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Winter Warmers
2007-10-09 18:30:00
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 pe...

Trumpeting Tango
2007-08-03 21:24:00
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
2007-07-26 10:02:00
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 s...
More About: Days , Busy

Tortoise Tales
2007-07-17 17:31:00
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 differen...
More About: Tales , Tortoise

Pets or Owners ideas?
2007-07-15 17:55:00
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 befor...
More About: Ideas , Owners

Tickle strikes again
2007-07-13 17:51:00
Whoops. Tick le 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
2007-07-12 10:47:00
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 'st...

Getting the beauty treatment
2007-07-09 15:53:00
I was just looking at the products that we sell for pets concerning their grooming. Of course we sell brushes, combs, etc. but I didn't realise quite how like a human beauty parlour we are until I took a closer look at the hundreds of products on offer from various manufacturers of pet shampoos and toiletries. Shampoos alone come in flavours like, pina colada, wild berry, green apple, wild cherry and baby powder scented (for puppies), not to mention tea tree, dry foam, coal tar, evening primrose, blacksatin, insecticidal etc.etc. And these wonderful smelling products aren't just for dogs, they are for other small animals such as ferrets, guinea pigs and cats. There are the deodorant sprays to keep your pet smelling sweet, the ear cleaning lotion to keep those little ear holes tidy, the eye wipes, the toothpaste, the sweet breath tablets and more and more....Then you get the actual items that you groom your pet with. There are dematting combs, flea combs, combs for long hair, combs...
More About: Beauty , Treatment

Happy Hamsters
2007-07-05 12:26:00
Our new consignment of baby hamsters have just arrived. As usual all are fit and healthy. They come to us from quite a distance, but they are very well cared for. They come from our supplier in their own van and the container that they travel in is well ventilated with lots of food for their journey. Much better than the accommodation provided for us humans when we travel on public transport.All the hamsters are examined by us and then we try and sex them. Usually we get this right, but sometimes, just sometimes we make a mistake. Baby hamsters are so tiny. Russian Dwarf hamsters are even more difficult. On top of all the turning upside down to try and inspect their nether regions they squiggle too. Of course they don't enjoy the process and you have to keep an eye on their tiny teeth. Even though they are small they can still give you a nasty nip.Anyway all are present and correct and are settling into their temporary homes very well. All too soon they will be living in their perm...
More About: Happy , Hamsters

Mid Summer - it must be Christmas
2007-07-03 10:37:00
Oh dear - Christmas is near. I have just received my first Christmas brochure. It is full of pet Christmas presents. Somehow I just can't face ordering 'Cat tinsel', cat or dog advent calendars of 'Raffles' the Christmas reindeer. I have only just got over the Easter rush and selling 'Doggie Easter eggs'.
More About: Summer

Tickles tricks
2007-06-28 16:31:00
Tickle - our African grey parrot is getting a lot of attention these days. During the Summer months we get quite a few overseas visitors in the Shop. They always seem to be interested in a talking parrot and will say 'Hello' when Tickle says 'Hello' to them. I just wonder if Tickle will pick up their accents and start saying 'Hello' in a sexy French voice or 'Hello' in an Irish accent, or a German one or even a Japanese sounding voice.I think we must have had quite a few customers and been quite busy lately. He has started saying 'Can I help you?' whenever anyone comes through the shop door. This can be very amusing if there are no staff about. Customers cannot understand where this ghostly voice is coming from. If that isn't bad enough he can do a good imitation of a mobile phone too. Which makes many a customer search in their pocket or bag thinking their phone is ringing. He also copies our shop phone making us rush to answer it. When we pick it up Tickle then proceeds...
More About: Tricks , Tick

