surgery which they believe was a spay and this could only have happened whilst in the shop - believe me this reduced to me tears!
I have contacted the Pets at Home head office who said they were very concerned by this situation and would retrain and speak to their staff. They are also paying for her surgery and tests.
However I feel so strongly about this I have contacted my local trading standards (via my county council) and urge anyone who has had similar problems to please, please do the same.
So although this has started as a sad story I am hoping that I can do something to stop this happening again.
I have spoken to several people who had said that many rabbits are having to be rescued from pets at home buys as customers were told the wrong sex or they have grown too big.
Please don't buy any animal from pets at home - although I love our girl dearly and she has a lovely temperament and has gone to a good home I recommend that people go to a rescue centre or reputable breeder which is what we have gone back to doing to find our girl a beautiful French lop buck as a companion. |
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FROM A CUSTERMER OF PETS AT HOME
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Forwarded Message:
Hiya val,
I emailed you before about problems I've had with pets at home and it's just gotten worse. I bought a male dutch bunny to breed from, he had a retained testicle and had to be castrated - he also had snuffles, which I fortunately managed to clear up - a real miracle. He's now a house bunny with my brother in dorset and very happy indeed. At the same time I bought a black self continental giant Doe and guess what, she's had snuffles too, persistently from 10 weeks of age. This has been the bain of my life!!!! I'm so unhappy. She's such a beautiful bunny but has never gone more than 3-4 weeks without antibiotics to control this conditions. since xmas she's had 7 weeks of eye drops and 2 weeks of anti-biotics and it's still not gone away and she's so unhappy. I've had to keep her indoors so she cant infect any of my other bunnies, and she should be outside playing with the others. the vet is now talking about taking culture swabs and flushing and x-rays but says she'll never get any better s, not least because of the cost (she's already cost me over £300 in vets bills), I've decided not to go with that as it's not fair to put her under the stress of being put out for flushing and operations etc. if she's not going to be better at the end of it. I love her immensly - as i do with all my other bunnies, but am seriously considering taking her to giant rabbit rescue to be re-homed so she can have the one-to-one attention she needs constantly and from someone who knows what health issues she has before they take her home. also, because she is a giant rabbit, the new home she goes to will be with a vetted, experienced keeper who specifically wants a giant bunny. I've just started giving her echinacea to see if this helps and she's back at the vets on friday, but if not, then I really have no other choice, it's the best way forward for her, me and the other bunnies I have, but letting her go is going to break my heart. Both rabbits were purchased from pets at jome in harlow - I've kept rabbits all y life and these ar the first and only bunnies I've ever come across with this condition, I've had many a sleepless night worrying about both these rabbits, been scratched to shreds from giving the medications and many a ruined clothes for the same reason, and I've been driven to the edge of despair by having to let first Piper (dutch buck) and possib;y now also Sooty (black Conti Doe) go to new homes when they are all like members of my family, and it's all down to the pets at home. I dont know if it's an inherent condition they were born with, though this is unlikely, as they're different breeds of rabbit, so this only leads to the problem being caused by poor husbandry on the part of either the breeder(s) they get their bunnies from, or, at pets at home themselves.
Please please tell your readers about this - even if it stops one person buying rabbits from them, it will be far better for them and the rabbit(s), I advise anyone buying rabbits to either buy from a rescue, or a reputable breeder. I breed rabbits myself and have the petshop where I sell rabbits, but they're cleaned out daily, have fresh food and water daily are kept at home until they are at least 8 weeks old and when they are sold the new owner is given a birth certificate with access via my website to info re. their parentage. we also provide info on rabbit care from the petcare trust and RWAF re. neutering, flystrike, regular health checks and vaccinations, pairing rabbits, joining the RWAF etc. and provide contact details (telephone / email for an aftercare service).... all things we did not receive from pets at home....
from a very unhappy EX pets at home customer!!!!!! |
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hello its rosie...i collected a mini rex from the rescue last year.
even though i am young i also have some things to say about pets at home.
there was a hamster squashed against the glass of a cage between a metal
thing and the cage and we thought there might be something wrong. So we went
up to one of the staff and asked him if it was ok and he said......"its
ok...hamsters dont have backbones so they can fit through very small
spaces"...now im pretty sure that hamsters arnet invertibrates and they do
infact have a fully fuctioning backbone....it just shows how badly trained
the staff are their and how they just cant be bothered to get staff that
actually care about animals....im only 12 and i know that hamsters have a
backbone.
adding to that my sister purchased two gerbils from their when my parents
didnt know there was anything wrong whith pets at home and the people
said..."its ok you can put them together because they have lives together
all their lives.....they failed to mention that actually these gerbils
wouldent live well together and would probably end up killing each
other.........which they did eventually......im also pretty sure that Pets
At Home were selling the exitable, skittish, not good whith children Polish
rabbits that i have read so much about....but to be fair they might have
been cross breeds that look like polishes....anyway thats my email...hope it
gets to you and the web adres is right
From rosie
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I am writing through you in response to the 'Honey' email which warns readers about Pets at Home. The story is very sad but I would like to say my male rabbit, Cadbury was very healthy when bought and has continued to be healthy until his estimated age of 5+ years that he is now. However, I was never told by Pets at Home that rabbits need injections, or in fact a lot of the useful info on your pages,which I would like to thank you for.
