Winter Warmers

So now the weather is turning colder and we are selling more wild bird foods and it is good to see people making sure that animals and birds are ready for the winter. But how far should we go when pampering our pets? Will we kill them with kindness? Yes, we should ensure that the wild birds for example are well fed, but we should also make sure that if we have been putting food out regularly it should always be available for them right through the Winter. They get used to feeding from the same spot and rely on it especially in a cold snap. But what happens when you go on holiday? Their table could be bare for two weeks which could result in a number of small birds deaths. So make sure you ask a friendly neighbour to put food out on your bird table whilst you sit on some sunny beach somewhere. Then when you return you will be rewarded by the sight of happy and with luck chubby birds on your bird table.
In the shop we have had customers buying warm beds and blankets for their pets. Only yesterday a customer looked at every bed that we had in stock. She couldn't make up her mind which one to buy and came back three times before making her purchase. I nearly asked her if she would like to sit in one to see how comfy it was, but I don't think she would have seen the funny side and may well have plonked herself in it and then asked to sit in a few more! I am just glad that I don't own a furniture store as I am sure it would have taken her at least a week to decide which three piece suite to buy.
Dog coats are starting to sell again, and this season there are some real 'classy' outfits. Pink jackets, fur collars and even little 'charms' to put on collars. I just hope that they do the trick and keep the poor pouches warm as well.

Trumpeting Tango

Its raining again. Tango our Green Amazon parrot loves the rain. She fluffs up her wings and dances about on her perch whenever she hears the sound of dripping water. Then she starts to squawk. You can hear her from outside. Even across the road over the sound of the traffic. She loves a good old squawk and she has been doing a lot of it these last few days as it has been raining quite hard. Problem is that when the phone rings we cannot hear what the caller is saying. The only way to shut Tango up is to give her some celery. She just loves celery and will sit and strip a celery stalk within about 5 minutes and then it is back to her incessant squawking. I just can't wait for a bit of dry weather and a headache free day! Someone said the other day that it wasn't just raining 'cats and dogs' it was raining 'Tangos trumpets' as well.

Busy days

Why is it that although we are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Mondays to Saturdays and 11.am to 4pm on Sundays people want to visit the shop at the very last minute before the doors close? Or even after we have shut? Only last Saturday a Lady came in at 11am in the morning enquiring if we had any guinea pigs? We told her that we had and she said that she would be back. Sure enough back she came , but at 5.30pm. Accompanied by her husband and two children. They then proceeded on the long process of choosing their pet. 'Should we take this one?' 'No-that one is nicer'. Or 'I like that one with the longer hair', 'No - the one with the short coat is best'. This went on and on.
When selling an animal we like to take our time and give the customer as much information about their new pet as is possible. We also like to say goodbye to it so all in all this can take quite a while. But this was stretched to the limit last Saturday. I think customers think that we love animals so much we sleep at the shop with them too. Anyway the guinea pig went to a nice home in the end and myself and the rest of the staff left sometime later. - (The shop has to be clean and tidy ready for the next day.) We were all really tired as it had been a long hard day and when my staff go home they all also go home to various pets who all need cleaning, walking and feeding too. So work really does not stop at the shop door.
Anyway I eventually arrived home and after tea settled down to put my tired feet up only to hear the telephone ring. It was someone who had just arrived in the area for their holidays and they had brought their dog with them, but had forgotten his favourite food, and it was the only one he would eat! Two hours after leaving the shop I was down there again.
Good job that the burglar alarm didn't go off that night too. A call out in the middle of the night would have been the last straw.