General Monday morning moan
2007-06-25 10:16:00
I have just heard that our local Council is going to charge us for putting things on the pavement outside our shop. This applies to all the shops in the town. £250 per store per year does not seem too much for some big chain store, but in the town where I trade an awful lot of shops are empty so trade is not that good. Only last year the Council was trying to encourage the Cafe Culture. 'Make the town more interesting and welcoming it said'. I guess we will all have to pay this new 'Tax' - where else can I display my larger items like rabbit hutches. In a way I don't object to the new 'tax' that much. Its just the strange thinking behind it. We are a small town with not too many shops. This new 'Tax' will have to be administered. That means probably a Secretary to send out the forms for written permission for a licence. A Licencing Officer to come out and check you are complying with the Licencing instructions and a person to collect the licence money every year. So lets s...
More About: General , Morning , Monday , Monday Morning

Colour Co-ordinated Canines
2007-06-24 18:40:00
How come we never stock the correct product? You can guarantee that when we stock a certain type of dog lead that comes in all of the colours under the sun we never have the colour that the customer wants. We may have it in the correct length, the correct width, with the correct handle and the correct clip, but it will not be the correct colour. Time and again we hear 'It's the wrong colour it won't go with my car/ my dogs eyes/my dogs bed/etc.' The best one yet was the gent who came into the shop for a dog bed. It was about the time that the Labour Government had just come back into power. Anyway - the Gent wanted a dog bed. He knew what type he wanted and what size. We showed him the type of dog bed that he had requested and it was the right size and was the right type. But, it was the wrong colour. The Gent said that it was 'CONSERVATIVE BLUE'. We said it was the only colour that we had at the present time, but the Gent stuck his nose in the air saying that he would not hav...
More About: Colour , Nate

Diets, Dogs and Dames
2007-06-17 20:07:00
Yesterday a regular customer came into the shop accompanied by her lovely Norfolk terrier. We (staff, owner and dog) all had a bit of a chat and then dog and owner went on their way. After she had gone I remarked to one of our staff members that the little dog had put on a bit of weight. We thought this was because the dog was getting a little older and and maybe not quite as active as she had been. Also she had had a recent hair cut which made her look a little 'plumper'. 'Perhaps she needed a week or two on a diet?' - I said.Little did I know that there were two other female customers in the shop while I was saying this. They had overheard our entire conversation regarding weights and diets, and put two and two together. The Ladies had not heard us referring to the dog, and thought we were talking about them! We hastily explained that we were talking about the previous customers dog, but I am sure they did not believe us. Next time I will keep my mouth firmly shut and my thoug...
More About: Dogs , Diets , Dame

Births, deaths and marriages - well almost!
2007-06-14 17:00:00
The holiday seasons come and go and because we look after small animals and birds when their owners go on their holidays we get to see our regular boarders once again.Many come to us year after year often having been purchased from us in the first place. It is always nice to see our old friends back again and sometimes I think that they like to see us again too. We usually know their little likes and dislikes and most of their little foibles. All are known by name so if a member of staff says 'Sugar' or 'Bubble and Squeak' are coming in next week we know exactly who they are. One of my all time favourites must be 'Derek' the Rex rabbit. He came to us for his holidays for many, many years only stopping when he eventually went to that great rabbit warren in the sky. 'Derek' was a lovely cuddly rabbit, he had gingery coloured fur that was quite short but felt like Velvet when you stroked him. His long ginger ears were just made to be tickled and his narrow face made him look li...
More About: Deaths , Marriages , Well , Ages

Questions and Internet
2007-06-13 16:13:00
I think that everyone that comes into the shop must have a tale to tell about their pet. We often get the complete life story of a favourite cat, dog, bird or even fish. This can all be very interesting but a little difficult to say the least if their is a queue of customers behind the story teller waiting to pay for their purchases. We really are a nation of animal lovers. Everyone has their own opinions and ideas about animal welfare, husbandry and just about everything else that concerns animals. This is where the Internet can be a great help, but also a great hindrance. All too often a customer will ask us for information. i.e. about looking after a new pet or what type of food to use. We will in all good faith try and help, and if we have the written documentation we will often give the enquiring customer a relevant leaflet. Then sometime later the customer will return and say that he has looked up his question on the Internet and it says ........... This may vary a g...
More About: Questions