Fizz |
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PETS AT HOME ADDING TO THE PROBLEM
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This has been added here to highlight the damage being done to rabbit welfare by Pets At Home. Never has a company done so much damage, when supposedly being there to help.As a rabbit rescue i urge everyone to boycot this company untill they can get there house in order, they are adding to the problems of rescue centers werever they are.
   Wake up and smell the coffee, you could help.
Pets at Home creates more misery for our rescue - 04/02/2006
 What follows is the personal opinion of Green Fields Rescues centres manager:
This time around its Pets at Home at Slough we have to thank for the existance of these 17 unwanted baby rabbits. It beggers belief that they are legally allowed to get away with this, but when you purchase an animal from Pets at Home the small print on the reciept you are issued states "we do not guarantee the age or sex of the livestock we sell" which makes you wonder what on earth they are doing selling animals in the first place....however, this doesnt stop the staff from seemingly having a random guess at the sex while convincing the shopper they have been accurate. Sexing rabbits is NOT difficult to do. We have NEVER rehomed a mis-sexed rabbit from our rescue and as its an easy thing to learn to do correctly there is no reason why we ever should. So why cant Pets at Home say the same thing? Surely a big company like this should have a budget for top level staff training. They damned well SHOULD be able to guarantee the sex of the animals they sell.
In this case, the family in question had been sold "2 females". Around 12 weeks later, once they had become old enough to breed, the first litter of baby rabbits was born. As females can get pregnant within a few hours of giving birth, the male should have been removed right away. The staff at Pets at Home Slough however, told the family not to worry about this telling the worried family that "the female cant get pregnant again while she is still feeding the babies". They didnt mention that the father could indeed have killed the young too and that un-neutered males should never be left with newborn kits. They were lucky and the first litter survived. 4 weeks later, the second litter arrived. However, the family didnt discover the litter, hidden in a nest....until the female was pregnant again.
Pets at Home took some of the first litter back into the shop to sell on at just 6 weeks old which they advised the family was the right age for them to be weaned. This is utter rubbish and baby bunnies should never be removed from their mother until they have reached 10 weeks old. It is common practise for Pets at Home to stock baby rabbits of this age and as per RWA guidelines on the correct age for weaning, this is yet another reason to avoid Pets at Home at all costs.
Then followed several months of Pets at Home mis- sexing more of the resulting litters until they were old enough that the remainder of the first litter all became pregnant too and the situation began to spiral out of control. Finally realising that Pets at Home had persistantly misadvised and misinformed them, in desperation, the family rung us for help.
We arrived to find 17 rabbits and just 3 hutches. Pets at Home had also told the family the following gem of rabbit care information: "If you feed the rabbits on a complete food, you dont need to feed them anything else." !!!!!!!!Consequently, these rabbits had NEVER been fed any hay. Infact, hay should make up 90% of a rabbits diet and there is no such thing as an entirely "complete" food. It is utterly amazing to all of us that these rabbits surivived the onset of gut stasis without hay. The family had no idea that the rabbits needed any toys or stimulation so were in totally blank hutches, all were unvaccinated as Pets at Home had omitted to mention that requirement as well, they were on dusty Pets at Home brand wood shavings with the result that we suspected all of them may have myxomatosis due to their irritated eyes and nasal passage ways.
So, we now have 17 unwanted, unvaccinated, unneutered rabbits. The cost of getting these rabbits ready for rehoming will be in the region of £1800 which we are going to have to scrape and fundraise like mad to acheive.
Pets at Home meanwhile, profited from the mis-sale of the "female" rabbits in the first place, profited again from the sale of the litter they took from their mother too young at 6 weeks old and profited again from the sales of the sub-standard food they recommended as "complete" and from the dusty bedding they sold.