Tortoise Tales

Selling tortoises thirty or forty years ago was a very different proposition than what it is today. Then your average Pet shop owner was asked for tortoises by his customers. He would then order them from his wholesaler and then a few days later a consignment of tortoises would appear. When we received them they were in flat boxes, but many years earlier they had come in Ali Baba type baskets. On arrival all the tortoises were first put into large trays of warm water and given a drink, then they were washed and checked for ticks. After a few hours rest they were then fed lots of fresh vegetables and then next day put out on show ready to go to new homes. One of my earliest childhood summer memories was going to check the tortoises with my Father and seeing which were male or female. (turn tortoise upside down, concave shell - male, flattish shell -female.)
Way back then not too many people questioned how animals were transported or how they were caught. Now-a-days things are different. I guess that we have learnt our lesson in the Pet Trade and are now questioning issues about transportation and taking animals from the wild. I don't think that pet shop owners were cruel, just ignorant. Not many had even travelled abroad so knew nothing about freight or flying. But I did hear tell after the importation ban of tortoises was imposed that instead of catching the tortoises and selling them for pets the Greek and Turkish farmers were clubbing the poor animals to death. This was because the poor old tortoises were eating the farmers crops and were a pest. There always seems to be two sides to each coin.
So many people have stories to tell about their first pet,and many will reminisce about their pet tortoise. A great many people still have them, but not many will admit to it as they are frightened that their pet will be stolen as now tortoises cost quite a bit of money.
Tortoises for sale in pet shops in 2007 are captive bred and most require documentation. Any reliable pet store would not sell a tortoise without the relevant information on heating, feeding etc. This complies with the conditions of our pet licence.
But I still remember one of my first pets a big tortoise call 'Tug'. He ruled the roost at our house, living till just last year. I still have fond memories of him getting into the strawberry patch and enjoying our home grown strawberries. Much to my Mothers annoyance.

Pets or Owners ideas?

Someone sent me a comment regarding the love of their cat. She said that she always took her cat with her when she went on holiday. This set me thinking? Do we do things for our Pets or for ourselves? I know that if I took any of my cats on holiday they would not thank me. In fact they would be very upset and would probably try to make a quick exit out of the car every time the door was opened. But on the other hand if you have a dog and you take a trip he may be mortified if you leave him at home. But do we as Pet owners put our own ideals before that of our Pets? I guess that it is up to the individual to decide what is good and helpful to their pet. And so long as the Pet and its owner are happy and content then who are we to argue. So many people have different ideas and thoughts about how to keep and rear pets that this can become a very sticky issue. We have a customer who regularly runs up and down mountains with his two beautiful dogs. They think nothing of a quick run before breakfast doing ten to twelve miles. These super fit dogs are devoted to their owner and he just adores them. They were in the shop one day after a good morning out when another customer remarked that the 'poor dogs had run too far, and shouldn't have been allowed to have run such a distance'. I didn't know what to say. They looked healthy enough, were young and fit and I think really enjoyed their run. But was the customer right? Were they taken too far? I guess everyone has an opinion, so long as there is no hardship at the end of the day the dogs owner must have the final say. He is the one who has looked after them and cared for them and should know what they like and need. But it is still a tricky issue. Should be feed our cats mice instead of tinned or dried food because they prefer them? Or should we make our dogs eat vegetarian food because we are a vegetarian ourselves? Questions, questions.

Tickle strikes again

Whoops. Tickle the Parrot has been at it again. Earlier on today a well dressed woman walked into the shop. She looked round for a few minutes, and then bent down to pick up a packet of dog food from a bottom shelf. At that precise moment Tickle looked up and gave a very loud and long wolf whistle. The Lady stood bolt upright and turned to where one of our male shop assistants was standing. She obviously thought it was him as he was the only other person in the shop at the time. Poor chap, he immediately apologised and said that it was Tickle and pointed to Tickles cage at the back of the shop. Of course our shop is quite large and the Lady only glanced over in Tickles direction. Tickle was sitting at the bottom of his cage enjoying his breakfast -yes he can whistle and eat at the same time -. Anyway the lady did not see Tickle and stormed out of the shop tutting about rude leering men. The poor assistant who is a very polite and charming man was quite mortified.

Tasty titbits

Maybe we are a butchers shop too. A butchers shop for dogs and cats that is. We sell all sorts of interesting meaty products. Tripe - well dogs think it is tasty-, chicken, beef, liver etc. Of course this comes in tins, is frozen, or vacuum packed. But it is the natural treats that amuse me the most. We sell pigs ears, and trotters, hooves, cheeks, snouts, ribs, paddywack -a sort of crispy skin-. Roast bones - large and small- parma ham bone and smoked bones, not to mention bones filled with cheese, or mint, aniseed or chicken. Sausages, kebabs, jerky, and one that I cannot bring myself to stock - Bulls Pizzle! - A bit of imagination here and you will work out what it is-.
I guess that we sell all the bits that the traditional family butcher does not use and that dogs love. A good method of recycling.
I often think that a Pet shop must smell delicious to a dog when he walkes through the front door. So many tasty smells. All too often a well trained dog will refuse to 'sit' or 'stay' and will drag his owner round the shop till he finds the meat section and then sit there drooling until his 'well trained' owner has purchased his favourite meaty treat.