Parrots and Parasols
2007-06-03 20:31:00
Over the last few days the weather has been quite warm. Lots of sunshine and a few fluffy clouds. The temperature is about right for our animals and birds. They all seem to be 'comfortable'. I guess it is the 'Goldilocks syndrome' - not too hot and not too cold.So we thought we would give our two parrots a change of scene and put them outside the shop for a couple of hours to soak up the suns rays.Sitting in their large cages at either side of the front door made them look like a 'guard of honour' for anyone entering the shop. They just loved the attention they got from passers by.Everyone stopped to talk to them and even passing motorists wound down their windows to shout 'hello' or whistle. It really seems to lighten a great many peoples day, especially when Tickle was shouting 'hello' or 'give us a kiss', or wolf whistling.They will be outside again in the next few days - weather permitting as both parrots seemed to have enjoyed themselves immensely. I have ev...

Its all in the name.
2007-05-15 18:46:00
We had a rather large delivery today of an assortment of products. Nothing unusual in that, but it set me thinking. - What strange names some of our pet products have. Kongs, Chubleez, Snuggle Factor, Critter Chopper, Perfection, Rogz for dogs, Paddywack, Muffins, (for small animals), Calypso Cricket Dust, Rug patrol, Gaylets, Flying Calf Frizbee, Chicken on a Rope, Orkas, Twisters, Wee wee Pads. - The list is endless. Some are simply self explanatory, but others are really strange. Do the manufacturers have teams of their employees making up these strange names and do they award prizes for the oddest?But I guess the strangest names are those of the animal housing. Bird cages and hamster cages. We had a number of hamster cages delivered and they had names such as Chealsea, Paddington, Bayswater, Westminster, Kew, Pall Mall and Picadilly. I couldn't help but think that they did not have any cages named after the more run down areas of London. No Old Kent Road, or Peckhams ...

'Little Accidents'
2007-05-14 16:38:00
When you own a Pet Shop you become rather used to cleaning up all sorts of mess, but yesterday I must admit was a little different. We are certainly used to cleaning out messy pens, scraping, cleaning and disinfecting is certainly nothing new to us. Nearly everyday someone or or other is up to their elbows in buckets of hot water and cleaning fluids. It is always satisfying to see freshly cleaned out cages or pens with happy occupants waiting to untidy the whole lot for you to clean out again. That's just the way life in a Pet Shop is. Once you have cleaned something up then you go on to the next and clean something else up. Animal pens, shelves, cages, floors etc. etc. - all have to be cleaned, and if you work for me you will soon discover that 'this or that' needs cleaning. In my line of work in my opinion no matter how hard you clean and tidy it can't be enough. Keeping animals is a dirty business and I like to make sure that my business isn't dirty.Now if you bring a puppy ...
More About: Accidents , Litt , Cide

Jemima
2007-05-09 09:48:00
Yes, can't nature be cruel? As I said in my previous Post I have a great view from my window as I work in my office at home. Our rather overgrown garden (I really must try and spend more time tidying it up) tumbles down to a river where there is always something interesting going on. It makes it so much easier to do mundane things like the VAT or paying invoices or checking tax returns when I can glance up and see the wild birds or even just watch people walking or playing with their dogs on the bank opposite.The day before yesterday I was in the garden - unfortunately not tidying up, but just feeding the fish in the pond. I heard a loud sort of quacking noise and there at the edge of the river was 'Jemima'. Now 'Jemima' is an ordinary white duck who has lived on the river for a number of years, and as we are regular duck feeders we always recognise 'Jemima' because she is white. You can't miss her because as a white duck amongst all the other ordinary Mallard ducks she...