What makes me as a rescue centre manager angry is that we dont understand WHY Pets at Home should be allowed to profit from these animals misery and we have to pick up the pieces, struggling every single day to make enough money to keep the rescue going. And its not just us, we know of countless other rescues affected in the same way as our rescue is and the majority of the time all of these rescues are so overwhelmed we dont have the energy or finances to do anything about it. I know only too well the feeling of hopeless desperation of "one little rescue" in the face of a corporate giant, but we HAVE to start to stand together to do something about this. THIS time it was Sloughs branch responsible for the situation of these 17 rabbits but we also pick up the pieces from the stores at Reading, Farnborough and Wokingham and its time it stopped. Are you a rescue centre manager? Do you have documented evidence of the impact that your local Pets at Home is having on your rescue? Please get in touch if you do.
Its NOT difficult to correctly sex baby rabbits, we do it every day and have NEVER got it wrong. The bottom line is that while the law allows for Pets at Home to hide behind the disclaimer of "We do not guarantee the age or sex of the livestock we sell" then there is no incentive whatsoever for the staff to do so correctly.
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET AND VOTE WITH YOUR PEN AND VOTE WITH YOUR WALLETT.
1)Dont buy your pet supplies in Pets at Home or any other store which stocks animals. Go to a garden centre or independant shop who doesnt stock any livestock.
2)Write to your MP. Tell them you are appauled that the law allows Pets at Home to practise pet sales in the way that they do and tell them about how rescues such as ours struggle to keep going in the face of the overwhelming numbers envolved.
3) Go into Pets at Home and look at the animals. Make sure they have plenty of water and lots of hay. If they havent complain loudly to the manager. Also complain if the rabbits and guinea pigs share a pen. Mention that the RSPCA, RWA and Cavy Trust ALL say rabbits and guinea pigs should NEVER live together. Talk to people who you can see looking at the rabbits and guinea pigs. Tell them about RESCUE centres as an alternative and tell them Pets at Home create misery for rescues up and down the country and that they consistantly mis-sex the animals they sell hiding behind their disclaimer.
Can you help?? Green Fields Rescue would like to launch a legal challenge against the get out clause Pets at Home uses on their reciepts as being an "unfair disclaimer" but we need funding and legal support. Do you know a corporate law solicitor who would take on this case as pro bono work? Please contact us if you do. We would also like to press Pets at Home to meet the costs of getting these 17 rabbits ready for rehoming. Are you good at letter writing? Could you draft something we can send to their head office?
Can you make a donation to help us get these bunnies ready for rehoming? A donation of £10 feeds a small group of these rabbits for a week, £15 pays for vaccinations, a donation of £40 pays for a male to be neutered and a donation of £60 pays for a female to be spayed. Please give what you can via the "help us" section of this website or send a cheque payable to Green Fields Rescue to the address on the contact page. If you email us we can give you the account details for the rescue if you would to do an online bank transfer.
Want to adopt from this group? 8 have gone to ARC in west London www.animalrescueandcare.org.uk and the rest are here at Green Fields Rescue. They will be listed on the rabbits available page under the heading "Rescued Group of 17"
***UPDATE***
Thankyou so much for the letters, phone calls and emails of support. We are collecting a rather amazing amount of evidence of Pets at Homes incompitent staff country wide. I even took a call from Scotland on this subject this morning.
We also now have a contact working INSIDE PETS AT HOME who will be obtaining film and audio of consignments of dead and dying baby rabbits arriving from the mass breeding centre that Pets at Home use to supply their stores, some so young they dont even have their eyes open, some who have been so poorly bred they have teeth malocclusion at just 6 weeks of age. As well as several other pieces of evidence to take to the national press should we need to.
Please continue to send us your Pets at Home horror stories for our file and thankyou once again for all your supportive messages.
Remember, boycott stores and spread the word...
"PETS AT HOME....LEAVE THEM ALONE"
THIS WAS BORROWED FROM THE GREENFIELDS RABBIT RESCUE SITE,theres a link to it on the link page please visit.
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Hello,
I came across your website in a magazine and i think its amazing what you are doing. I am 19 and me and my mum are animal lovers. When i am older i would love to set up my own animal rescue centre but it is obviously lots of hard work! I thought i would email you to let you know that i went into Pets At Home in my town Nuneaton the other day and they were keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together, one of the guinea pigs was attacking the rabbits, he was pulling there fur out, i complained to one of the staff and the lady said it was ok she took him out for a stroke and said that he was the oldest animal there and he had been attacked and now he does it to the rest of the animals! It was horrible to see, they should have kept him seperate, as soon as she put him down he went straight back and starting harrassing the poor other animals again! I also said to the lady that rabbits and guinea pigs shouldn't be kept together but she begged to differ, i wasn't pleased at all! Just thought i would let you know about my experience. All the best with your rescue centre.
Adele |
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