Roadworks,bra's and bats
2007-05-08 10:43:00
We have been all enjoying the past warm weather. The tortoises have been having a whale of a time. They have been eating really well and looking very happy indeed. That is if a tortoise can 'look' happy. I have yet to see them smile, but they seem to be enjoying life anyway. We have found nice homes for them, and most have been sold in pairs. Their new owners are lovely people in fact one owner is a friend of mine. She has always wanted to keep tortoises and now that she is retired has decided to fulfil her dream and keep not one but two. I think they will be better looked after than the other members of her family. When I last talked to her she was worrying about where to place their vivarium in her house. Her sons bedroom or the playroom?Back on the business front things have been a little strange. Yet again our wonderful Council has allowed some utility company or other to dig up the main road outside the shop. Why do they always choose a Bank holiday? This has caused chaos. We...
More About: Bats

Wow - how time flies.
2007-04-26 10:24:00
I just don't know where the time goes to these days. I guess I have just been busy. - What with Easter and all. Although everyone else seems to have a few days off we still keep plodding on. The shop is open all over the Easter period and the animals have to be cared for so the staff are are all working. Never mind though. We were kept busy.One of our funniest incidents was a man standing beside our bank of fish tanks which were nearly overflowing with hundreds of fish when he turned to one of our assistants and said -'do you sell fish?' Trying to hold back a look of amazement the assistant spread her arms out wide and said 'are these what you are looking for?' His girlfriend then proceeded to tell him in front of the whole shop what a twit he was and how dumb he had looked. Exit a very sheepish man being heavily chastised by his rather loud mouthed girlfriend!Spring is always a nice time in the shop as young animals and birds are arriving. We have just got some lovel...
More About: Time , Flies

Mac 1, Tale 2
2007-03-28 10:38:00
Mac 1 was resident in the shop for many years. He quickly became part of shop life and a real character to boot. He had a large stand to sit on inside the shop which when the weather was good we put outside. He just loved sitting up and talking to passers by. The more attention he got the more he liked it. He could spot a camera from yards away and would shout until the photographer obliged by taking a snap. He just loved having his photo taken. He would pose like a model. Walking this way and that along his perch and then spreading his wings right out so the photographer could get him at just the right angle. He loved to frighten people by creeping up on them from behind, and after a few near misses we decided to elevate his perch to higher up above the shop door. In that way he was safe the poking fingers of inquisitive customers and passers by were safe from a snapping beak. A round hut was designed complete with thatched roof and a perch that protruded out from its front door...
More About: Tale

Mac 1, Tale 1
2007-03-22 17:22:00
I wonder how many of our older customers remember 'Mac' the Macaw?We did in fact have 2 macaws - one after the other. Mac 1 arrived when I was about 13 years old. He was taken in part exchange by my Father who was owed some money for some pet food. I still have the memory today of the phone call I received from my Dad saying that I was to 'come down to the shop and see what was waiting for me'. I rushed to my bike and peddled as fast as I could down to the shop.I arrived out of breath from my journey and when I walked into the shop my heart almost stopped as well. There sitting above me on a large parrot stand was 'Mac'. He took one look at me with his black beady eye, raised his large foot in a sort of salute, bent over and in a very loud voice said 'Helllooo!'. Well from that moment on I was in love. Forget boys. That parrot was far better. He was well mannered, well dressed, always attentive, a bit cheeky and even my parents liked him! He was just about the most beautiful...
More About: Tale

The shop itself.
2007-03-19 16:08:00
Looking back at my 'blog' I suddenly realised that although I had talked about animals I had omitted to say very much about my shop as it stands today.I certainly wouldn't call my shop large. It is not situated in some big 'out of town' shed, rather a medium sized shop sitting on a main street in a quiet town. The shop itself has just recently been refurbished. I sell lots of pet foods and accessories, everything from poop scoops to vivariums, fish nets to diamante collars, bags of pet foods, birds seeds, cat flaps, dog beds, rabbit hutches, amazing hamster cages with wheels, tunnels, and twiddly bits. You name it, if its got anything to do with pets I stock it, or if not I can try and get it for you.My fish selection is not huge, but there is as good variety of tanks and most things aquatic. And then at the rear of the shop there are some animal units with a selection of small animals and birds and a few reptiles. I deliberately do not stock a large amount of pets because I li...
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